The earliest vintagers to be active along the Danube were the Celts and the Illyrians. It was the Romans who perfected the fine art of raising cultivated wines, thus laying the basic stock for wine culture along the Danube in Lower Austria, that is so famous today.

The Wachau is perhaps the best known Austrian wine growing area in international circles. Vines of the noblest variety thrive on the typical primitive soil terraces. These mature into monumental wines in the cellars of undoubtedly renowned vintagers. The Wachau Rieslinge are famous all over the world. Even the Grüne Veltliner, Chardonnay and the Yellow Muskateller attain considerable quality.

This courses round the wine city of Krems. The fruity Grüne Veltliner with the typical “Pfefferl” is characteristic for this vine growing area, which has both primitive as well as loess soils. The Rieslinge on the stone terraces are fragrant and elegant. South of the Danube, at the base of the Göttweig Abbey, one also comes across remarkable red wines, besides the white wines with their pithy structure.