Lower Austria
Cool continental
Austria's largest wine state, around Vienna and the Danube, with the Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Wagram, Weinviertel and the Thermenregion.
Overview
About Lower Austria
Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) grows over half of the country's wine and is home to eight wine regions, including the Danube regions of Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal and Wagram, the peppery Grüner Veltliner country of the Weinviertel, and the Thermenregion south of Vienna, where the rare Rotgipfler and Zierfandler are made.
Grüner Veltliner and Riesling dominate the whites, and Roter Veltliner is a specialty of the Wagram and Kamptal.
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
Austria
Shaded: Niederösterreich. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Cool continental
Warm days and cool nights, with cold air from the Waldviertel plateau and warm air from the Pannonian plain. Winters are cold and rainfall is low.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Primary rock in the Wachau, thick loess on the hills of Kamptal, Kremstal and Wagram, and limestone in the Thermenregion.
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Bründlmayer
Langenlois, Kamptal; a leading estate for Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and sparkling wine.
Weingut Hirsch
Kammern, Kamptal; single-vineyard Grüner Veltliner and Riesling.
Schloss Gobelsburg
Kamptal; a historic estate, once owned by a monastery.
Nigl
Kremstal; long-lived Riesling and Grüner Veltliner.
Fred Loimer
Langenlois; a biodynamic estate for Kamptal wines and sparkling wine.
Within Lower Austria
Subregions
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to Lower Austria or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.
Grüner Veltliner
The Weinviertel makes the peppery, zesty everyday style; Kamptal and Kremstal are more serious.
Neuburger
Small plantings for nutty, full-bodied whites.
Roter Veltliner
Grown mostly on the loess of the Wagram, for full, spicy dry whites.
Rotgipfler
Full-bodied, spicy whites around Gumpoldskirchen, often blended with Zierfandler.
Saint Laurent
Perfumed, cherry-like reds; the Thermenregion is a stronghold.
Zierfandler
Rich, spicy whites that age well, alone or blended with Rotgipfler.
Zweigelt
Fruity, everyday reds, and serious oak-aged versions in the Neusiedlersee area.