The new White Wine Guide Austria 2026 has been published by Medianet Verlag and offers an overview of the current structure and quality of the Austrian white wine sector on 308 pages.
Under the direction of wine academic Johannes Fiala and sommelier Adi Schmid, a panel of experts evaluated over 500 wines, including classic white wines, rosé, orange, and sparkling wines, as well as non-alcoholic alternatives from local wineries. The handbook serves as a guide for the restaurant and wine retail sectors, but also reflects the challenges facing winemakers in light of fluctuating weather conditions and changing consumer habits.
In the individual wine ratings, a Riesling from the Wachau region came out on top. The Wachau DAC Riesling Smaragd Ried Steinporz 2025 from the Franz Hirtzberger winery in Spitz received the highest rating of the current edition with 98,8 out of 100 points. Closely following were two Styrian wines: the Sauvignon Blanc Ried Grubthal 2023 from the Muster.Gamlitz winery with 98,7 points and the Chardonnay Ried Hiritsch Hube 2024 from Bernd Stelzl in Leutschach with 98,6 points. These results underscore the continued dominance of established wine-growing regions such as the Wachau and Southern Styria in the premium segment of the Austrian market.
The Kodolitsch winery from southern Styria was awarded "White Winery of the Year," with four wines placing in the top 50. Franz Hirtzberger and Schloss Gobelsburg wineries from the Kamptal region followed in second and third place, respectively. In the sparkling wine category, Zuschmann-Schöfmann winery from the Weinviertel region defended its title as "Sparkling Winery of the Year" with four products among the top ten, followed by Schloss Gobelsburg and Steininger, both from the Kamptal region. In addition to the classic categories, the guide notes a growing presence of non-alcoholic wines, reflecting the wineries' response to declining demand for alcoholic beverages.
Industry observers consider such wine guides an important marketing tool, but caution that the high density of awards and the awarding of near-perfect scores in the upper range can lead to inflation. It is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to differentiate between the numerous award-winning top wines. Furthermore, the evaluation criteria traditionally favor well-known vineyards and established large wineries, while smaller, innovative winegrowers without a corresponding marketing budget are less frequently in the jury's sights. Nevertheless, the guide remains an important barometer for the economic development of the Austrian wine industry.