In Austria, Roter Veltliner is cultivated on a total of only 200 hectares, mainly in Wagram and the western Weinviertel. After a decline in the last 50 years, the acreage of Roter Veltliner has been growing slightly again for a few years now.

The homeland of Roter Veltliner is not yet clear, but its origin is believed to be in the Adda Valley, in the area of Lake Como in Italy. Records in old wine books of the cultivation of this indigenous variety in Lower Austria date back 300 years.

In 2011, Roter Veltliner was included in the "Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity" Ark project „Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity“ to preserve the diversity of old plant varieties.

Roter Veltliner is an ancient variety, probably already cultivated in Roman times. Until the end of the 19th century, it was the most important grape variety in Wagram and in the neighbouring western Weinviertel.

The father of a great family. Roter Veltliner is a parent of both Frühroter Veltliner and Neuburger (crossed with Sylvaner), and also a parent of Rotgipfler and Zierfandler, by crossing with Traminer.

Mutations: Brauner Veltliner, Gelbling (referring to the yellow color of berries), Weißer Veltliner, Grober Veltliner.

A moody diva. Although Roter Veltliner is very selective in its choice of location (it doesn’t like very fertile, moist soil), it is also insensitive to heat and drought. Warm locations with a southern orientation, which can also become burning hot in summer, are particularly suitable for it. Although the variety is prone to rapid growth, it survives long periods of drought without irrigation better than other varieties, and achieves its best maturity on gravel and loess in particular. Under these rather inhospitable conditions, Roter Veltliner surprises in comparison to many other varieties with astonishingly good acidity and high ripeness.

Labor intensive. Many people find the very time-consuming pruning work a nuisance. Knitting the strongly growing green shoots into the wire frame resembles the task of Sisyphus. Barely just cut, the shoots, which also have bad tendrils, grow back again. Rigorous yield limitation, especially in slightly more nutrient-rich soils, is very important for high quality.

The danger of rot, to which this variety is especially susceptible in wet years, can be handled quite well with grape separation. A clear sign of optimal foliage work is the complete discoloration of the berry skins caused by sunlight, which can range from light red to almost violet.

Versatile tastes. The distinctive varietal taste of Roter Veltliner is almost as varied as its inconsistent appearance in the vineyard - which is what makes this grape variety so appealing. From medium-weight drinking wines, to very dry extract-rich, high-quality wines with distinctive character, Roter Veltliner can be vinified as almost any type. Only in the light wine sector, does it remain rather unharmonious and often seems a bit simple. Roter Veltliner is justified as a sweet wine due to its good acid structure, and also because its thin skins make it susceptible to noble rot (Botrytis cinerea).

The flavor spectrum is quite wide-ranging. It stretches from animating fresh herbs, developed hints of Burgundy, and fully ripe stone fruit notes, to the Mediterranean and exotic flavors of mandarins, oranges and tropical fruits.

Fully ripened Roter Veltliner from warm or even hot years will have a lot of storage potential, and can mature well and gladly for ten or even twenty years in the cellar. This is independent of the aging process, whether in steel or wood, and with or without residual sugar.