The land known best for its ski slopes, waltzes, classical music and the beautiful Danube has been making a name for itself in the wine industry as well.

Austrian wine is the product both of a rich cultural heritage spanning three millennia and of forward-thinking agricultural practices. A new and creative generation of wine makers has established itself on the international market, and their wines are as much at home in the world’s great restaurants as they are in a traditional Austrian country inn.

Wine making in this region goes back to the dawn of civilization, and throughout the following centuries, wine production industry ebbed and flowed with the political and economic climates. During World War II, the country adopted German-Style wine classification, but post-war reconstruction brought about the widespread adoption of the Lenz Moser system of wine training, which facilitated the use of modern machinery.

Recently, there has been a strong legislative initiative to promote quality and to make Austrian wine more of a global force. A new, more internationally trained generation of Austrian wine makers is now at the helm of many traditional establishments. They have revolutionized the work in the vineyards and in the cellars, allowing Austrian wine to win recognition and respect and to compete in more markets abroad.

Austria has long been known for its world-class white wines. The rarer Austrian red wines, which have always had a place in the hearts of wine lovers at home, have been creating a stir in recent years at international competitions and blind tastings. The best red wine makers take their lead from Burgundy and Bordeaux and are now being emulated by a younger generation.

As far as sweet wines are concerned, Austria is blessed with the perfect conditions for true greatness. In particular, the region around Lake Neusiedl has produced sweet wines that are considered to be some of the finest in the world.

The country’s most important wine maker and the largest exporter of Austrian wine is the Lenz Moser winery. Here, the experience and knowledge of nine centuries of wine culture are combined with cutting edge technology and research.

Lenz Moser features the full assortment of Austrian wine varieties and types, and is known for providing excellent value for the money. Among those worth sampling are the 2003 Prestige Blauer Zweigelt, the 2001 Prestige Beerenauslese and the 2004 Prestige Riesling.

In 1986, Lenz Moser’s son, Sepp Moser, founded a new estate, producing a broad spectrum of high-quality wines. Currently, Sepp’s son Nikolaus is running the enterprise, which is noted for its excellent full-bodied dry white wines as well as delicious dessert wines like Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

Other Austrian wineries that are noteworthy are Wohlmuth, which produces consistently award winning whites, reds, sparkling and dessert wines; Dinstlgut Loiben, which is known for its fruity and elegant wines; Gesellmann, which hand crafts high-class red wine varieties; and Hirsch, regarded as among the best white wine producing estates of Austria.