One thing is beyond question: the pronounced regional typicity of the origin wines of Neusiedlersee DAC is largely due to the particularly unique terroir found here. However, what does this term terroir, constantly used in viticulture, actually describe? In any case, far more than merely the composition of the soil on which the vines thrive.

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

One can safely assert: the term “terroir” has not only been used intensively for several years, it is in fact often consistently misused or at least misleadingly employed. This is particularly problematic for wine regions that can score points due to their special terroir: their unique selling points are thereby diluted!

The origin wines of Neusiedlersee DAC are precisely such a case. For the terroir on the shores of Europe’s largest steppe lake is truly unique. But wait! Before we ourselves fall into the terroir trap, let us first focus on this term that drifts so nebulously through the wine world.

Terroir ≠ Soil. Terroir = Region!

Literally translated, the French word “terroir” means nothing other than “region.” With this, we can already clarify one of the greatest misunderstandings: terroir is by no means solely concerned with the soil on which grapevines thrive. Rather, this technical term describes the entire natural environment in which a wine is created. This means: all elements—soils, climate, topography, and even the weather of the respective vintage—fall under this umbrella term. The internationally renowned wine critic Jancis Robinson recently put it very well. She postulated: “Wine is geography in a bottle.” The fact is: wine is precisely so fascinating because, like no other beverage, it is able to express the natural environment in which it is produced in an incredibly multifaceted manner. And not merely the soil on which its vines stand.

Speaking of foundation: even if we examine only this one—certainly not insignificant—aspect of terroir more closely, we quickly discover imprecisions. Firstly, no slate, granite, clay, or sandy soil consists exclusively of this one material. It is almost always mixed soils on which vines thrive. Secondly, new scientific studies demonstrate that it does not appear to be so much the material of the soils that ultimately imparts one of many specific nuances to the grapes. Much suggests that water storage capacity has a particularly significant influence on vine and consequently grape quality. Soils that retain water poorly are just as disadvantageous as soils that store too much water, according to the experts. This is accompanied by the respective nutrient content of a soil. Activation and thus improvement of soil diversity through region-typical ground cover is therefore also a not insignificant detail when it comes to terroir.

True Definition?

But back to the term “terroir.” By definition, terroir is “the natural composition of a patch of earth that influences the characteristics of the cultivated plants grown there.” Terroir is therefore determined by the interplay between the culture-shaping activity of humans—here winemakers—and the conditions of nature such as (micro)climate, geology and terrain, as well as soil composition and soil permeability. Strictly viewed according to these facts, every wine produced from a singular specific wine-growing area—regardless of whether from autochthonous grape varieties or those of international origin—is therefore a “terroir wine.” And yet no one would probably describe a Mavro outside its natural origin (Mediterranean region) as a “terroir wine.”

And now we have arrived at the heart of the matter. Through the dilution of the term and its inflationary use, one simultaneously dilutes the products of those who seriously engage with the terroir, the origin of their wines. “This is precisely why it is so important for wine regions like ours to use and communicate the designation of origin—in our case Neusiedlersee DAC—very consciously. DAC legally incorporates varietal selection into the narrower origin. A Cabernet Franc simply cannot be a DAC wine—nowhere in Austria. Genuine typicity and thus genuine ‘terroir’ exists primarily with the region-typical and region-defining grape varieties or specialties. For us, these are Zweigelt and the sweet wines,” explains Christoph Salzl, Chairman of Neusiedlersee DAC.

Vineyard in the Bottle

Conversely, this means: the wines of Neusiedlersee DAC reflect a particularly authentic and particularly unique terroir. Salzl emphasizes: “The great diversity of viticulture in white and red, rosé and sweet is in any case an expression of an intact diversity that reflects special terroir. This is why in 2001 this unique regional diversity was even included in the UNESCO World Heritage List of sites with significant viticulture.” In other words: here the vineyard truly comes into the bottle. Individually vinified with care, knowledge, and passion by the currently over 110 Neusiedlersee DAC winemakers.

And particularly with the wines that meet the quality/origin designation Neusiedlersee DAC, the above-ground terroir plays a very special role: the lake and the surrounding salt pans ensure a truly unique microclimate throughout the year that not only helps shape the style of the wines but makes some possible in the first place. Keyword: Botrytis cinerea. Noble rot finds ideal conditions here in the interplay of warmth and moisture. World-class late harvest and selected harvest wines, dried berry and berry selected harvest wines are the result.

And What About the Soil Now?

At the same time, however, this does not mean that the soils, i.e., the underground terroir, play no role. And geology in particular proves to be especially diverse in Burgenland. The northern boundary of the Lake Neusiedl basin is formed by the Wagram, those southern slopes of the Parndorfer Platte, which extend with their soils of deposited Danube gravel, clay, and loess from Neusiedl via Gols to Mönchhof and Halbturn. In the eastern area—with the centers Podersdorf, Illmitz, and Apetlon—the sandy gravel of the Seewinkel and black earth are found as the largest rock unit. Here, at the salt and soda pans, plant species that otherwise occur only on seacoasts can be found. In the Heideboden, the most significant large site in terms of area in the origin wine region, which extends from the lake to the southeastern lowlands, chernozem (black earth)—a soil type that forms on calcareous loose materials such as loess, among others—as well as gravel define some of the most fertile soils in the region.

The conclusion is therefore probably: anyone who seriously immerses themselves in the world of wine terroirs will very quickly taste many elements that Mother Earth has to offer as specific nuances in the wines. And at the latest then attribute far more significance to the term terroir than the most financially powerful wine marketing could ever achieve. For terroir is region. Region is origin. DAC is typicity with terroir and origin.

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Neusiedlersee DAC.
Unique Zweigelt. Unique Sweet Wines.
From the Sunny Side of Austria. For Everyone’s Palate Pleasure.

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