Neusiedler See becomes newest DAC wine region

Following on from the regions of Eisenberg, Mittelburgenland and Lethaberg, Neusiedler See has become the most recent DAC labelled wine appellation in the state of Burgenland, Austria. The details were set in stone in the Burgtheater in Vienna yesterday (Thurs).

The DAC or “Districtus Austriae Controllatus” which comes from the Latin for “Controlled District of Austria” is a classification for Austrian wine. The DACs are created for specific wine regions in the country and awarded to wines typical of that region. The system which resembles the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system in France has only been in place in Austria since 2001.

The first DAC region in the country was the Weinviertel with the Grüner Veltliner being the chosen grape allowed to use the region’s name. Other wines made from different grape varieties are not allowed to use the region’s name.

Neusiedler See or Lake Neusiedl in the region of Burgenland is the newest DAC classified region. “The Neusiedler See DAC represents the typical wines of the region and Zweigelt provides the basis of this. It is a two tier system. On the basic level we have a classic variety of Zweigelt. In the reserve category there is a classic Zweigelt and also a Zweigelt Cuvee,” explained managing Director of Burgenland Wine, Christian Zechmeister.

Wine growers were very pleased with the quality of more than 700 wines that were produced in Burgenland during the course of last year. According to local Minister for Agriculture Andreas Liegenfeld (ÖVP), 2011 will be a memorable vintage for wine lovers, with an exciting list of spicy white wines and full-bodied red wines coming out of the Burgenland region.

Wine remains an important product for the state of Burgenland and will be used, Liegenfeld hopes, on a domestic and international level to improve their reputation as a region for high-quality eating and drinking.