How Burgenland saved its unique Uhudler wine
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In Burgenland, Austria, Johann Trinkl advocated for the Uhudler wine for years, collecting thousands of signatures and bringing the drink to Vienna and Eisenstadt.
Though a 1992 ruling lifted a total ban on Uhudler, Austria’s 1995 entry into the European Union placed it under temporary EU wine market regulations that would expire in 2030. In 2016, Verena Dunst, then a regional councillor, secured the wine’s permanent legal status.
Dunst and others demonstrated to the EU that Uhudler wines included both native and noble grape varieties, allowing them to overturn removal orders. Dunst prioritized maintaining Uhudler’s classification as wine, not fruit wine. Today, the Uhudler, grown only in the Güssing and Jennersdorf districts, has become a symbol of Southern Burgenland.
While traditional wine taverns have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, younger generations are finding new ways to sell the wine, including online sales to customers in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Some producers are even experimenting with white Uhudler, non-alcoholic versions, and sparkling Uhudler wine, continuing a tradition of resilience begun by Johann Trinkl.
