🏛️ Wachau Cultural Landscape

The Wachau is a valley of the Danube in Austria, between the towns of Melk and Krems. It is a picturesque area with old towns, monasteries and slopes where vines grow on terraces. In 2000 the Wachau valley was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list as a cultural landscape.

The vineyards lie on terraces held by stone walls. Soils vary: on some slopes granite and gneiss, on others loess, a light dusty rock deposited by wind. Loess is found in the Wachau and gives wine softness. The climate is mixed: warm days and cool nights from the river and the wooded slopes.

The main grapes of the Wachau are Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. White wines here are fresh, with a mineral note and aromas of citrus and apple. Local producers use their own scale, in which wines are divided into light, medium and the richest. The Wachau belongs to the topic of UNESCO heritage and wine. The area is tied to Central Europe: the Danube connects it with other countries of the region. For visitors it is a popular place for walks and cycling routes.