As winemakers, we believed that first-class wine should not be defined simply by sugar-ripeness, but that even the best winemakers needed an exceptional terroir to produce a truly great wine. For almost two decades, the Traditionsweingüter Österreich have been observing, analysing and discussing the wines and vineyards of the Danube region, and a comprehensive site classification system has now been established.
DAC System
Thanks to the DAC system, the designation of origin has been newly regulated for the Danube region, although the designation does not include the vineyard itself. Because of this, we have chosen to make the vineyard the focus of our pioneering work. As a first step, we established which of the classic sites (classified vineyards) in each area could be considered “Erste Lage” (premier) vineyards.
These wines are indentified by the logo , printed directly beside the vineyard denomination on the etiquette, as in price lists and catalogues. The logo is trademarked and may be used only by the 23 member estates of the Traditionsweingüter. It is used only for Grüner Veltliner and Riesling varietals. Vineyard classification is based on the DAC system, but carries it a step further.
Huber’s Erste Lagen
Markus Huber’s Erste Lagen are Alte Setzen, Zwirch, Rothenbart and Berg. A list of Erste Lage and classified vineyards can be found on the Traditionsweingüters’ website.