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.
The white Chardonnay is a grape variety that originated in France (Burgundy). It produces a variety of grape specially used for wine making. It is rare to find this grape to eat on our tables. This variety of grape is characterized by small bunches, and small grapes. White Chardonnay can be found in many vineyards: South West, Burgundy, Jura, Languedoc & Roussillon, Cognac, Bordeaux, Beaujolais, Savoie & Bugey, Loire Valley, Champagne, Rhone Valley, Armagnac, Lorraine, Alsace, Provence & Corsica.
wines from the region of Niederösterreich go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, shellfish or spicy food such as recipes of quiche lorraine, squid rings with tomato or curried veal roulades.
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