Austrian Wine Marketing Board

After having been postponed twice, the Austrian wine fair VieVinum, will take place a few days from now- from 21 to 23 May 2022. The fair, which showcases Austrian wines in their full glory is particularly upbeat this year thanks to the exceptional 2021 vintage witnessed in Austria.

Last year blessed us with mature, crystal-clear wines from perfect grapes, and in generous quantities! Thanks to the fine, typically Austrian 2020 vintage and the world-class 2019 wines, our winegrowers have even more aces up their sleeves to impress visitors at the trade fair.

Chris Yorke, CEO of Austrian Wine

According to the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) – the apex body of Austrian wine, the timing of VieVinum 2022 couldn’t be better for presenting these exceptional wines to a large international audience at Austria’s largest wine trade fair. Austrian Wine is inviting around 900 experts from more than 50 different countries to Vienna for the occasion. “VieVinum is eagerly awaited by our international partners!” added Yorke. “The trade fair is a key fixture in their calendars and gives them an opportunity to talk to our winegrowers in person once more.”

A complete event package for International guests

Besides some 500 exhibitors and a comprehensive COVID-19 hygiene concept put in place by the organiser, M.A.C. Hoffmann, guests can also look forward to a complete event package put together by Austrian Wine. The package kicks off in advance of the fair dates with a convivial evening get-together at a Heurige (wine tavern) on 19 May 22 (Thursday), followed by a seated flight tasting on 20 May 22 (Friday), where 90 “international heroes” – top-quality Austrian wines that have won the highest awards from international media – can be tasted.

Austrian Wine will also be listing all of the supporting events put on by the wine-growing regions and associations in a special online city guide so that those who are interested can get a clear overview.

Last but not least, Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), Burgenland and Steiermark (Styria) are also organising wine tours to their wine-growing regions immediately after the VieVinum, an offer which is being well-received by Austrian Wine’s international guests.

A central platform for the Internationalisation of Austrian Wines

The aim of the whole experience, both within the framework of the trade fair and beyond, is to further drive the international market’s affinity for Austrian wine. VieVinum has been the central platform for the internationalisation of Austrian wine since 1998 – a long-term project that is increasingly bearing fruit, as the export figures for 2021 demonstrate. Generating €216.8 million in 2021, exports exceeded the €200 million mark for the first time in history, and the €29.5 million year-on-year increase was the highest value growth ever. The success of the VieVinum 2022 will undoubtedly give the dynamic export market a further boost.

(Adapted from a Press Release by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board).

Barely a month back  as I attended the seminar ‘Austrian Wines- 7 Elements of Uniqueness’ conducted during the Austrian wine fair VieVinum 2016 in Vienna, I asked a question to Willi Klinger, Managing Director Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) who was chairing the seminar- “when would the much talked about new Austrian Wine Law be formalised?” Willi replied- “anytime now”. Sure enough, even before I could embark on the trip back home, the new law that seeks to make Austrian wine simpler yet more precise, came into effect.

The action on these amendments was going on for sometime, and these reforms finally came into effect on 14 June 2016 in the form of an amendment to the Wine Law of 2009.  Among other matters, the amendments encompass modifications to the existing appellatives of wine-growing regions and vineyards.

So what is the fuss all about? To put things in perspective, let us first look at the generic Austrian wine classification in the image below (feel free to download and share):

 

The New Amendments

The overall essence of the new amendments is to represent various levels of Austrian wine unambiguously and with greater consumer-friendliness. The graphic below covers the salient aspects:

The Details

A Tailwind for the “Rieden”

The demarcation of single vineyard sites, which has been progressing according to the laid out plan in all wine-growing regions, has received new impetus from the amendment to the wine law. It has been determined that wines with a vineyard designation must bear the word “Ried” on the label before the name of the vineyard, i.e. when the word “Ried” appears before a geographic (topographic) designation, it will indicate that the wine has come from a legally defined single vineyard site.

With this provision, wines from single vineyards become recognisable at a glance to the consumer, easily distinguished from branded wines or wines with spurious indications of origin. Growing consciousness about the importance of a clear system for indicating origins has also found expression in the regions Kamptal, Kremstal and Traisental, wherein the DAC wines of these regions have been arranged according to law in a benchmark three-tier system – “Regional-”, “Village-” or “Single Vineyard-” wine. In this structure, classification of the wines must observe a predetermined minimum alcohol content.

