Second DAC appellation in Austria´s Burgenland encompasses both white and red wines
Leithaberg dac Confirmed
(AWMB, August 2009) - According to a decree issued on July 30th by the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, quality wines with regional typicity from the town of Eisenstadt and its surrounding area, including the communities of Jois and Winden, can be marketed under the Leithaberg dac designation as of September 1st, 2010.
This means that an Austrian appellation will, for the first time, feature wines with regional typicity from both red and white grape varietals. Through Leithaberg dac, the terroir-influenced wines should gain stronger identities, broader recognition and prominence at home as well as internationally. Overall, the image of the entire Leithaberg wine-growing area should be elevated.
Typical Leithaberg
Like Austria’s other DACs, the Leithaberg dac is subject to the general requirements for Austrian quality wines. However, a Leithaberg white must be vinified only from the grape varieties Grüner Veltliner, Weißburgunder, Chardonnay and/or Neuburger - which means it can be either a single varietal white wine made from one of the mentioned varieties, or else a blend from two or more of these varieties. The red Leithaberg dac must be produced from the Blaufränkisch varietal, although appellation law allows for a maximum of 15% of the wine to be comprised of up to three other red varietals - Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and St. Laurent. Both the white and red styles are dry and marked by a characteristic mineral expression.
Leithaberg dac wines will be long-living and have great development potential; structured wines for which the soil, not the wood, provides key definition. The wines also will demonstrate length, minerality, nervousness, confident expression, finesse and elegance.
The DAC Family
The Leithaberg dac is yet another prominent addition to the DAC family. To date, the successfully established DAC members are:
WEINVIERTEL dac: Grüner Veltliner, since 2002
MITTELBURGENLAND dac: Blaufränkisch, since 2005 (includes Reserve category)
TRAISENTAL dac: Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, since 2006, (includes Reserve category)
KREMSTAL dac: Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, since 2007, (includes Reserve category)
KAMPTAL dac: Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, since 2008, (includes Reserve category)
LEITHABERG dac: white: Grüner Veltliner, Weißburgunder, Chardonnay, Neuburger; red: Blaufränkisch, begins September 2010
For your information:
- What does DAC mean?
- DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus)
When you have a bottle of Austrian wine with a label that lists the letters DAC following the name of the wine region, then you have in front of you a wine marked by distinctive regional typicity. If the addition of "Reserve" is used on the label, this means that the wine demonstrates full body and power. So far, six Austrian wine-growing regions have created the new DAC profile.
More Information:
Map Leithaberg, ppt, 1093 KB
Press information, August 2009
AWMB, Susanne Staggl
Tel.: +43 1 503 92 67
Fax: +43 1 503 92 68
E: info@austrianwine.com
