New Burgenland Wine Appellation

With the 2009 wine harvest on the way, the Leithaberg wine region in Burgenland, will become the sixth area to be designated a DAC appellation.

Similar to the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée and Italian Denominazione di Origine Controllata, the Districtus Austriae Controllatus system was launched in 2003 to identify types of wine particular to a certain region in Austria.

The existing appellations each have their own specifications that vintners must meet to receive the DAC designation. The Leithaberg DAC, covering the areas around Eisenstadt, Jois and Winden am See, will be the only appellation with both reds and whites. Leithaberg whites may come from Grüner Veltliner, Weissburgunder (or pinot blanc), Chardonnay or Neuburger grapes; the reds may use only the Blaufränkisch grape. Leithaberg joins Mittelburgenland DAC (Deutschkreuz) to become the second designated Burgenland district.

The four other districts are in Lower Austria. Weinviertel DAC, the oldest and largest, is given to the Grüner Veltliners north of Vienna and the Danube. The Riesling and Grüner Veltliner whites around Krems make up the Kremstal DAC. Neighboring Kamptal DAC wines hail from the area northeast of Krems along the Kamp river. The smallest of the six districts, Traisental DAC, lies between St. Pölten and the Danube.

It will take a full season to put the new appellation into practice, so the first bottles of Leithaberg DAC will be on the shelf in Fall 2010.