Wachau
Monumental Wines from Steep Terraces A World Heritage site and a landscape that exudes a sense of well-being: This is the Wachau, the narrow Danube valley between Melk and Krems. Here, the 1,400 hectares of vineyards - some of which are on steep terraces - feature mainly Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The wine categories of Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd are used respectively for light, medium and full-bodied wines with natural alcohol.
The Wachau, one of Austria´s most fascinating wine-growing areas, certainly boasts an exciting history. In the post-glacial period, silt sediments were deposited on the mountains, something that, in turn, resulted in the loess soils as well as steep slopes of Gföhler gneiss found today. The Danube river made its contribution by depositing sand, gravel and loess onto the flat vineyard areas. Together, these geological conditions, along with the man-made stone terraces that help facilitate cultivation - despite the steepness of the terrain - are typical of the Wachau landscape.
