Austria has spent the last 20 years attempting to refine and modernise its formerly antiquated system for classifying wines. Whereas the foundation of the French AOC model is based on the widely accepted axiom that one vineyard is intrinsically better than another, Austria traditionally followed the Germanic system of classifying wines based on the level of sugar in the must at harvest time. There was no reference to vineyard source or wine provenance. The catalyst for change was the 1985 antifreeze scandal, where the discovery that some companies were adulterating their wine with Diethylene glycol destroyed the country’s export industry and prompted a major overhaul. Suddenly, vineyard source, yield and origin were important. A government board was established in 1986, which set about re-defining Austrian wine law.
Subsequent entry into the EU in 1995 encouraged further changes, with the country’s first proper regional appellation system created in 2002. Legally termed DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) or controlled district of Austria, these designations were rolled out across eight regions, applying to specific grape varieties grown within those legally defined geographical areas. There was also an independent three-tier classification of wines from the Wachau region, based on the alcohol levels, must weight and maximum permitted residual sugar for the top tier wines.
A long process
Austria currently boasts three independent systems of classifying its wine output. However, despite the widespread improvements in defining the geographical origin of Austrian wine, no classification of a hierarchy of vineyards was ever undertaken. This prompted a small group of producers in the area of Niederösterreich to take matters into their own hands. Conscious of the need to undertake a decisive study of their vineyards and identify superior sites, the Österreichischen Traditionsweingüter – Association of Austrian Traditional Wine Estates – was founded in 1992. The process would be long and involved, but everyone agreed that the ultimate goal was to achieve a landmark classification of the Danube’s historic vineyards. Their counterparts in Germany proposed a similar classification system in 2002 for the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, spearheaded by the elite producer group VDP.
Leading the Austrian campaign was Michael Moosbrugger, owner of Schloss Gobelsburg and current chairman of the association, which now boasts 33 members. Moosbrugger underlines the background to its formation.
“The first initiative came from the Austrian Wine Marketing Board in the late 1980s, as they had no official representations of the Kamptal/Kremstal appellations and they were looking for a group that could represent the areas for journalists,” he explains.
He continues: “During the formation of the association we discussed the very nature of what defines quality in a wine. We felt that the German principle that quality is based on sugar content is in complete opposition to the reality of what determines quality, the origin of the grapes. So when we drafted the founding articles of the association our primary goal was defined as the desire to establish a vineyard classification in the Danube area, with superior vineyards classified as ‘Erste Lage’ (Premier Cru) and ‘Grosse Lage’ (Grand Cru).
Investigations begin
After its establishment in 1992, the association began investigating the quality of different sites. They focused their research on sites along the Danube, taking into account the distinctive terroirs of Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental and Wagram, limiting the analysis to the region’s two signature varieties, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. It would be built, of course, on existing knowledge and deference given to vineyards by producers, many of whom had been putting the vineyard name on their labels since the 1990s. “The Hirsch family have been advertising the name of the single vineyard since the 1995 vintage. It’s always been crucial for us,” notes member Johannes Hirsch of Weingut Hirsch.
But regardless of historic references to superior vineyards, Moosbrugger knew that a detailed scientific study and understanding of the varied terroir was essential. He explains: “We worked closely with experts across different fields; soil, geology and viticulture, to gain a real understanding of our regional characteristics.” He adds that regular tastings of each others’ wines were a key aspect of the process, as well as collecting media feedback. “The key is that a vineyard consistently produces superior wines, despite the vintage variations. It has been a long endeavour, we only really started classifying the individual vineyards in 2009, 17 years after the process started. That means that nothing is fixed so far.”
What it means
The results of this thorough analysis were officially presented in May 2010, 18 years after the association was born. Initially, 52 vineyards were classified as Erste Lage; now the group recognises 62 vineyards as being of superior status. Moosbrugger is keen to emphasise that the process will continue for at least another 20 to 30 years, with more vineyards eligible for inclusion and existing ones eligible for demotion in the coming years, if the group feel that its performance is being affected by the producer in ownership or other factors. “So far the 62 vineyards count for about 15% of the overall production in the Danube area,” says Moosbrugger. “The maximum production of Erste Lage vineyards is 20%, which shall not be exceeded.” For the time being, he says, only Erste Lage vineyards are being classified, and the work on the Grosse Lage vineyards will only begin once the Erste Lage are established. The goal is to establish the classification in wine law.
