AUSTRIAN BUBBLY STEPS IT UP

AUSTRIA MAY not be the first country that comes to mind when thinking of bubbly. Or even the second or third . . . but wine producers there are looking to change that and have created a three-tier quality pyramid for its emergent sparkling wine sector to improve its reputation and help consumers better understand the category. The new system underlines the growing importance of sparkling wine to Austrian producers. It was launched in October by the Austrian Sparkling Wine Committee and the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, but is not expected to be officially incorporated into the Austrian Wine Law until spring 2O15. Austria produces around 12 million bottles of sparkling wine annually and exports up to 2.5 million bottles. The three tiers are as follows: Level One: Guarantees that all grapes and base wines are from Austria and that production takes place in Austria. Maturation on the lees must last at least nine months. Level Two: Requires that wines undergo the Methode Traditionelle process – secondary fermentation in the bottle. The origin of the grapes and base wines must be from one generic winew growing region, such as Lower Austria. Wines must be matured on the lees for at least 18 months. Level Three: Requires the grapes and the wines, fermented according to Methode Traditionelle, to be from a specific community, such as Poysdorf or Langenlois. Wines must be released at least three years after harvest and with no less than 3O months of maturation on the lees.