Glossary

Wine glasses should ideally be tulip-shaped, clear, colourless and with thin glass and a relatively long stem, with which to hold the glass, as well as a sufficient capacity to swirl the wine and allow the aromas to evolve. Ideally, a white wine is filled to the halfway measure of the glass, and the red wine to a third.

The Roman formula for tasting is known as COS (colour-odour-sapour), referring to the colour, aroma and taste of wine. Today wines are still tasted in this method. In many cases, we also find rating systems that make it easy to compare the visual quality of wines. The 20 point rating system used to be popular, yet an increasing number of magazines and wine journalists are using the 100 point system. See also degustation and tasting.

Infrastructure organised by local tourism or vintner associations. Idyllic wine roads, or routes for wine enthusiasts, that are found in all winegrowing regions, and specially signposted, and marked out with special symbols, guiding visitors to the wine experience.

The Austrian wine industry was disrupted as a result of the widely publicised diethylene glycol wine scandal in 1985. The consequence was the introduction of the most strict wine law in the world, with an uncompromised push into producing quality wines, effectively the Austrian miracle.

Landwein (wine with geographical indication) is obliged to indicate a winegrowing area as its origin. The following areas are protected for this cause: Weinland (referring to the Federal States of Lower Austria, Burgenland and Vienna), Steirerland (the Federal State of Styria) and Bergland (Federal States of Upper Austria, Salzburg, Carinthia, Tyrol and Vorarlberg).

Oenologist – Specialised qualification in winemaking held by the winery director. The original Austrian words are ‘Weinbau- und Kellermeister’, literally viticulture and cellar master.

Place of vinification, mostly subterrenean room used for the storage of wine.

The material used in the construction of wine barrels.

A wine with an attractive aroma or flavour of yeast. Yeasty is a positive description.