Located on terraces along the Danube dating from the Middle Ages and covering an area of over 1,350 hectares, Wachau is one of the most prestigious appellations in Austria, renowned for its dry white wines from exceptional terroirs and produced in limited quantities by family estates.
The Austrian grape variety Grüner Veltiner represents the majority of the grape variety with Riesling. Chardonnay, Gelber Muskateller, Rivaner and Pinot Noir are the other grape varieties present in the appellation.
Since 1984 and under the action of the association of local winegrowers, Vinea Wachau (created in 1983), the appellation has an innovative system of naming the terroirs on each label. Thus, "Steinfeder" designates light, fresh and acidic wines, "Federspiel" medium-bodied semi-dry wines and finally "Smaragd" the most robust and complex wines.
The continental climate is temperate due to the proximity of the Danube. The terroir is made up of sand, gravel, sediments from the river as well as gneiss, rock containing particularly quartz, which gives mineral notes to the wines of the appellation.
The appellation has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 for the quality of its architectural and agricultural heritage.
