📍 Lower Austria

Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) is the largest wine-producing state of Austria: about 60% of all the country's vineyards are here. It lies in the north-east of the country, around Vienna, on the Danube and its tributaries. The climate is warm, influenced by air from the Pannonian plain, but cooled from the north.

The main grape is the white Grüner Veltliner, the symbol of Austrian winemaking; Riesling comes second. Among reds are Zweigelt, Blauburger, St. Laurent and Portugieser.

The region is divided into districts: Wachau (famous Rieslings and Veltliners, a UNESCO-listed landscape), Kremstal, Kamptal, Traisental, Wagram, Weinviertel, Carnuntum and Thermenregion. Many districts work under the DAC system, where wine is named by place, not by estate. The Wachau has its own categories: Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd.

Lower Austria is part of Austrian winemaking, next to Burgenland, which is known for reds and sweet wines. Here whites dominate and the climate is cooler. Grüner Veltliner goes well with Wiener schnitzel, vegetables and Asian cooking. The name Lower Austria on a label shows that the grapes grew in this very area, which makes it easy to look for similar wines.