July 2026 - Austria

Featuring:

Weingut Loimer

Weingut Berger

This wine club writeup is authored by Gillian Arca.

Greetings wine club members! In honor of the warming weather we are visiting the cool climate wine regions of Austria this month. Austria's winemaking history is extremely old with the first recorded vinification by the Celts around 700 BC- 100 AD. During the 9th to 11th centuries, monks and various religious orders progressed wine infrastructure by building the famous terraced vineyards that are still standing today. In 1784 Emperor Joseph II passed Buschenschank law which allowed winemakers to sell their own wine. This allowed the establishment of the Heurigen aka the “wine tavern”, which resulted in huge growth in wine sales. In 1985, a scandal shook the Austrian wine industry when winemakers looking to increase body and sweetness illegally added diethylene glycol (an ingredient in anti-freeze) to bulk wines. The global response to this scandal resulted in the decimating of Austria's wine export market. Following this incident laws and strict standards are put into place as Austria rebuilds its reputation for high quality premium wines. 

Climate/Regions/Varieties

In general Austria is a cool continental climate characterized by cold winters and hot summers. One key feature is large temperature differences between the day and nighttime (called diurnal range), which is ideal for grape growing as the fruit retains acidity while achieving full sugar ripeness. All of Austria's main wine regions are located in its eastern portion. Central and western Austria is dominated by the very cold, high Alps which are largely unsuitable for viticulture. There are four main wine regions in Austria. 

Niederosterreich is Austria's largest wine growing region and located in the northeast of the country. Within this region are the well known sub-regions of Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal. Annual average temperatures in this region range from 48 to 50 degrees fahrenheit depending on if you are in the cooler north or the warmer southeastern parts. The Danube River acts as a moderating influence absorbing heat during the day and releasing it at night. Rainfall is moderate with an average of 21 inches mostly falling during the summer in the form of short, intense thunderstorms. The eastern part of this region is particularly sunny. with up to 2,000+ hours of sunshine annually in certain areas. The main varieties grown here are Grüner Veltliner followed by Riesling for whites and Zweigelt for reds. 

Burgenlund is located further south and is Austria's warmest and least mountainous area. Average temperatures are 50 to 70 degrees fahrenheit, with summer temps often exceeding 80 degrees. This region is also one of the driest in Austria with an average rainfall of 19 inches per year. Lake Neuseidl is a large shallow lake located here and (as bodies of water tend to do) acts as a large temperature moderator as well as produces heavy fog in the autumn. Red varieties dominate in this region with Blaufränkisch in the lead, followed by Zweigelt and St. Laurent. For whites Welschriesling, Ruster Aubruch, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc are the most widely grown. In the sub region of Neusiedlersee, a botrytized sweet wine made from Welschriesling, Furmint, and Muskateller takes center stage. The lake creates perfect conditions for botrytis to develop. 

Steiermark is a steep mountainous sub region in the southeast producing just 10% of Austria's wine. This area shares a border with Slovenia and has high diurnal shifts and high precipitation (increased as you move east to west within the sub-region). Cool mountain air flows down from the Alps and warming humid air flows up from the south. The vineyards are planted on steep slopes resulting in many micro-climates. This area is well known for very high quality Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling, Weissburgunder and Chardonnay (also called Morillon). There is also Blauer Wildbache, grown in the western part of the sub region which is an indigenous red grape.

The region of Wien is within the city limits of Vienna making it the only wine region in the world which is entirely within the city boundaries. The climate here is moderate continental with warm dry air currents from the east and cool air flowing down from the north. Wiener Gemischter Satz is the city's signature field blend which can be made with up to 20 different varieties but mostly include Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder). Zweigelt and Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) are also grown and produced to a lesser extent. 

Weingut Loimer “Lois” Grüner Veltliner, Niederösterreich 2023

Fred Loimer took over the winery from his father in 1998 and in 2006 he began the conversion of their vineyards to biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamic agriculture is a very complex and specific way of integrative and regenerative farming that results in very healthy crops and promotes sustainable land use. It dictates practices from soil treatments to pruning to natural fermentation in the cellar. Loimer has six different vineyard sites around the Kamptal sub-region as well as one site in Gumpoldskirchen, totaling 172 acres. 

The white in our wine club this month is a Grüner Veltliner. It is classified as “trocken” which is a tier in the Austrian classification system for the amount of residual sugar in a wine. Any wine labeled “trocken” will be fermented to dryness and typically contains 0-4g/l of residual sugar. This wine is dry with lively acidity and a light body. You may smell and taste notes of apple, citrus and star fruit. Spontaneous fermentation happens in stainless steel to preserve freshness and fruit. The wine ages on fine lees (dead yeast particles) for about 3-4 months in stainless steel tanks until bottling. We suggest pairing this wine with any shellfish or soft creamy cheese like Camembert. Gruner Veltliner is also one of the only varieties that can complement very “green” tasting vegetables such as asparagus, artichoke, or bitter greens.

Weingut Erich & Maria Berger, Zweigelt, Kremstal 2025

Erich & Maria Berger own a family run estate in the Kremstal sub-region and are heralded for their organic vineyard management as well as low intervention winemaking in the cellar. Their estate is 25 hectares with 75% planted to Gruner Veltliner, 10% to Reisling, 8% to Gelber Muskateller and just 5% to Zweigelt. 

Our red this month is their Zwiegelt. This is a bright, low tannin wine with notes of cherry, cranberry and subtle delicate spice. Fermentation and aging happens in stainless steel, preserving as much freshness and acidity as possible. You could absolutely serve this wine chilled paired with roasted chicken or pork chops. The lightness of this wine also means it will not overpower lighter pasta dishes or grilled veggies. If you would like to lean into some Austrian comfort food you could pair this with chicken or pork schnitzel.