Monday, 11 September, 2023
The Drinks Business, Sarah Neish
After 30 years of lobbying by the ÖTW group of premium wineries, Austria has become the only country apart from France to introduce legal vineyard site classification.
When Traditional Wine Estates of Austria (ÖTW) first began pushing for vineyard classification in 1991 it was with the aim of differentiating the country’s best single vineyards from the rest.
Now the group has finally got its wish after investing more than three decades and €10 million into the quest, with official classification finally granted this week following “official formalities” in the wake of a signature gained on 24 June 2023.
Under the newly approved system, Austria’s best vineyards can now be designated as Erste Lage (Premier Cru) or Grosse Lage (Grand Cru).
While Michael Moosbrugger, the national chair of the ÖTW, says the process has been “an uphill struggle at times”, he is nonetheless “proud of our important contribution to the Austrian wine industry.”
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