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The Thermenregion is a very old cultural land with more than 2000 years of wine-growing tradition. The sulphur springs of today's town of Baden have been used for healing purposes for at least as long. Cistercian monks founded the Thallern estate as early as 1141, making it one of the oldest wine-growing estates in Austria today. The first Pinot Noir vines were planted in the region around 1790, the first Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the second half of the 19th century by the Schlumberger family. At the turn of the 20th century, these cuvées were among the great wines of the world and were represented in top gastronomy, especially on luxury ships, all over the world.

The name Thermenregion came into being with the 1985 wine law, when the former wine-growing regions of Gumpoldskirchen and Bad Vöslau were merged. The region lies above a geothermal fault line, and the thermal springs were the inspiration for the current naming of the winegrowing area.

The area extends southeast of Vienna to the vicinity of Wiener Neustadt with the most important wine-growing communities of Gumpoldskirchen, Traiskirchen, Baden, Sooß and Tattendorf. About 2400 ha of vineyards are cultivated by 1300 winegrowing enterprises. The image of the region is characterised by the rather gentle slopes of the southern Vienna Woods, some people feel a little reminded of Burgundy. The region is also characterised by the very different soils. Alluvial gravel on the one hand, but also rather heavy soils such as loamy clays, sandy loams and brown earth with a high shell limestone content offer the best conditions for different varieties.

In general, one can say that the good wines of the Thermenregion appear ripe and rich in extract, which, together with a fine minerality, results in rather full-bodied types with a fine play. Thus, the range of varieties is diverse, whereby the varieties Zierfandler and Rotgipfler, which are only found here, take a special position. Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Neuburger also thrive particularly well. In the red wine sector, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir are particularly noteworthy, which can turn out exceptionally well here, but Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, as well as Blaue Portugieser, which is somewhat unjustly regarded as a "small" variety, also produce excellent results. It should be mentioned that Blaue Portugieser is (still) the most cultivated grape variety in the region. The Pannonian, rather continental climate manifests itself in hot, low-precipitation summers and often quite cold winters. In addition, it is usually somewhat windy, which favours rapid drying of the vines after rainfall in autumn. Especially around the village of Tattendorf, irrigation of the vineyards is the rule, as the soil here is very permeable to water. Briefly summarised in figures, the average annual temperature is just under 10° C, 650 mm annual precipitation and about 1800 hours of sunshine per year. Geographically, the main town of Baden is a little further south than Beaune.

Heurigen culture is very much alive in the Theremen region


The Heurigen bar is still widespread here and even the most renowned establishments cultivate this culture as a matter of course. The proximity to Vienna is a not insignificant factor, although it has to be said that even the Viennese do not go to the Heurigen as often as they used to. As beautiful as the Heurigen tradition is, it did not only have positive effects in the second half of the 20th century. In the open bar, simple wines could be sold at a good profit and with relatively little effort, which largely prevented the majority of wineries from producing top qualities - with the exception of the cuvée of Zierfandler and Rotgipfler (called Spätrot-Rotgipfler) - as well as bottling and thus presenting them outside the region. Of course, there were several laudable exceptions, but the image of the region was characterised by palatable, velvety red wine and delicately sweet, heavy white wine in a glass with a handle.

This only changed gradually from 1986 onwards, when the number of Heurigen visitors drastically decreased for several reasons and people gradually began to realise that their reputation as a wine-growing region with great potential and specialities was almost gambled away. Fortunately, there were the exceptional wineries that took on a guiding function in this critical phase and showed the right way into the future with great personal commitment. In the white wine segment, Zierfandler (synonym Spätrot) and Rotgipfler were often produced as single-varietal wines and, above all, in drier versions, while Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Chardonnay were increasingly offered, and the fact that the fine Neuburger variety was and is so little appreciated did not prevent producers from offering it nevertheless.

Red as well as white varieties thrive well in the Thermenregion


The big revolution, however, took place in the red wine sector. The emphasis moved away from quantity to selective wines from the two varieties particularly suited to the region, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir (= Blauer Spätburgunder). Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were added, which, planted in the right location, physiologically ripen here in 8 out of 10 years. In terms of ageing, steel tanks dominate for white wine, and wood for red wine, although this does not always mean only barrique. Today, the number of producers who can be considered first-class even on a supra-regional scale is already very considerable. A common terroir connects the wineries; the individual signature, the different soils, sites and clones make each winery unmistakable. In recent years, some communities have also been formed for the purpose of exchanging experiences or marketing, mostly for both reasons. What is striking is that it is practically always about the red wine varieties that are either autochtonous (white) or have been indigenous here for several hundred years, i.e. Rotgipfler and Zierfandler or St. Laurent and Pinot Noir. These are still the real strengths of most of the wineries.

Particularly recommendable wines from the Thermenregion

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