Wachau
Stone terraces above the Danube — Austria's most famous wine landscape.
The Wachau is a short, narrow stretch of the Danube west of Vienna, where dry-stone terraces climb steeply from the river. At night, cold air drains down from the forests to the north while the river holds the day's heat — a swing that gives the wines concentration and freshness together. Grüner Veltliner and Riesling dominate. The growers' association created its own quality ladder: Steinfeder for light wines, Federspiel for medium-bodied ones, and Smaragd — named after an emerald-green lizard that basks on the terraces — for the ripest and most powerful.
Grapes grown here 2
What the region makes
Light and fresh — no more than 11.5% alcohol.
Medium-bodied and dry, 11.5–12.5%.
The ripest and richest, at least 12.5% — built to age.
Worth knowing
Smaragd is named after the emerald-green lizards that sun themselves on the terraces.
The Wachau's cultural landscape has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.
Try this region if you like dry, mineral whites with pepper and citrus.
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