Austria now has a new DAC wine region: Carnutum, which sits in the easternpart of Austria between Vienna and the Slovak border.
Following a regional consultation, a draft DAC regulation was submitted to the Austrian government and has now been signed by Maria Patek, Federal Minister for Sustainability & Tourism.
“With the DAC regulation that has now been enacted, Carnutum is also embarking on the successful path of origin-based marketing,” said Willi Klinger, managing director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board. “The wine growers have succeeded in working out a profile that will unmistakably express and convey the characteristics of their region in both red and white wine, and will ensure even greater distinctiveness.”
From now on, Carnutum will have three levels of wine: the Gebietswein (regional wine); the Ortswein (village wine) and Riedenwein (single vineyard wine).
The new regulations stipulate that all wines must have a dry flavour profile, while the red wines must reach at least 12% alcohol by volume.
The DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) is a legal indication of origin for regionally typical Austrian Qualitätswein. This means that if a label features the name of a winegrowing region in combination with a DAC, the wine inside the bottle is guaranteed to be typical of that region. There are currently 14 DAC winegrowing regions in Austria.
Carnutum is named after a Roman settlement, that by the first century had become a city of some 50,000 inhabitans. The region is known for its elegant red wines, particularly those made from Zweigelt or Blaufrankisch. White wines include Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Via press release
