Austria

Now, I’m half Austrian, and since I’m fairly certain that the majority of subscribers to this website are in fact my family I’m going to have to choose my words wisely, and leave out all and any mention of anti-freeze…
Austria’s wine regions are essentially divided into 3 sections; Niederösterreich, Burgenland and Steiermark (Styria), which all run along the country’s eastern boarder. Austria is also unique in the fact that its capital city, Vienna, is also considered a wine region, with over 600 hectares of cultivated vineyards around the city's outskirts.
Typical associations with Austria tend to revolve around Schwarzenegger, Mozart and the Sound of Music, with wine rarely even managing a feature. It’s true that the a good symphony is wonderful thing, and that Arnold’s muscles are indeed very impressive, however it’s high time Austria’s winemakers received the recognition they deserve – in spite of the fact they don’t run about the place singing about female deer or edelweiss. 
Coming back from the Scandal-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named in 1985 has not been an easy slog for the Austrians, however they have slowly but surely claimed a place amongst some of the most respected wines in the world, with Grüner Veltliner heading up the charge.