Weinviertel dac: Where the "Pfefferl" Grows.
The Weinviertel, Austria's largest wine-growing area, is well-known to every Austrian connoisseur. And it is renowned internationally as well. Two key factors for its success are its size - 16, 650 hectares of vineyards – and the wine itself; Grüner Veltliner is proving its Weinviertel DAC typicity.
The Weinviertel extends from the Danube in the south to the Czech border in the north, and from the Manhartsberg in the west to the Slovak border in the east. It is a wine-growing area with numerous differences: Grüner Veltliner rules the area, but is supported by a large number of other grape varieties. Due to different conditions - mainly climatic and geological - this wine-growing area is divided into three parts.
A wine traveller should not miss two isolated wine-growing areas. Firstly, there is Retz, with its vast cellars beneath the Old Town 
serving as a reminder of the historical importance of the local wine trade. For ages, the dry climate has favoured the production of red wines, like in the cauldron-shaped "Mailberg Valley" (as it is called by the locals). Secondly, there is Röschitz, where Grüner Veltliner and Riesling are grown in soils covering the primary rock, which gives the wines their mineral finesse and intense spicy aroma.
The north-eastern part of the Weinviertel, with its capital, Poysdorf, is dominated by sparkling wines. Welschriesling and Grüner Veltliner, grown mainly in loess soils, provide the ideal basis for Austria's well-known sparkling wines. While the area’s produce may be sparkling - the landscape itself is rather gentle with rolling hills and Kellergassen - narrow streets with cellars on each side, and that lead out of the villages in all direction; they are sometimes referred to as "villages without roofs", as the cellar spaces are dug deep into the loess soils. To this day, they are unsurpassed for their natural wine maturing qualities. The northern border of the Weinviertel is marked by the lime cliffs of Staatz and Falkenstein, a focal point for fruity white wines.
Pannonian climate prevails down in the south-east, at the border of Marchfeld, and around the main town of Mannersdorf. Given this, and the influence of the nearby March river, the area offers the best conditions for Riesling, the Pinot varieties, and even aromatic grape varieties like Traminer – all of them wines of the highest quality. Moving south, one reaches Wolkersdorf, where Veltliner and Weißburgunder grow; and further on to the Weinviertel’s most southern border - the region of the Bisamberg, where spicy Riesling is grown.
Finally, the Weinviertel’s leading grape variety, Grüner Veltliner, is grown on 8,500 hectares of vineyards here. Not only is this half of all Grüner Veltliner vineyards planted in Austria, but it is also nearly half of all Grüner Veltliner vineyards planted worldwide. Although the Weinviertel has different soil types stretching across vast distances, the Grüner Veltliner variety is recognised everywhere by its typical peppery taste - the so-called "Pfefferl". And the peppery notes - green, white and, in the case of higher maturity, black - combined with a fruity bouquet and fresh acidity, are three characteristics of Grüner Veltliner that helped determine in 2003 the definition of "Weinviertel DAC". DAC stands for "Districtus Austriae Controllatus", Austria's first controlled appellation of origin, and which set the example for all of the country´s wine-growing areas.
Wine Estates in the Wine Area Weinviertel dac
More Information about Weinviertel DAC:
http://www.weinvierteldac.at/.
