Burgenland

POSSIBLE DESIGNATIONS FOR QUALITÄTSWEIN
Burgenland, Leithaberg DAC, Neusiedlersee DAC, Mittelburgenland DAC, Eisenberg DAC, Rosalia DAC

Burgenland was formed out of the Styrian and Pannonian Basins, as well as from the Eastern Alpine unit and the Penninicum. The Eastern Alpine unit consists of several strata of rock, where the lower level of the Penninic Nappes comes to light in tectonic windows. Deposits from the Quaternary Period are particularly widespread in the north of the region.

With a proportion of more than 60%, the coarsely grained sandy gravels of varying carbon content from the courses of the primeval Danube are dominant, in particular the Seewinkel gravels, which support about one third of all vineyards in the region. The Seewinkel gravels are covered only in places by fine sediments, while in the older terraces a loamy, often limestone-poor covering stratum can be widely observed.

A solid third of the vineyard area is growing on the basin’s Neogene sedimentary deposits. These vary greatly in composition, both in particle size distribution as well as carbon content and solidification: the range extends from partly silty, sometimes almost pure and limestone-free clays in Mittelburgenland to solid Leitha limestone.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the wine industry in Burgenland has been the pioneering spirit of the winegrowers. Their notable combination of innovation and just plain hard work has enabled wines vinified from ‘international’ grape varieties and robust red cuvées to achieve the highest level of recognition.

Since Burgenland’s first regionally typical wines – Mittelburgenland DAC – came on the market (2005 vintage), Leithaberg DAC (red wine 2008, white 2009) and Eisenberg DAC (2009, Reserve 2008) have established themselves as well. With the introduction of Neusiedlersee DAC in 2012 and the classification of former large collective vineyard site Rosalia as an independent DAC in 2018, the family circle of Burgenland’s DAC regions is now complete.