Vienna is a true wine capital

It is a little-known fact but the city of Vienna is the only capital in the world that has vineyards within the city boundaries.

The Vienna city vineyards produce award-winning wines and now a wine that they officially launched last year – the Wiener Gemischter Satz – has proven to be an export winner.

The name can only be applied to a wine that is grown in a vineyard that includes at least five different wine types and a minimum of three need to be included in the vineyards Wiener Gemischter Satz.

Exports have increased tenfold of the wine and according to vintner Fritz Wieninger the Wiener Gemischter Satz is now being delivered to 18 states in America, and is particularly popular in New York where it is on offer in 40 bars and restaurants across the city.

In 2007 59,000 bottles of the Wiener Gemischter Satz were sold, in 2011 it was 197,000.

That is a considerable improvement for the Gemischter Satz which 10 years ago was not regarded much more highly than a dirty word.

Wieninger said he was pleased with the results adding that the “Wien-Wein” Association included the vineyards Christ, Cobenzl, Edlmoser and Mayer am Pfarrplatz.

He added: “We don’t share any reason why the Popularity is not set to increase although it’s probably going to be a couple of years before we really get into supply problems because of massive over demand.”

Although it was in production before it was only last year that the rules were officially laid down classifying what categorises as a “Wiener Gemischten Satzes”.

The rules include the fact that the wine types used in the production are all from the same vineyard.

And every type of wine that is used cannot represent more than 50 percent or less than 10 percent so that every particular type of wine allows its flavours and taste to be noticed.