Vienna

The total vineyard area of the Austrian capital of Vienna is 679 hectares, it is one of the four wine-growing regions in the country. Vienna is the only capital city in the world that still has a significant wine production within its borders. A total of 497 wine growers grow their viens mainly in the west and north of the city. Vineyards are still found in 6 of the total of 23 precincts in Vienna, these are Favoriten (10.), Ottakring (16.), Hernals (17.), Döbling (19.), Floridsdorf (21.) and Liesing (23.). Among the best-known producers, most of which have their own wine bars and restaurants (known as “Heurigen”) are: Bernreiter, Christ Rainer, Cobenzl, Edlmoser, Fuhrgassl-Huber, Göbel, Helm Robert, Hengl-Haselbrunner, Kattus (sparkling wine house), Langes, Mayer am Pfarrplatz, Mayer Vitikultur, Petritsch, Pfaffl Roman, Reinprecht, Schilling, Stift Klosterneuburg, Wieninger, Winzerhof Leopold and Zahel. It seems to be more than pure coincidence that in German, Vienna and Wine (Wien, Wein) are spelled using the same letters. In medieval times, several German dialects (for example on the Lower Rhine) referred to the city as „Weyn”. Well-known wine author Hugh Johnson writes „no city is as imbued with the spirit of wine as Vienna is”. The Viennese institution of Heurigen#Heuriger wine bars is world-famous, and they are at least one of the reasons why many visitors come to the city. There are 180 Heurigen wine bars with a concession, and in many of them the serving of high-quality bottled wines by the glass has also become fashionable. The best-known districts with large numbers of Heurigen wine bars are Grinzing, Heiligenstadt, Jedlersdorf, Mauer, Neustift am Walde, Nussdorf, Oberlaa, Sievering, Stammersdorf and Strebersdorf. Vienna Classic is a well-known producers association. The typical wine served in these wine bars is a vineyard blend, with different grape varieties being planted in the same vineyard according to ancient tradition, and also processed together in the cellar.
Grape varieties planted (Status 2000):
Variety Synonyms - Variants Colour Hectares % share
Veltliner Grüner Veltliner, Weißgipfler White 198 29,2
Riesling Rheinriesling, Weißer Riesling White 88 13,0
Chardonnay
Pinot Blanc Feinburgunder
Weißburgunder, Klevner White 85 12,5
Gemischter Satz - White 74 10,9
Zweigelt Blauer Zweigelt, Rotburger Red 38 5,6
Welschriesling - White 32 5,2
Müller-Thurgau Rivaner, Riesling x Sylvaner White 24 3,5
Neuburger - White 16 2,4
Pinot Noir Blauburgunder, Blauer Spätburgunder Red 13 1,9
Blauer Portugieser Portugieser Red 11 1,6
Blauburger - Red 11 1,6
Cabernet Sauvignon - Red 9 1,3
Sauvignon Blanc Muskat-Sylvaner White 9 1,3
Traminer Roter Traminer, Gewürztraminer White 8 1,2
St. Laurent - Red 8 1,2
Goldburger - White 7 1,0
Frühroter Veltliner Frühroter, Malvasier White 7 1,0
Pinot Gris Grauburgunder, Ruländer White 7 1,0
Gemischter Satz Vineyard blend Red 5,5 0,8
Blaufränkisch Blauer Limberger, Limberger Red 5,2 0,8
Silvaner Sylvaner, Grüner Sylvaner White 4 0,6
Merlot - Red 3,5 0,5
Muskat-Ottonel Feinschmeckerter White 3 0,4
Muskateller Gelber Muskateller, Roter Muskateller White 3 0,4
Rotgipfler Rotreifler White 2,6 0,4
Scheurebe Sämling 88 White 1,5 0,2
Roter Veltliner - White 1,5 0,2
Bouvier - White 1,2 0,2
Zierfandler Spätrot, Gumpoldskirchner White 1 0,1
Cabernet Franc - Red 0,5 0,1
Blauer Wildbacher Schilcher Red 0,1 -
White varieties 575 84,7
Red varieties 104 15,3
TOTAL 679 100


