Wachau wine
[2] Archeological evidence suggests that viticulture may have been introduced to the lands around the Danube by the Celtic tribes, most notably the La Tène and Noricum federation, prior to the Roman influence that came into the area following conquest around the 1st century BCE.
In the 3rd century, Emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus officially overturned the ban and is reported to have ordered the introduction of several grape varieties to be brought into the territories.
[4][5][6] After the fall of the Roman Empire the Wachau region, along with most of Lower Austria down across the Pannonian Plain, was ravaged by repeated waves of barbarian invasions that took a toll on all forms of agriculture and trade.
Wachau's wine industry entered a dark age from which it did not emerge until the time of Charlemagne in the late 8th and early 9th century.
Under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, the monastic influences of the Christian church continued to promote and sustain viticulture in the area.
Much as the monasteries mapped out and planted plots along choice lands in the Burgundy and Mosel wine regions, the monks in the Wachau identified vineyard sites along the northern banks of the Danube that would be ideal for viticulture.
Many vineyards that exist today in the Wachau can trace their origins to monastic plantings in the Middle Ages and Renaissance period.
[4] From the 14th–16th century, viticulture in the Wachau hits its peak along with the rest of Lower Austria with plantings an estimated 10 times greater across the land than what exist today.
Slowly the wine industry would recover and during the 20th century, the Wachau would gain a global reputation for the quality of its dry Riesling and Grüner Veltliner.
Along with the moderating influence of the Danube river, the Wachau has a macroclimate which includes constant air and heat circulation, allowing for sugars and phenolic compounds to build up during the day but acids and aromas to be preserved by the cooler nights.
[4] Riesling is often planted on the most ideal vineyard location along the steep gneiss hillsides near the river while Grüner Veltliners seems to thrive on the loess and sand of the lower banks.