Modifications to indications of origin in Burgenland and Steiermark

In order to avoid unnecessary duplication, the Burgenland wine producing appellations Neusiedlersee, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Mittelburgenland and Südburgenland have been eliminated. In future, all Qualitätswein from Burgenland will show the generic wine-growing region “Burgenland” on the label.

Only the regionally typical DAC wines shall henceforth be permitted to bear the designation of their specific wine-growing regions – Neusiedlersee DAC, Leithaberg DAC, Mittelburgenland DAC or Eisenberg DAC.

Parallel to this, the Grosslage (large vineyard site) “Südburgenland” is being created to replace the former Grosslagen “Pinkatal” and “Geschriebenstein”.

Pursuant to the amendment, the wine-growing region “Süd-Oststeiermark” in the hilly southeast of Austria shall be renamed “Vulkanland Steiermark” – far more expressive in the conceptual sense.

Ausbruch: exclusively from the Free City of Rust
Special attention has been paid to the Austrian Prädikat wines, particularly the Ausbruch. With the changes to the wine law coming into effect, the term “Ausbruch” is defined as a Trockenbeerenauslese – and as an exclusive, protected indication of origin for Ruster Ausbruch – thus reserved for Trockenbeerenauslesen from Rust. No other wines may henceforth bear the designation “Ausbruch”.

Austrian Sekt with Protected Designation of Origin
In a process of discussions taking place over the course of several years, the Austrian Sekt Committee – together with a committee of growers conducting their own tirage, in concert with experts of the Winegrower’s Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Austrian Wine Marketing Board and the Federal Agricultural Ministry – have developed new regulations with the goal of enhancing the position of Austrian Sekt with Protected Designation of Origin (Sekt g.U.). Building upon this, the amendment to the wine law now provides that the Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, Water and the Environment is empowered to determine and specify all details pertaining to Sekt with Protected Designation of Origin by means of an ordinance to be filed under seal at a future date.

This ministerial decree will – among other things – stipulate that Austrian Sekt with Protected Designation of Origin can be sold only when bearing the defining terms “Klassik”, “Reserve”, or “Grosse Reserve”. Hereby the sales description must be composed of the category (Österreichischer Qualitätsschaumwein or Sekt), the name of the protected designation of origin (in the cases of Klassik and Reserve, solely the name of the Austrian federal state; in the case of Grosse Reserve: federal state and municipality or part of it; in special cases also Grosslage or Ried) and the term “geschützte Ursprungsbezeichnung” (Protected Designation of Origin) or “g.U.”. Furthermore, the regulations and the conditions applying to its enactment will also establish standards with regard to methods of vinification and interval of élevage on the lees, as well as alcohol content and residual sugar content for the individual tiers.

Austrian wine: Full Speed Ahead

According to the AWMB, standstill is a step backwards. Hence the Austrian authorities are currently working relentlessly to fine tune the unique and distinctive profile of Austrian wine. The evolution of wine laws is considered by them as a pre-requisite towards a successful future for Austrian wine. The latest amendments promise to be a step towards that direction.

With excerpts from a Press Release by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board.

 

June 2016 was super active month for Guns 2 Gewürztraminer. Before you wonder about the veracity of this claim- considering it has been more than a month since my latest post, this has been exactly the reason why! I was on a whirlwind tour to Austria and Italy, exploring the world of wine, barely finding time to awaken the mobile screen to capture the beautiful but fleeting moments. Moments that I am now well equipped to share in subsequent posts. As a start, I endeavour to give you a bird’s eye view  of this wine journey through a route map and five collages coupled with summary description of what I call ” a picture perfect wine journey’.

1. VieVinum 2016

This grand Austrian wine fair happened in it’s 10th edition between 4-6 June 2016 with exclusive pre-event engagements for invitees. The fair has grown rapidly over the years and it showcases a mammoth range of Austrian wines along with some international presence. Organised under the aegis of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB) it aims to promote Austrian wine industry in a focussed manner. Apart from tasting a 1000++ wines, the icing on the cake for me was to converse one-on-one with Mr. Wilhelm (Willi) Klinger, Managing Director Austrian Wine Marketing Board (see bottom right photo of the collage). The interview will appear shortly in print, as well as in this space.

