Niederösterreich, or Lower Austria, is a wine region in the Northeast of Austria bordering Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It is the country's largest wine region, both geographically and in terms of production.
There are around 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres) of vineyards. These are responsible for roughly half of Austria's total wine output.
Niederösterreich includes eight of Austria's 16 official wine regions, each contributing to its wide variety of wine styles and types. A variety of different Grape varieties are grown in the region, but Grüner Veltliner and Riesling dominate. Pinot Noir and Sankt-Laurent, are all planted throughout the region, making wines of high quality, despite being excluded from the DAC classifications.
Five official Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC) wines can be found here.
Wines made in these zones from grapes other than those specified are labelled as Niederösterreich.
- Carnuntum: White wine from Chardonnay, Weissburgunder or Grüner Veltliner. Red wine from Blaufränkisch or Zweigelt
- Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental: White wines from Grüner Veltliner or Riesling
- Weinviertel: Grüner Veltliner only
The highly regarded region of Wachau also Lies within Niederösterreich, and is home to many of the country's top wine estates. It has its own classification system, carrying Steinfeder, Federspiel or Smaragd labels.
Muscat Ottonel has the character of a grape variety with a distant lineage. It was first obtained in 1839 and continues to be planted in nearly 2,000 hectares of vineyards around the world. It shows good vigour and promises satisfactory production, of the order of 6 kilos per vine. The bunches, which are rather loose, are quite large, bearing berries with a strong character. A pleasantly musky flavour and a lot of juice characterize the pulp, protected by a medium skin. The bluish-black skin contributes to the exceptional beauty of the vineyards at harvest time. The size of the ellipsoidal berries is another argument in favor of Muscat Ottonel, which is also known as Muscat Ottone or Muscadet Ottonel. Resin, toast, honey and wild flowers are all present in the wines made from this variety. If the foliage, which turns yellow in autumn, is one of its charms, remember to protect the fruit from grey rot and coulure.
white wines from the region of Niederösterreich go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, vegetarian or poultry such as recipes of broccoli gratin, light tuna-tomato quiche (without cream) or turkey osso bucco.
On the nose in the region of Niederösterreich often reveals types of flavors of grapefruit, tropical or citrus and sometimes also flavors of apples, peach or green apple. In the mouth in the region of Niederösterreich is a with a nice freshness.
