Leithaberg

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The soil's core consists of crystalline gneiss and mica schist, overlaid over millions of years by tertiary, consolidated Leithakalk limestone.
• Some 15 million years ago, a graben fault formed along the Thermenregion line, leaving primary rock and mica schist exposed.
• Today, the wines of the region are shaped primarily by weathered primary rock with sandy loam, and above all by schist and Muschelkalk.
• The wines are shaped by two defining influences: the Leithagebirge to the northwest and the Neusiedlersee to the southeast, with the lake's warm winds providing the crucial ripeness.
• The Leithagebirge brings nocturnal coolness, and with it fruitiness, freshness, finesse, and vibrancy in the wines.

• The winegrowing estates in the Leithaberg area are family-run, work mainly with estate-grown grapes, and often sell directly from the property.
• Vines in the area are trained almost exclusively in high-culture systems on wire trellises, and the family-estate structure enables the intergenerational transmission of traditional winemaking styles.

• The wine displays a tightly woven, spicy, and elegant palate with a mineral note and little to no discernible oak.
• On the nose, a regionally distinctive bouquet emerges that reads as fruity, spicy, and fresh, with primary fruit remaining in the background.

• The Muschelkalk in the soils of Leithaberg DAC lends the wines a lightly saline note and elegance, while the schist provides the necessary tension and backbone.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Austria

Sources

• Specification (EUR-Lex, single document)
• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-AT-A0216
• Official trade body site — DAC Leithaberg