Why the Neusiedlersee DAC region is considered one of the world’s three best sweet-wine areas, what a fungus has to do with it, and why these special wines deliver extra flavour in the glass despite having particularly low alcohol.

With the support of the federal government, the province and the European Union.

There are top chefs who swear that a sweet wine from the Neusiedlersee DAC region is not a food pairing – but rather a dish in its own right. Two-star chef Tim Raue, for example, is one of them. The complexity of high-quality Trockenbeerenauslese or Beerenauslese – and above all their ideally perfectly balanced interplay of fruit and acidity – makes these wines so exceptional on the palate that any additional flavour can easily be seen as nothing more than a distraction.

But what makes high-quality sweet wines so special? And why is pressing Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese or ice wine regarded among winemakers as the supreme discipline? Let’s take a look together at the secrets of the world of sweet wine!

1. A rare mould fungus as a lucky charm

All Auslese wines have one thing in common: the high sugar concentration results from reduction within the grapes. In other words, no form of sweetness is added. This can happen through drying, as with Schilfwein. Or through cold, as with ice wine. Or through a very special fungus: Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. A fungus that, under certain conditions – high humidity in the morning and dry, sunny afternoons – infects the grapes and changes them in a special way. However, these natural conditions occur in only a few microclimates on our planet. You find them in Sauternes in France, in Tokaj in Hungary as well – and particularly pronounced in the Neusiedlersee DAC region. The distinctive flavour, and thus the success, of the most renowned and most highly awarded Trockenbeerenauslese wines is therefore always based on this special mould fungus. But what does it do? When grapes are affected by Botrytis cinerea, the fungus perforates their outer skin with microscopic holes. This causes water to evaporate. This loss of water in the berry, in turn, increases the sugar concentration without losing acidity. In addition, the fungus develops fruit, exotic, herbal and spice notes in the now nobly rotted grapes that do not occur in healthy grapes.

2. The highest quality is already in the name

We usually know sweet wines under the terms Beerenauslese (BA) or Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). But we are generally not aware that these terms already imply the highest possible quality standard. In fact, in this context “Auslese” means that the individual berries are selected by hand and only those that are perfect for sweet-wine production end up in the press. In other words, only those that are truly sufficiently affected by noble rot. And that can be a lot of work, because the percentage of the desired fungal infection varies from year to year. In Tokaj, for example, it can even drop to a meagre 50%. In Sauternes and on the shores of Lake Neusiedl, however, the percentage remains fairly stable between 80 and 100%. Accordingly, the sweet-wine producers of Neusiedlersee DAC have been able for many decades to produce Trockenbeerenauslese and Beerenauslese of the highest quality level with exceptional consistency. Because: only when conditions remain consistent can details in wine production be fine-tuned with maximum perfectionism. And only in this way is it possible, vintage after vintage, to bottle the perfect fruit-acid balance of these delicate wines.

3. Centuries-old sweet-wine tradition

As early as the 17th and 18th centuries, sweet wines were considered a coveted luxury elixir at Europe’s royal and imperial courts. The Hungarian and Austrian nobility in particular recognised the value of these wines and promoted the production of nobly sweet wines. Not least for this reason, the winemakers of Tokaj and the Neusiedlersee DAC region were able to focus on producing these specialities very early on. But if you leaf through the history books, you will come across documentation of the first sweet wines long before the high nobility took notice of Beerenauslese. The first sweet-wine cultivation at Lake Neusiedl can be traced back to the 16th century. There are records indicating that nobly sweet wines were already being produced in the region around 1526.

4. Lots of flavour, but little alcohol

One of the most striking characteristics of sweet wine is that it hits the palate with lots of flavour, but usually brings little alcohol. This currently makes it particularly popular with a younger, more mindful drinking audience. The reason is, from a chemical point of view, a logical one: because not all of the sugar is converted into alcohol during fermentation, less alcohol is produced. In addition, at very high sugar levels, the yeasts needed for alcohol production can only produce a limited amount of alcohol before they become inactive. Most winemakers also deliberately stop fermentation by cooling or adding sulphur to achieve a perfect balance between sweetness, acidity and alcohol. While dry wines often have a higher alcohol content, nobly sweet wines retain their intense fruit, honey and spice aromas. The low alcohol also emphasises the sweetness without masking it, while the natural acidity provides freshness. This makes sweet wines highly concentrated in flavour yet pleasantly mild, and therefore perfect with desserts or cheese.

5. Sweet wines as the secret base for top cocktails

Even if it has not quite caught on in Austria yet: sweet wines are, in principle, the ideal base for cocktails. And it makes perfect sense: intense aromatics, natural sweetness and balanced acidity are the perfect ingredients for a drink that is meant to have depth without any syrups or sweeteners. Because of their lower alcohol content, they are used above all for summer cocktails. In France or Hungary, for example, drinks such as a Sauternes Spritz or a Tokaj Sour have long been standard aperitifs. However, because sweet wines also harmonise wonderfully with gin, rum, cognac or sparkling wines, creative bartenders have long acquired a taste for mixing more complex cocktails. In the Neusiedlersee DAC region, the Neusiedlersee Spritz (sweet wine + soda + mint) is currently particularly popular. Not only can it be mixed anywhere yourself, but thanks to its low alcohol content it is a special treat, especially on hot days!

6. Exclusively handcrafted

Although in the predominantly flat sites of the Neusiedlersee DAC region the grape harvest with state-of-the-art harvesting machines offers major advantages, when it comes to harvesting grapes for sweet wines the rule is consistent: hands off the big machines! The reason, by the way – rightly – is obvious. After all, the term Beerenauslese or Trockenbeerenauslese comes from the idea of carefully selecting the berries to be processed by hand before they end up in the cellar (see also secret number 2). Just a single truly rotten – rather than nobly rotted – berry would cloud the fine flavour of the sweet wine and thus reduce its quality. It is therefore easier and more time-saving to carry out this first check during the harvest itself, before each grape is examined again in the cellar before it ends up in the press.

6. Sweet wines are extremely age-worthy

Unopened and stored properly, the sweet wines of the Neusiedlersee region can be enjoyed for up to 100 years – and longer! The reason is their high sugar content: sugar acts as a natural preservative because it inhibits the growth of bacteria and yeasts that are responsible for wine spoilage. However, this property not only allows sweet wines to be stored for many decades, it also helps their extraordinary aromas to continue developing over time, even in the sealed bottle. And even once a sweet wine has been opened, it keeps longer than classic wines: for Auslese, that is two to four weeks; for Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese, even six to eight weeks. The important thing, of course, is that the wines are stored chilled – and not at room temperature.

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NEUSIEDLERSEE DAC.
Unique Zweigelt. Unique sweet wines.
From Austria’s sunny side. A delight for every palate.

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