Welcome to Schilcherland DAC in Western Styria in Austria

During the Tasting last month at Mundusvini International Wine Competition in Neustadt where I had the privilege of being an international judge for the 12th consecutive time, one of the flights had wine from a relatively unknown grape Wildbacher. None of us in the group had an idea about the grape or the region, until it suddenly hit me, what we had in our glasses in the flight was Schilcher, a dry Rose made from Blauer Wildbacher indigenous grape from a small area in the west of Styria, I had visited in June 2015. And suddenly the wine started tasting better! And brought the memories of the 1985 wine scandal in Austria that brought in a strict regulatory system in 2002, called DAC and the enormous improvements and discipline it brought in the wine industry.

The Schilcher producing region has now been classified as Schilcherland DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus)-and no, it’s not in German but Latin language-an equivalent of PDO/PGI. This is the 10th DAC according to a system that is governed by Austrian Wine Law of 1999 and is an evolving process.

What is Schilcher

As reported then in delWine, ‘In Western Styria, this rose-style wine, still or bubbly, is made from an ancient grape variety, Blauer Wildbacher related to Blaufränkisch, named after a very small river called Wildbach. The wine is usually intensely perfumed with earthy and herbal aromas with strawberry, raspberry or red currant on the front. It’s dry, aggressively crisp, robust and slightly tannic with the colour of salmon varying from light onion tinge to deep ruby red.

The wine growing area is the smallest in Europe. Out of a total of 500hA planted in western Styria, 450 hA boast of this unique variety of Blauer Wildbacher. In the 1970s it was much smaller with only 190 hA of plantation. Production of Schilcher was then governed by the wine laws in 1976 when Klassik was also introduced. A Klassik must be made with 100% Blauer Wildbacher, with less than 3 gms/liter of residual sugar, no malolactic fermentation and no use of oak. The racy acidity is due to the high level of acid that usually ranges from 7-9 gms and alcohol varies from 11-12%.

Schilcher DAC

Wines designated as Schilcherland DAC must conform to diverse legal specifications. Most importantly, for the consumer it is interesting to know how this rosé which has now found a following beyond the borders of the Steiermark (Styria), should taste. Notes of elderflower and cassis are also considered to be classic expressions as above, but there should be no perception of oak to taste.

The grapes must be hand harvested and vinified as a rosé only. The finished wine must be bottled exclusively in glass bottles, sealed with closures of cork, screwcap or glass. Nominal volumes of 1 litre or 2 litres are not permitted.

Schilcherland DAC with single vineyard (Ried) designation should demonstrate the same flavour profile, although it should have greater presence and more intensity; the alcohol content must be at least 1% higher- at 12%. The word ‘Ried’ must precede the name of the vineyard on the label. This is so that the consumer may easily distinguish a wine from a single vineyard site from one having a proprietary name. As with all other DAC in Austria, DOC must follow Schilcher –i.e., it may not be designates as DOC Schilcher. (delWine recommends this practice as a universal practice, for instance DOC, DOCG or DOP must be mentioned after the name of any appellation- for instance Barolo DOCG or Rioja DOCa).

DAC Appellation System

Till a few years ago, Austria followed the Germanic Wine Code, in which the varietal specifications were more important as compared to the Romanic wine code, being followed in Italy, France and Spain where the wines would generally be labelled by the region, e.g., Burgundy, Sancerre, Barolo, Valpolicella, Rioja etc. On the other hand, Austrians would drink a Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc or  Zweigelt.

In the end of the '90s, there was increasing import from countries like Hungary where they produced similar varietals and confusion started arising on the region and the typicity. To avoid it, the Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC) system evolved in 2002 but is still in the process of defining more DACs.  It is mandatory to mention the region before DAC. For example it must be Weinviertel DAC and not DAC Weinviertel.

Only these wines, legitimised by means of the federal inspection number and a further evaluation with regard to typicity, would be allowed to state their origin in a specific wine-growing region on the label. All other wines would be marketed bearing the name of the Federal state where it is made, for example Burgenland or Niederösterreich).

In 2003, the first regionally typical wine with protected designation of origin came in the market, in the form of a dry Grüner Veltliner, as ‘Weinviertel DAC’. The later classifications in other regions allowed the differentiation between Classic and Reserve too. For instance, in 2005 Mittelburgenland DAC was allowed by the Ministry of Agriculture through an ordinance in 2005 and restricts the usage of Blaufränkisch only. It allows the flexibility of a Classic and Reserve, which is available for subsequent new DACs.

For the complete list of all the 10 DACs, click HERE:

The Scandal of 1985

Before World War I, Austria was the third biggest wine producer in the world, much being exported in bulk to be used as blend in Germany and other countries. It was a high-volume, industrialized business. In the '80s wines had become light, lean and tart. In the absence of strict wine laws some producers started adding a little diethylene glycol, a chemical generally found in antifreeze, giving sweetness and body to the wine. When discovered in 1985, the scandal resulted in boycott of Austrian wines; exports collapsed and some countries banned Austrian wine altogether despite the government taking swift action, recalling the stocks and prosecuting the culprits and sending some to jail.

The scandal turned out to be beneficial in the long term with producers realising that the quality had to be improved, yields reduced and modern techniques adopted if they wanted to survive. The Austrian Wine Marketing Board was created in 1986 as a response to the scandal. Austria's membership of the EU helped them tighten the wine laws further, including the new DAC system of geographical appellations that was initiated in 2002.

Next time you are in Austria, ask for a glass of Schilcher from Schicherland DAC and you know exactly what to expect.

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