Wachau, important wine region in austria comprising roughly 1,400 ha/3,500 acres of spectacular, typically south-facing vineyards upstream of krems on the Danube. The term was long used to refer collectively to the vast array of vineyards within a radius of roughly 15 km/9 miles of Krems, then regarded as its capital. But in the aftermath of Austria’s 1985 wine scandal, the recently formed growers’ association vinea wachau lobbied successfully for a more restricted delimitation. Today the Wachau constitutes only about 3% of Austria’s vine surface and, owing to relatively low yields, represents an even smaller proportion of total wine production; but it is arguably the most prestigious, certainly since the 1990s, due in part to initiatives by the Vinea Wachau.
