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Österreichische Traditionsweingüter nearly doubles number of estate members

Up until now, the group included a total of 36 wine estates in the Donauraum/Danube River region (Traisental, Kamptal, Kremstal and Wagram), with the addition of Wien and Carnuntum nearly doubling this number to 62.

Founded in 1992 with the aim of classifying the classic vineyards objectively and making the significance and potential of exceptional vineyard sites more easily understandable, the group has also introduced a new structure on the back of the growing number of regions involved.

The new structure - an umbrella organisation with three regional associations, was introduced last week at the biennial wine festival VieVinum in Vienna.

The re-structured organisation is headed up by Michael Moosbrugger (Schloss Gobelsburg), who will also serve as chairman of the regional association Donauraum.

The goal was that the classification of vineyards sites – in Austrian German the word is “Ried”, plural “Rieden” – would acquire legal status over the intermediate term,” said Moosbrugger.

“With this, the classifications would not just be the private statutory affair of the winegrowers’ associations but become legally defined cadastral categories, which would apply to all wine-producing estates in Austria. Thus the Traditionsweingüter regard themselves not as an elite club, but far more as the pioneering band of researchers, investigating and collecting data that will offer fundamental benefits for the entire community of Austrian winegrowers,” he said.

There is a group of six wine estates in Wien/Vienna, chaired by Fritz Wieninger, who have already in recent years laid the groundwork for their vineyard classification, and now begin the actual process with a total of twelve ÖTW.Erste Lage vineyard sites among the membership.

The ÖTW regional association for Carnuntum is led by grower Gerhard Markowitsch, with twenty estates having joined the process.

A scientific & geologic research programme has been underway in Carnuntum for some 10 years, which will be incorporated into the process of classification.

The growers of Carnuntum, though, wished to “take their time” with vineyard classification, said Moosbrugger, adding this could possibly lead to simultaneous establishment of a DAC Carnuntum, which he said was now in the planning stage as well.

There are currently seventy-two vineyards (sixty in the Danube Region and twelve in Vienna) classified as ÖTW.Erste Lage.

The work in determining which sites should be recognised as Grosse Lage would require a “bit of time yet”, imagining results in this regard to manifest themselves during the next ten years, said Moosbrugger.

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