Burgenland

Burgenland

Burgenland, in the warmer east and has 28% of Austria’s vineyards. It’s dedicated mostly to red wines, but also has a historic reputation for sweet wines. The climate around the vast but shallow Lake Neusiedl, in combination with warm fall days, favours the development of noble rot. Burgenland is famous for its Ausbruch, a nobly sweet wine from botrytized grapes and concentrated TBAs (Trockenbeerenauslese). These dessert wines are often made from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.

Along the Hungarian border is all about juicy, dry reds made from Zweigelt grown on slate and limestone soils, which is also perfect for white wines from Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay or Blaufränkisch-based reds. Further south are soils of loose granite or slate, both produce elegant, peppery and long-lived Blaufränkisch.