2. Visiting Weingut Elfenhof, Rust, Burgenland

The picturesque town of Rust in Burgenland, Austria can easily be called a storybook quartier, replete with its floral promenades, a 315 km²  lake Neusiedl and expansive vineyards peppered all across . Weingut Elfenhof is a 17th century winery of the region that produces a diverse range of quality wines. Ernst Holler, the current generation owner (seen in the collage with me) was kind enough to pick me up from Vienna and host me in his town for a day full of vineyard and winery action. The time flew just too fast…

3. Friuli- the under reported wine region of Italy

Even the folks in Friuli were pleasantly surprised that I chose the region for an elaborate itinerary when in general, the whole world  thinks of Tuscany as their first choice of exploring the Italian wine country. But let me tell you- if you have not explored, wines like Ribolla Gialla, Friulano (earlier known as Tocai Friulano), Refosco, Tazzelanghe, Picolit, ‘Orange Wines’ and several others, it would be a good idea to do so at the earliest- as there is a whole wide world of enchanting wines lying out there. As for Tuscany, it was my next stop quite logically……

4.  Banfi and Piccini- the Tuscan racehorses

The names need no introduction. Banfi- for their groundbreaking research on the Sangiovese vine to produce outstanding Brunello and Super Tuscan wines and Piccini- the distinctive ‘orange label’ producer of Chianti wines who have innovative wines like the pan-Italian blend called ‘Memoro’ in their portfolio.  Oscillating between Florence, Siena and Montalcino, I was on a roll (much like the Tuscan slopes) to meet the owners, visit vineyards with winemakers and sample countless wines around choicest cuisine.

5. The sophisticated charm of Allegrini

Be it the high vineyards of the Valpolicella DOC, one of the top Amarones from the region, or a unique Brunello from their Tuscan vineyards , the house of Allegrini evokes acknowledged respect amongst winelovers. Hence it was only natural for me to visit them, given just a day’s schedule in the region. Meeting and conversing with their indefatigable owner Marilisa Allegrini in this short duration was nothing less than a stroke of luck.

 

They came, they poured and they conquered! Young suave sommeliers from India competing in the eighth edition of Indian Sommelier Championship (ISC) served the reds, whites and the sparklings with expected élan during the final round of the competition that saw the culmination of several weeks of hard work on the sommellerie front. This year too, I had the opportunity to witness the final round amidst the privilege of sipping the same wines in tandem with the finalists on stage and chatting them up while they waited their  turn on the rostrum.

An annual feature, the ISC has been  conducted since 2008 under the aegis of Wi-Not Beverage Solutions Private Ltd- a beverages consultancy based in New Delhi.  The contest involves grooming and orienting the candidates towards the championship followed by preliminary rounds and eventually the grand finale where India’s best sommeliers slug it out for the top positions. The winners, apart from getting immense recognition in the world of wine, get further opportunities in the form of visits to international vineyards,  one-on-one sessions with celebrated winemakers and likewise.

As I have already dwelled on the conduct aspects of the championship in one of my earlier posts, this time I thought it would be good idea to present a little more about the winners than meets the arclights. Hence I got in touch with them again (as winners were not announced in the finale but a separate gala dinner that  didn’t see my presence- a fact that I rued last year too) and they came out whole heartedly with the  details. So here’s introducing the mint fresh Indian Sommelier Champs: (Note- you can right click and save/share the respective images as you may please)

Prizes Won

While Harish Acharekar looks forward to an all expenses paid trip to the grand Austrian wine fair Vie Vinum 2016- an award bestowed by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB), Pratik Angre will take off for Spain to visit the Gramona Cava facility. Lalit Rane gets his share of the winners’ pie with exclusive visits and one-on-one sessions with the winemakers at the Fratelli and York wineries in India.

Here’s wishing the Champion Sommeliers joyous barrels and exulting acres in their journey of passion!