Lower Austria

An estimated 3,000 years and no end in sight - viticulture has an ancient tradition in Lower Austria, beginning with the Celts and Illyrians. And as is so often the case in western and southern European regions, the Romans also had a hand in it in earlier times, cultivating wine almost everywhere they went.

Great variety and excellent taste from Lower Austria

With a little more than 28,000 hectares of cultivated area, Lower Austria is the largest production area of quality wines in the country, some of which are known far beyond its borders. The region offers a rich spectrum of different wine styles and origins of both local rarities and internationally common grape varieties. For wine lovers and those who want to become one, there are wonderful wines to be discovered here, either directly on site or by placing an order with VINELLO.

Subdivision of the wine growing region of Lower Austria

As a wine-growing region, Lower Austria is divided into eight specific regions:

1. Wachau: Partly DAC area, since 2000 listed as a cultural landscape in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Here, especially Riesling wines of the top class thrive on spectacularly beautiful terraced vineyards.

2. Kremstal: Completely DAC area, only DAC wines are allowed to bear the "Kremstal" designation of origin. Kremstal is internationally known and appreciated for its Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.

3. Kamptal: Entirely DAC area, only DAC wines are allowed to indicate the designation of origin "Kamptal". The most important grape varieties for white wines are Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, for red wines the Zweigelt and Pinot Noir.

4. Traisental: Entirely DAC area, only DAC wines may indicate the "Traisental" designation of origin. Mineral and full-bodied Riesling wines as well as spicy and typically fruity Grüner Veltliner set the tone here.

5. Wagram: Formerly known as "Donauland", numerous organically produced wines grow here on partly very steep slopes. A special feature here is the autochthonous grape variety Rote Veltliner.

6. Weinviertel: Completely DAC area, only DAC wines are allowed to bear the designation of origin "Weinviertel". Among the white wines, the Grüner Veltliner predominates here. But also elegant Pinot Blanc and Chardonnays as well as various red wines are produced.

7. Thermenregion: This region produces numerous different wines. Particularly typical of the Thermenregion are the autochthonous vines Rotgipfler and Zierfandler, which are only produced here in noteworthy quantities.

8. Carnuntum: Partly DAC region, based on the Roman settlement of the same name. Carnuntum is characterised above all by its powerful and elegant red wines, which are mainly produced here from Blauer Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, but also from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Geography, soils and climate

There are three major climatic regions in Lower Austria: in the north the Weinviertel, west of the capital Vienna the Danube region with its numerous side valleys and in the southeast the Pannonian Lower Austria. Overall, a moderate climate prevails, although details may vary from region to region.

About half of the soils consist of fine-grained loess and lime, plus areas of marl and sandstone, gravel, gravel and clayey silt in varying proportions. To a small extent, these soils lie over solid, crystalline rocks such as granite, gneiss or granulite.

Classification in Lower Austria

Many wines from Lower Austria are allowed to bear the DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) quality seal, which was introduced in 2003. They are each considered to be particularly typical for a particular region. The requirements for the authorised grape varieties and methods of cultivation are determined by regional committees. In terms of quantity, quality and Prädikat wines outweigh all other classifications in Lower Austria.

List of vine varieties

White grape varieties

- Grüner Veltliner

- Riesling

- Welschriesling

- Pinot Blanc

- Pinot Gris

- Müller-Thurgau

- Chardonnay

- Sauvignon Blanc

- Muscatel

- Zierfandler

Red grape varieties

- Blue Zweigelt

- Blaufränkisch

- Blue Portuguese

- Pinot Noir

- Cabernet Sauvignon

- Syrah

- Merlot

- Saint Laurent

- Cabernet Franc

- Rotgipfler 

White grapes account for about 75% of the total, compared with red grapes, which account for about 25%. The lion's share is made up of Grüner Veltliner, followed by Riesling. Typically Austrian among the red wines is the Blauer Zweigelt, which is also developed as a rosé, and the autochthonous Rotgipfler variety.

Wines and Winemakers at VINELLO

At VINELLO you will find selected Lower Austrian wine from renowned vintners such as Bründlmayer, Johann Topf, Laurenz V., Birgit Eichinger, Domäne Wachau, Stift Göttweig, Lesehof Stagård, Gritsch - Mauritiushof, Johanneshof Reinisch, Glatzer and others.

Lower Austria short & sweet

Lower Austria presents itself as the largest wine-growing region of the Alpine Republic with a great variety of excellent wines. With a tradition of around 3,000 years behind them, the winegrowers and wineries here produce about three-quarters of their white wine and one-quarter of their red wine from local and international grape varieties, which are also very popular beyond Austria's borders.

Buy Lower Austria wines online at VINELLO

We would like to invite you to try the popular wines from Lower Austria. Browse through our offer to your heart's content and find your new favourite wine at VINELLO today. We are proud to present you a large assortment of wines from different parts of the world.

We attach great importance to the satisfaction of our customers. Therefore we guarantee that your purchase with us is safe. We also stand for fast delivery, so that your requested package reaches you without long waiting times. Please feel free to ask our sommeliers for advice - we will be happy to help you!