Vienna- Wachau Valley Vineyards

               Vineyards along the Danube

                   Wachau Valley Vineyards

      Located along the narrow Danube valley between the towns of Melk and Krems is the Wachau. There are 1,400 hectares of vineyards located here, with some of them even being located on steep terraces. This vineyard features mainly Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The wine categories of Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd are used respectively for light, medium and full-bodied wines with natural alcohol.

     It is one of Austria's most fascinating wine-growing areas, and has an exciting history as well! In the post-glacial period, silt sediments were deposited on the mountains, and this resulted in the loess soils as well as the steep slopes of Gföhler gneiss. The Danube river left deposits of sand, gravel and loess onto the flat vineyard areas. The combination of these conditions, along with the man-made stone terraces, used to help facilitate cultivation, are typical of the landscape of Wachau.

 The Danube River has a good network consisting of an inland navigation system. One can visit Wachau valley historic sights by steamer boats and the best season to visit is between May and September. However, there are no bridges across the Danube River in this region, and ferries are the only way to cross the river.

     The only thing better than drinking wine is drinking wine in the beautiful landscape of the Wachau Valley...

I cannot wait to experience the wine tour here!

References:

 "Wineandleisure.com. Austrian Wines of the Wachau." Wineandleisure.com. Austrian Wines of the Wachau. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.

http://www.austria.info/us/austria-wine-country/vineyards-along-the-danube-1084228.html

 "Vineyards along the Danube." Austria.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.

 Photo References: 

 http://www.catawbafurniture.com/cornerstone_wine_and_gifts.htm

http://www.austria.info/us/austria-wine-country/vineyards-along-the-danube-1084228.html