Press Releases 2007

2007-12-31  –  Through an ordinance adopted on December 10th by Austria’s Minister of Agriculture and the Environment, Josef Pröll, quality wines produced with either the Grüner Veltliner or Riesling grape varieties in the Kremstal wine-growing area can, for the first time, be marketed under the designation Kremstal DAC. The new designation takes effect with wines from the 2007 vintage. With its new dac status, the Kremstal’s position as an Austrian wine-growing area is further strengthened: not only is it the first traditional area along the Danube river to adopt the appellation system, but it also is the first white wine DAC appellation to install a two-tiered system, one of which is for Reserve category wines. Read more

2007-12-31  –  The Austrian wine community is mourning one of its greatest pioneers. Alois Kracher died early in the morning of December 5th from complications due to cancer. His death came unexpectedly to many in the wine community. With Alois Kracher's passing, Austria has lost an irreplaceable visionary, not only because his wines achieved so much international success, but also because of his dedication and service to Austrian wines around the world. Read more

2007-11-30  –  This year’s wine harvest in Austria has turned out to be a fine and fruity one. The following summary of the 2007 vintage provides some of the important highlights. Read more

2007-10-31  –  Austrian Wine Marketing, which is intensifying its activities in the United States, recently held its largest PR presentation ever in New York by celebrating the Austrian national holiday with several special events. Read more

2007-10-31  –  For several weeks now, the grapes in Austria’s vineyards have been undergoing a very diligent 2007 vintage harvest. In some regions, such as Burgenland and Vienna, the harvest is already nearly complete, while in cool wine-growing areas in Lower Austria and Steiermark, the harvesting of top-level grapes has only recently begun. The weather conditions in 2007 - hot summer; rainfall at the beginning of September - make this year a true winemaker’s vintage. The meticulous work in the vineyards and the careful handling of the grapes in the cellars are key to this vintage’s success. Read more

2007-09-30  –  A "quiet" Austrian vinous dynamo is being poured at more and more tables around the world. The wine world’s imagination already has been captured by some of Austria’s treasures: outstanding whites such as Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the Wachau; impressive reds like Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt from the Burgenland, and supremely luscious botrytised dessert wines from around the Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl). But Austria still has an array of other beautiful wines to be discovered by discerning international palates. One of these, Sauvignon Blanc from the Steiermark (Styria) wine region, has been highly sought-after in Austria and other German speaking countries for several years. In the last decade the planted surface of Sauvignon Blanc in Austria doubled. Now, also wine lovers and professionals abroad are beginning to recognise its impressive quality and distinction. Read more

2007-07-31  –  Since 1995, Austria’s Donauland wine-growing area has comprised two sub-areas: Wagram (2,450 hectares) north of the Danube river, and Klosterneuburg (350 hectares, which includes Tulln and Atzenbrugg) south of the Danube. The differing climatic and geological characteristics of each of these sub-areas, however, made the creation of a centralized identity very difficult. Moreover, as the quality-focus of many Wagram wineries continually increased, the desire for an independent wine-growing area grew along with it. Therefore, in order to avoid a splintering of this unique Austrian wine landscape, the decision to change the name of the entire area from Donauland to Wagram has been taken. Additionally, within Wagram, the locations south of the Danube – Klosterneuburg, Tulln and Atzenbrugg – will comprise the independent appellation (Großlage) of Klosterneuburg in order to maintain the significance of this important area. Read more

2007-05-31  –  After the young wines were tasted all around Austria, and the first verdicts were in, it was clear: the euphoria over the 2006 harvest was certainly not exaggerated! However, there was a drop of bitterness, as couloure conditions in the vineyards were responsible for substantially lower grape yields, especially with the leading variety of the Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) region - Grüner Veltliner. As a result, last year’s small harvest recorded a below-average yield of approximately 2.3 million hectoliters. Read more

2007-02-28  –  The Traisental, one of the smallest wine-growing areas in Austria, has begun to strengthen the strategic positioning of its wines by establishing - with the 2006 vintage – a typical wines of origin programme, and through marketing these wines under the Traisental dac designation. With these steps, the Traisental becomes the third member of Austria´s dac family. And for the first time in this country, two grapes varieties - Grüner Veltliner and Riesling – are characterizing one appellation. Read more

2007-02-28  –  85 Austrian Wines Receive BioFach 2007 Wine Awards. Austria´s winemakers once again demonstrated just how fine their bio wines are – as their wines snapped up numerous awards at the world´s biggest bio wine competition held recently in Nürnberg, Germany. Read more