Austria — wine

Neusiedlersee

Austria's most internationally celebrated wine region for one reason: the world's greatest sweet wines. The shallow Neusiedlersee lake on the Hungarian border creates a unique microclimate of mist and humidity that promotes Botrytis cinerea (noble rot) with extraordinary reliability. Alois Kracher and his Neue Welt estate transformed global perception of Austrian sweet wine in the 1990s. Also produces fine dry Zweigelt.

Year Rating Notes
2023 Reliable Botrytis development from lake mist; excellent Beerenauslese and TBA quality
2022 Exceptional noble rot season; outstanding concentration in both sweet and dry wines
2021 Good vintage; moderate Botrytis producing elegant, not over-concentrated sweet wines
2020 Warm season with excellent late-harvest concentration; fine Zweigelt red alongside superb stickies
2019 One of the great Neusiedlersee vintages; TBA of extraordinary concentration and complexity