Glossary
Wachau wine terms from A to Z.
For a quick look in between: short definitions of the terms that come up in our articles. If you want the fuller picture, every entry links to the longer text.
A
- Ausg'steckt
- A bunch of pine branches above the door signals that a Heuriger is currently open. When the branches come down, it is closed.Read more about Ausg'steckt
B
- Buschenschank
- The legal frame for serving your own wine and cold food directly at a wine estate, with clear limits on what may be offered.Read more about Buschenschank
D
- DAC
- Districtus Austriae Controllatus: the designation for regionally typical quality wine. The Wachau DAC is split into Gebietswein, Ortswein and Riedenwein.Read more about DAC
F
- Federspiel
- The middle of the three Wachau style tiers: more substance than Steinfeder, but usually mobile, dry and food-friendly.Read more about Federspiel
G
- Gebietswein
- The broadest origin tier of the Wachau DAC: Wachau quality wine with no narrowing to a specific village or site.Read more about Gebietswein
- Grüner Veltliner
- The leading grape of the Wachau. Can be light and peppery or dense, savoury and built to age, depending on site, soil and style.Read more about Grüner Veltliner
H
- Heuriger
- The tap room of a wine estate, serving its own wine and usually a cold platter. Open only for part of the year, not year-round.Read more about Heuriger
M
- Muskateller
- An intensely aromatic grape variety. With good freshness, a natural aperitif and a classic Heuriger wine.Read more about Muskateller
N
- Neuburger
- A grape variety that has become rarer, with a history in the Wachau, still found mainly in the cooler Spitzer Graben.Read more about Neuburger
O
- Ortswein
- An origin tier of the Wachau DAC, narrowed to one of twenty defined municipalities. Must show no oak character, or only a barely perceptible one.Read more about Ortswein
R
- Ried
- A named, historically established single vineyard site, often carrying a name known in the Wachau for generations.Read more about Ried
- Riedenwein
- The narrowest origin tier of the Wachau DAC: only Grüner Veltliner or Riesling, no enrichment allowed, the site and municipality must appear on the main label.Read more about Riedenwein
- Riesling
- Often shows the cool, stony, precise side of the Wachau and can be very long-lived.Read more about Riesling
S
- Smaragd
- The most powerful of the three Wachau style tiers: riper, denser, often built to age, and sometimes only fully accessible with a little time and air.Read more about Smaragd
- Spitzer Graben
- The coolest part of the Wachau, north of Spitz. Late harvests and often lean, herbal, very taut wines.Read more about Spitzer Graben
- Steinfeder
- The lightest of the three Wachau style tiers: delicate, fragrant and very easy to drink.Read more about Steinfeder
W
- Weinstube
- Unlike a classic Buschenschank, a Weinstube can buy in produce, cook hot food and stay open all year.Read more about Weinstube
- Weißburgunder
- A grape variety playing a growing role in the regions neighbouring the Wachau. Speaks more of structure and texture than of loud fruit.Read more about Weißburgunder