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Austria

Burgenland

13 000 ha under vine

Soils
Limestone and schist of the Leitha range, gravels and black earth toward the lake
Climate
Warm Pannonian plain around the vast, shallow Lake Neusiedl — Austria's sun room

On the map

Burgenland — 13 000 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haBordeaux — 110 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haAbruzzo — 33 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haRheinhessen — 27 000 haProvence — 27 000 haSardinia — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haLombardy — 22 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haJumilla — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRoussillon — 20 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haBaden — 15 800 haAlsace — 15 600 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haUmbria — 12 000 haBairrada — 12 000 haNavarra — 11 000 haTrentino — 10 000 haŠtajerska — 9 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haJerez — 7 000 haCyprus — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haToro — 5 600 haEger — 5 000 haImereti — 5 000 haBasilicata — 5 000 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haMantinia — 2 400 haSavoie — 2 200 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haBekaa Valley — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haVayots Dzor — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haRacha-Lechkhumi — 700 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haRapsani — 400 haColares — 20 haBurgenlandLanguedocBordeauxSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneAbruzzoUtiel-RequenaBurgundyRheinhessenProvenceSardiniaFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaLombardyAlentejoJumillaMinhoRoussillonRuedaDãoMarcheBadenAlsaceBeaujolaisUmbriaBairradaNavarraTrentinoŠtajerskaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaJerezCyprusAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeToroEgerImeretiBasilicataValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaMantiniaSavoieJuraPrioratBekaa ValleyWachauValdeorrasVayots DzorSantoriniRacha-LechkhumiNaoussaMadeiraRapsaniColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

Hungarian until 1921, Austrian since: when the border was redrawn after the First World War it cut straight through villages and vineyards, and the region's wine culture still faces both ways. Its centre is Lake Neusiedl, a vast sheet of water rarely two metres deep, whose autumn mists breed noble rot — Ruster Ausbruch, the lake's great sweet wine, was prized across Europe as early as the seventeenth century.

The same Pannonian warmth that rots the sweet grapes ripens Austria's best reds on the drier shores and the Leitha hills. Chief among them is Blaufränkisch, whose claim to a homeland is strongest here — spicy, dark-fruited, increasingly grown like a cru wine, vineyard by vineyard, on limestone and schist.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Burgenland Blaufränkisch Red wine Neusiedlersee Zweigelt Red wine

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 10The Monastic Middle Ages — 25Exploration & the Fortified Age — 20Classifications & the Golden Age — 25Phylloxera & the World Crises — 20The Modern & New World Era — 50Antiquity10500150017001875195050
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950