Austria’s Traisental region has adopted DAC status as the country’s appellation system takes hold at an accelerated pace.

Traisental is the third of the country´s 19 wine growing areas to take the DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) classification. It follows the establishment three months ago of the Mittelburgenland DAC appellation.

With 770ha of vineyards, Traisental is Austria´s smallest appellation. It is also the only one to be characterized by two varietals, Austria´s native Grüner Veltliner, and Riesling.

‘The establishment of the Traisental DAC is good for our region,’ local producer Markus Huber, who exports to the UK and the US among other countries, said. ‘It gives us a clear profile. Until now, few people have known about the Traisental.’

Estimated annual production of Traisental DAC wines is 300,000 bottles. Presently, there are just over 50 Traisental DAC producers.

Although the DAC system has been adopted so far by lesser-known Austrian wine growing areas seeking more recognition, talks of establishing DACs in more prominent Austrian wine growing areas, such as the Kamptal, are underway.

Written by Darrel Joseph

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Darrel Joseph
Darrel Joseph
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer & DWWA Judge

Darrel Joseph is based in Vienna and began writing about the wines of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in 1995, after his palate was captured by Hungarian Tokaji and Austrian Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Since then his interests have broadened to include Croatia, Slovenia and all Balkan wine countries, plus Georgia and Russia, as well as the aforementioned Austria and Hungary. Joseph's writing has appeared in Decanter, Wine Spectator, Wine Business International and Harpers Wine & Spirit, and he has also contributed to Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book and wein.pur's Best of Austria, and Guide to Grüner Veltliner. He was also the English language editor of Lászlo Alkonyi’s book, Tokaj, The Wine of Freedom. When he's not writing, Joseph conducts wine tastings and seminars internationally, and translates a wide range of wine texts from German to English.