On 2731 hectares, vines are cultivated mostly on loess soil. Grüner Veltliner is the main variety, with Riesling and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) also of high quality. The soft and spicy white Frühroter Veltliner is a speciality, and there is growing interest in the red wine culture.
This importantwine-growing area consists of two regions: The Wagram, located halfway between Vienna and Krems, is made up of several important loess-rich villages including Kirchberg, Fels am Wagram, Feuersbrunn and Grossriedenthal, and in the western part, the historical town of Klosterneuburg, with a stunningly beautiful abbey whose cornerstone was laid in 1114 - and whose cellar was laid to hold only superb wines.
Klosterneuburg was formerly a coveted pilgrimage destination. Today, the upcoming generation of Austrian wine-makers daily go on another kind of pilgrimage to the Federal College and Institute for Viticulture and Pomology. Fascinating is this institution's library with old writings dating back to the last century. In the rich soils of the Donauland, Grüner Veltliner and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) have particular stature. So do the many young wine-makers who are initiating new developments. For example, the "Erste Vereinigung naturnahen Weinbaus" (literally, the First Association of Organic Wine-Growing) was formed in Grossriedenthal, and has already produced two wine co-operatives with Grüner Veltliner and Zweigelt. And in Wagram, there is the "Collegium Vinum Wachrain", a club whose "Wagramer Selektion" features only the finest of the region's wine.