Nobly Sweet Wines from Austria – What Is Their Secret?

Austria’s sweet wines are perennial favourites at prestigious wine competitions, consistently earning top ratings and winning coveted titles. But where, exactly, do they come from, and what makes them so special?

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Sweet wines from Austria combine fruit flavors with a balanced sweetness. (Photo: ÖWM/Herbst)
Sweet wines from Austria combine fruit flavors with a balanced sweetness. (Photo: ÖWM/Herbst)

‘I see the strength of Austrian sweet wines in their captivating expression of fruit flavour coupled with balanced sweetness,’ says Willi Balanjuk, one of the most highly regarded wine experts in the German language sphere and a declared sweet wine enthusiast. Leading the way are the late-harvested masterpieces like Trockenbeerenauslese, Beerenauslese and Eiswein, which often take centre stage. Beyond these, there lies a wealth of more ‘everyday’ options. Balanjuk goes on to say, ‘We have so many marvellous bottlings that don’t fall in the top sweet wine categories but shine in the middle range with finesse and fruit.’

Waiting for frost

Some winegrowers leave their grapes on the vine in autumn, not waiting for botrytis, but for frost. Their goal is to produce Eiswein. This requires healthy grapes, and in an era of increasingly mild winters, this specialty is becoming ever rarer. Less dependent on the weather is Schilfwein, which is vinified by drying ripe, healthy grapes on straw, reed mats or cords for at least three months.

Waiting for frost (Photo: ÖWM/Herbst)
Waiting for frost (Photo: ÖWM/Herbst)

Sweet wines that go down easy

Spätlesen (late harvest wines) form the approachable entry-level category of the Prädikat pyramid, with relatively low sugar content. These wines are generally harvested with little to no influence of the noble rot. Auslesen (select harvest wines) – at the next level of the pyramid – are most often slightly sweeter and serve as a bridge to the truly luxurious elixirs.

Rich history meets modern appeal

Today, sweet wines are enjoying a delightful renaissance in a modern form and are pleasing enthusiasts around the world. Burgenland has established itself as a particular hub for nobly sweet wines of all categories, recognised with the DAC designation for Ruster Ausbruch. However, wine estates in Niederösterreich, Wien (Vienna) and the Steiermark also consistently attract attention with outstanding results.

Austrian winegrowers can proudly claim to be among the world’s elite in all sweet wine categories, from Spätlese to Trockenbeerenauslese and those in between. One visible hallmark of these wines, protected under EU designation of origin regulations, is the red-white-red band on the bottle cap coupled with the official quality wine control number on the label.

To delve deeper into the subject, visit austrianvineyards.com.

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Austria is certainly full of surprises. In this small, dynamic land of many wines, a very lively sparkling scene has developed around the designation of origin Sekt Austria.

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