For the time being, however, the Erste Lage classification remains a private enterprise. But in addition to the existing right to identify the single vineyard on the label, members of the association are now permitted to use the Erste Lage logo on their labels. “We are also working closely together with the VDP and Styrian producers (STK) to harmonise classification systems in the German speaking world,” says Moosbrugger. But as yet, the full term ‘Erste Lage’ cannot be referenced.
This initiative, despite being generally well received by both the region’s wine industry and the trade is not without critics. According to Hirsch, their key distributor in Vienna was less than enthusiastic about the classification. “We had a long discussion with a trade partner from Vienna: I wanted to put the single vineyard first and the variety after on our marketing paraphernalia,” he says. “He modified the format without asking my permission! His response was simply that clients buy the variety, then the producer and rarely the vineyard!”
Others have questioned the validity of the concept, arguing that it is somewhat self-serving as the wineries owned the land they were classifying as Erste Lage. No independent body has yet approved or analysed their findings. “A classification is not a recognition of a moment, it is the historical proof of the expression of a wine origin. That means, it is not the vintner or winemaker that is setting up the classification, it is the consumer, who has been consistently willing to pay a higher price for a certain vineyard site,” Moosbrugger replies.
Moreover, Hirsch concedes that promoting the concept of the superior quality of single vineyard wines is a useful protection against media reports of a bad vintage and subsequent lack of trade/consumer interest. “If a vintage was rated poorly, often people ordered more from the vintage before and jumped directly to the next one – no matter how good the wines were. The Erste Lage concept helps reinforce the concept of making good wines even in difficult years.”
Moosbrugger also emphasises that the announcement of the classification was not a mechanism for price hikes. “Erste Lage was not about raising the price of our wines: If you look at our ex-cellar prices before and after the classification, you see that the classification had no effect on the prices. This is for me the proof, that the classification basically already existed before we put it on the label. Chicken and the egg – who was first?’”
He continues: “But from a marketing point of view, it brings key benefits. Firstly, it helps to differentiate a vineyard site from a brand name. In Austria we have many single vineyard sites and numerous brands that sound like a vineyard name. With our classification you can – at least in the top segment – identify what is a wine’s origin and what is a brand. Secondly it helps sommeliers across the world to communicate superior qualities to wine
novices.”
Hirsch adds that the formalised awareness of the region’s superior vineyards has further encouraged quality and lower yields across the board. “Since becoming involved with the association, my family has never owned so many hectares and yet produced so few bottles.”
Future activities
The association organises standard consumer/trade tastings and now also invites international journalists to evaluate the Erste Lage vintage each August. As yet there has been little effort to engage with international trade or consumers. The local trade, however, has generally embraced the concept, despite the negative reaction from some distributors. “Many restaurants now list Erste Lage wines as a separate and superior category,” says Moosbrugger. “The on-trade has generally got behind the concept, whereas the off-trade will take some time.”
For now, the association’s key priority is continuing to analyse vineyards from the Danube region and widen access to the classification. According to Hirsch, any winery in the region can apply to be a member, and they are planning to extend, step by step, the number of participants, depending, of course, on the analysis of their vineyard holdings. “In 2009 we had 23 wineries as members – today there are 33. Everyone needs to have the right to participate in the system before it is legally enshrined. Otherwise it would lead to a two class system, which would be a fascistic system,” notes Moosbrugger.
So the Erste Lage initiative should be viewed dispassionately as very much a work in progress rather than a major success story. The association’s end-goal is to create a legally sanctioned Danube equivalent of the Côte-d’Or – albeit with democratic elements borrowed from St-Émilion - with consumers buying into famous Cru vineyards rather than simply a Kamptal Riesling. A great concept, but is it realistic that consumers will hold the Kamptal Crus of Stein or Lamm in the same esteem as Premier Cru Meursault?
“When I look at the market right now, I see a less than full commitment and expectation of discounts and other initiatives to boost sales,” says Hirsch. “It tells me that we have to concentrate on our best sites; volume cannot be the future.” An admirable sentiment, and one which, if the association is to benefit from its endeavour and increase the renown of Austrian wine globally, needs to be communicated fully to an international audience. Otherwise Erste Lage is likely to remain a domestic phenomenon.
