Austrian Wine Regions: Carnuntum

South east of Vienna is the district known as Carnuntum with 890 hectares of vines.

Big reds and fascinating whites. A historic region with strong Roman ancestry where winemaking has taken place for centuries.

Deep soils, cooling winds from the Danube plain and the tempering influence of the just south-east lake, combine to produce a climate ideal for the cultivation of Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch. Carnuntum is rapidly becoming known for Monumental Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, bursting with fruit and ripe tannins, and further reds.

• 1.7% of national production.
• Cultivated area, 906 ha approximately .
• 58.85% white and 46.15% red.
• Average 33.5°C in summer and a minimum -10.5°C in winter.
• Sun exposure,  2056 hours per year.
• Average annual rainfall, 554mm with rainy days.
• Lowest elevation 184 metres, highest elevation 350 metres.
• Soils are stony, heavy with clay, loess, sand and gravel.

Carnuntum is known for its rolling hills including the Leitha Mountains, the Hainburger Hills and the Arbesthaler Hügelland (hill country – the area between the plains and the mountains). Stony, heavy soils with sand, clay and gravel make ideal conditions for growing red wine varieties, especially Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch. Grapes grown on Mount Spitzer are considered the very best. Because there is the Danube River roughly defining the border with Weinviertel to the north and Lake Neusiedl to the south, the hot summers and cold winters are less damaging, as these bodies of water act to control the temperature. Thanks to this geographical blessing, the red grapes are able to mature to full ripeness and allow the winemakers to produce the stunning wines for which the region is rightly famous.

some of the most typical varieties in Carnuntum

Our reference in Carnununtum is the fantastic Netzl family