Neusiedlersee

One of the five specific wine-growing regions in the Austrian province or generic wine-growing region of Burgenland. In 2016, a restructuring took place with partial changes in the designations and area boundaries. Apart from that, the name remained the same. Some areas of the Neusiedlersee winegrowing region were assigned to the Leithaberg winegrowing region (formerly Neusiedlersee-Hügelland). These were the municipalities of Jois and Winden, as well as some vineyards of the municipality of Neusiedl am See. The area is named after the steppe lake, which is 320 km² in size and 36 kilometres long. In the vernacular it is mostly called Seewinkel because it nestles at an angle to the lake. It stretches from the north of the province along the northern and along the entire eastern shore of the lake to the border with Hungary.

Well-known wine-growing communities are Andau, Apetlon, Edelstal, Frauenkirchen, Gols (one of the largest in Austria), Halbturn, Illmitz, Kittsee, Mönchhof, Neusiedl am See (only part of the vineyards), Tadten, Pamhagen, Podersdorf, St. Andrä, Wallern and Weiden. The "Seewinkel Wine Road" starts at Neusiedl am See and runs along the Hungarian border, past the "Lange Lacke" nature reserve and leads back to Neusiedl. The best-known vineyards include Altenberg, Alte Satz, Bless, Edelgrund, Gabarinza, Goldberg, Hallebühl, Heideboden, Kreuzjoch, Neuberg, Reitäcker, Salzberg, Schafleiten, Siebenmahd, Spiegel, Spitzerberg, Straßenäcker, Ungerberg and Zwickeläcker.

Like all bodies of water, Lake Neusiedl has a positive effect on viticulture. The climate is characterised by Pannonian and continental influences, the large Lake Neusiedl has a climate-regulating effect and acts as a heat reservoir in autumn in conjunction with the lake mists that occur. This contributes to the formation of botrytis (noble rot) and thus the production of noble sweet wines, which have a very great tradition in this area. The vegetation cycle is above average with up to 250 days per year. The predominant soil types are loess, black earth, gravel and sand.

Grape variety list

In 2017, the vineyards covered a total of 6,675 hectares of vines. Compared to the year 2009 with 7,159 hectares, this was a reduction of 7%. The share of red wine varieties is 48.4%, the share of white wine varieties 51.6%. The dominant variety with about a quarter of the total area is the red wine variety Zweigelt, followed by the varieties Welschriesling, Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch with about a tenth each:

DAC system

Starting with the 2011 vintage, the origin-controlled quality level Neusiedlersee DAC was introduced for dry red wines made from Zweigelt. Since the 2020 vintage, sweet wines may also use the DAC designation. In addition to the generally valid DAC conditions, special rules apply. All other quality wines must be marketed with the origin Burgenland, the country wines under the winegrowing region designation Weinland. The indication of the narrower origin "Seewinkel" is permitted if the grapes originate from the municipalities of Apetlon, Illmitz and/or Podersdorf. The date for the application to obtain the state inspection number is staggered. If the decision is positive (usually within one week), marketing may take place. There are two categories: Classic and Reserve:

ClassicThe red wines must be made from at least 85% Zweigelt. The wine can be matured in stainless steel tanks or in large wooden barrels. The residual sugar may not exceed 4 g/l, the existing alcohol content must be at least 12% vol. The indication of a vineyard is not permitted. The wines must have a varietal, fruity and spicy taste. The application may be submitted at the earliest from 1 February of the year following the harvest.

For the fruit-sweet white wines, all white quality wine grape varieties are permitted. The categories Spätlese or Auslese with their wine law conditions are possible. The residual sugar must be at least 45 g/l. The application may be submitted from 1 January of the year following the harvest at the earliest.

ReserveThe red wines must be made from at least 85% Zweigelt. The wine may be matured in large wooden barrels or in barriques. The residual sugar may not exceed 4 g/l, the existing alcohol content must be at least 13% vol. The wines must have a fruity, spicy and strong taste typical of the variety. The application may be submitted from 1 February of the second year following the harvest at the earliest.

All white quality wine grape varieties are permitted for noble sweet white wines. The categories Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese with their wine law conditions are possible. The residual sugar must be at least 45 g/l. The application may be submitted no earlier than 1 April of the year following the harvest.

Producers

Well-known producers are Achs Paul, Achs Werner, Beck Judith, Berger Leginthov, Bernthaler + Bernthaler, Bruckner Helmut, Bruckner Reinhard, Goldenits Richard, Goldenits Robert, Gsellmann Andreas, Gsellmann Matthias, Gsellmann Siegfried, Haider Gerhard, Hareter Thomas, Heinrich Gernot, Heiss Franz, Juris - Stiegelmar, Kracher Weinlaubenhof, Kroiss Walter, Lang Helmut, Lehner Erwin, Leitner Gernot, Lentsch Franz, Lentsch Josef, Meinklang - Michlits Winery, Moser Sepp, Münzenrieder Johann, Nekowitsch Gerhard, Nittnaus Gebrüder, Nittnaus Anita & Hans, Opitz Willi, Pasler Martin, Pittnauer Gerhard, PMC, Pöckl René, Preisinger Claus, Preisinger Georg, Preisinger Helmut, Renner Helmuth, Rittsteuer Paul, Rommer Michael, Salzl - Seewinkelhof, Scheiblhofer, Schloss Halbturn, Schmelzer Horst und Georg, Schmelzer Georg - Köllan, Schwarz Johann, Stölzerhof-Tschida, Szigeti, Temer Christian, Tschida-Angerhof, Tschida Christian, Umathum, Varga Gerhard, Velich Heinz, Waltschek, Wegleitner Johann, Weiss Christian, Weiss Manfred, Weiss Markus, Wendelin Andreas, Wendelin Paul, Wurzinger Josef and Zantho. Associations are Pannobile, Pannonischer Reigen, Pannonische Weingärtner Neusiedlersee and Select Gols.

Lake Neusiedl: © ÖWM - Marcus Wiesner
map: © ÖWM