Viticulture in Veinna has a history dating back two and a half thousand years, and is at least as old as the city itself, which was a small settlement at that time. The Celts, and before them the Illyrians, had started growing wine in this area, which they called „Vedunia“, around 500 BC, long before the Romans arrived. This can be verified by finds of ancient presses, barrels and grape seeds from this time. These finds were also made on the famous Nussberg hill in the north of the city, where many vineyards are still in production today. When emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus#Probus Marcus Aurelius (232-282) lifted the ban expressed by emperor Domitian (51-96), prohibiting the planting of vines outside Italy, the legionaries started planting vines in the settlement they called „Vindobona“, using Roman methods. The huge capital city, which today has an area of more than 400 km², was literally built on vineyards. Even in the late Middle Ages, most parts of what were later to become the suburbs of Vienna were planted with vines. There are old documents in existence showing there were vineyards in the present-day suburbs and precincts of Stadtpark, Minoritenplatz, Rennweg, Alserbach, Alsegg, Matzleinsdorf, Linke Wienzeile, Weißgerberlände, Landstraße, Wieden and Mariahilf. Throughout the Middle Ages, viticulture was the main source of income in Vienna, most Viennese made a living from it. Even in the early Middle Ages, the work of a publican was considered to be a profitable one, and documents reflect the names of a number of wine bars and pubs dating back to the 14th century.

The many wine bars („Weinstuben“ or wine rooms) and wine gardens to be found in the area led to the name of “Stuebenviertel” or “the wine room quarter” being given to the 1st precinct. There were regulations as to who may serve and sell wine under what conditions, with special rules designed to protect the owners against ruffians and hooligans, and against those who tried to disappear without paying their bill. This was very necessary, as fighting and drinking were also a part of the Viennese lifestyle at the time. A good description of this can be found in the “Epistel Sauffnarr“, the drunken fool’s epistle by the famous preacher Abraham a Sancta Clara (1644-1709). Strict rules and regulations were imposed to protect the integrity of the wine. Beer came to be a strong competitor, and the serving of beer to the public was prohibited in 1430 by duke Albrecht V. (1397-1439), „as this may cause great damage to the city and our castles that have their own vineyards“. Exports started booming as of the mid-14th century, with wine from Vienna being sold to the German empire, to Poland and Bohemia. In the early 15th century, the vineyards in Vienna and the surrounding area expanded rapidly, almost completely supplanting other forms of agriculture. For this reason, duke Albrecht V. prohibited the establishment of new vineyards in 1426, in order to ensure that the city would still grow sufficient food crops. Emperor Ferdinand I. (1503-1564) in a city edict described the wine as the „primary food of the city of Vienna“. The famous wine book written by the priest Johann Rasch (1540-1612) describes in detail the viticulture, the wines, the cellar techniques and also the drinking habits of this time.

In a sense, emperor Ferdinand III. (1608-1657) used wine to finance the defence of the city of Vienna against the Swedish siege in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), when in 1639 he introduced a special wine tax of one „Groschen“ ( a low-value coin) per bucket of wine that was stored in the cellars. They inhabitants were successful in averting the Swedish attack. To rub in the ignominy of their defeat, captured Swedish prisoners were given a glass of this taxed wine, then also known as „Swedish wine“. The best wines were stored in the royal cellars, which stretched underground over three levels below the palace (Burg). The emperor at the time, Leopold I. (1640-1705) ordered a giant barrel with a capacity of 5.050 buckets to be built, that ist he equivalent of 285.000 litres of wine. Any history of Viennese wine would be incomplete without a mention of the famous roving minstrel Lieber Augustin (Dear Augustine, he lived in the 17th century). Also worth a mention is the 1443 vintage, in which the wine was apparently so extremely sour that it reputedly even corroded the hoops of the barrels. In Viennese parlance, which has always found apt descriptions, the wine was known as „Reifbeißer” (biting into the barrel hoops).