The Wines of Austria provides a comprehensive treatment of Austria's wines, including the history and status of the varieties of grapes grown and the wine produced. It emphasizes the nuances which regional differences in climate, soil, and winemaking techniques impart to the wines. The author, Stephen Brook, is a distinguished British wine writer, who has experience in traveling, tasting thousands of wines, and living in Austria since the 1970s. That experience combined with research, conversations with local experts, reviews of earlier books, and substantial encouragement and (apparently non-monetary) support by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board helped him craft this personal yet definitive work.

Why might Austrian wine be of interest? Wine has been made in Austria for millennia, dating back to Roman and Celtic habitation, but until recently very little has been exported. The author asserts that the average quality of Austrian wine today is extremely high. The refreshing acidity of these wines enhances their food-pairing potential and contributes to their ageing potential. Over the past decade exports have been increasing, with Germany and Switzerland the most important markets. Although not stated in the book, Austria is not a high-volume wine producer, and currently ranks around 17th internationally, producing about the same quantities as Greece, Georgia, and Hungary. That said, several Austrian varieties, including Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch, are producing fine wines in the East Coast of the United States and elsewhere.

Brook characterizes viticulture and wine as established parts of Austrian identity. Vineyards and wineries are in much of the country and even within the city of Vienna. Traveling to visit vineyards and taste wine is traditional for Austrians. Throughout the country there are wine locales known as Heurige (or Buschenschank), which boost local wine consumption. They serve only new or partially fermented wine or juice made by the owner from owner-grown grapes. While these do attract locals and often serve interesting wines, crowds of tourists can degrade the experience. In fact, the author notes that the Heurige “serve to get rid of basic wines but are of no help in the quest for wine quality.”

The book’s Introduction offers a brief history of Austrian wine, including changes in varieties grown due to factors such as popular demand, phylloxera devastation of vineyards, and the infamous 1985 scandal that exposed the reality that some Austrian wines were being adulterated with diethylene glycol. The influence of the wine college and viticultural research center outside Vienna, known as Klosterneuburg, in both advancing and at times holding back progress is described. The Districtus Austriae Controlatus appellation system was developed after the 1985 wine scandal. Since then, Austrian wine laws have diverged somewhat from those of Germany, and have been brought into line with EU wine laws. Austrians measure grape sugar content (must weight) in Klosterneuburg Mostwaage, which helps define wine categories and styles such as Spätlese, Auslese, and Ausbruch. Sweet white wines, particularly with the Trockenbeerenauslese designation, from Austria have a long-established reputation.

Following the Introduction, there is a section on grape varieties. Austria's vineyard acreage is less than half of that of Bordeaux, but its diverse climate and terroir support the cultivation of a wider range of grape varieties, both indigenous and international. There are 37 grape varieties described in detail, including 25 white and 12 red varieties. While the descriptions of the varieties are adequate, there is little description of methods of management. Some wine writers, including Brook, emphasize winemaking techniques over vineyard management, so this omission is not surprising.

Grüner Veltliner accounts for nearly a third of the country's vineyard area. It matures well, and has relatively loose bunches and thick skin, making it less susceptible to rot. It can produce outstanding wines with great food pairing versatility. According to Brook, a blind tasting in 1998 pitting Austrian Grüner Veltliner wines against top Burgundy white wines resulted in the top places going to the Austria bottles, and in 2002, a similar tasting of Grüner Veltliner versus Chardonnay from around the world produced the same result. Some description of the methodologies of these tastings would have been useful, as the results are certainly surprising.

Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt are the most planted red wine grape varieties. According to Brook's book, red wine production has improved greatly through advances in vineyard management, and judicious use of blending, oak aging, and malolactic fermentation. While Blaufränkisch is planted less extensively than Zweigelt, it often produces more structured and complex wines, and is considered the best of Austria's red wine grapes. International red varieties such as Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and occasionally Cabernet Sauvignon are also grown in Austria, and are not uncommon in blends, but Austrian varieties are still much more widely planted than international ones. Austrian winemaker, Alois Kracher noted that “Austrians are trying to make good Pinot Noir and good Cabernet Sauvignon, but it is impossible to do both – it's basically too warm for Pinot Noir, too cold for Cabernet.”

The four major wine growing regions of Austria are covered in Parts 1 through 4 of the book. These are Niederösterreich, Burgenland, Steiermark, and Wien. More than three-fourths of the book is devoted to describing the climate, soil, wineries, and wines of these four regions. Maps of each region and subregion are provided, but the introductory map shows Austria, but does not show its seven border countries. This is unfortunate because there are many cross-border influences in wine production which are, in fact, referenced in the text. Overall, Parts 1–4 offer an amazing quantity of useful information, including vineyard size, winery production, and wine critiques for 259 wineries.

Niederösterreich is the largest of Austria's four wine-growing regions. Located in the northeast of Austria, it nearly surrounds Vienna, and is comprised of seven subregions. The most prestigious subregion is the Wachau, where the outstanding Grüner Veltliner is grown. It is traversed and influenced by the Danube River. The author claims that it rivals the Mosel and Douro Valley regions as a “wine valley of outstanding beauty and drama.”

The Burgenland region is further south, and shares its eastern border with Hungary. There are four subregions – Leithaberg, Neusiedlersee, Mittelburgenland, and Eisenberg. Red varieties such as Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt predominate, although Grüner Veltliner is also grown. A particular wine known as “Uhudler” is produced in the Eisenberg subregion from phylloxera resistant varieties. The author views this popular wine as “revolting” and “disgusting,” presumably due to its non-vinifera-like flavors.

Steiermark is south of the Burgenland region, and borders Slovenia. Here Celts began growing grapes over 2500 years ago. Climatic conditions vary greatly due to proximity to the Alps and the Adriatic, and harsh winters are not uncommon. Steiermark includes three subregions: Vulkanland Steiermark, Südsteiermark, and West Steiermark. The name Vulkanland reflects the volcanic origin of many soils, which allow for earlier ripening because they retain heat relatively well. Wines from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are refreshing and invigorating.

Finally, the Vienna growing region comprises 637 hectares, about 500 of which are planted in white varieties, and is the largest grape-growing area of any major city in the world. Here there are 180 Heurige, where much of the wine production of the region is sold. Grüner Veltliner is the predominant wine sold.

Part 5 of the book consists of a review of vintages, a glossary, and an index. The vintages reviewed span nearly 6 decades from 1963 through 2018, concentrating on vintages since 1988. The evaluation of each vintage offers highlights of some of the climactic conditions, disease pressure, yields, and resulting wine quality. No numerical scoring is used, but the author's judgments are helpful. While there is vintage variation in Austria, in only 10% of the vintages from 1999 to 2018 would it have been a struggle to produce high-quality wine. The two-page glossary is sufficient, particularly for the interpretation of terms of wine production often in German. The index is comprehensive, and allows for quick identification of appropriate pages of the book for diverse topics.

The Wines of Austria is an insightful and outstanding reference for those interested in Austrian wine. It is a scholarly work that is also accessible and enjoyable to read, because the author conveys his decades of experience and passion. His tasting notes are remarkable and informative.

Fortunately, I have visited Vienna, Klosterneuburg College, several of the wine regions of Austria, have a good command of the German language, and have tasted many of Austria's wines. We even grow and vinify Blaufränkisch and Grüner Veltliner at our winery in the Outer Coastal Plain AVA of New Jersey. Perhaps my background gives me more appreciation for the meticulous research carried out by Brook, but readers with less background will, in my opinion, also find the book engaging and informative.