Uhudler

Uhudler is made from American grapevines on their own roots, such as Concord, Delaware, Elvira and Ripatella, often planted and vinified together. Most is rosé, from pink to brick-red; there is also white Uhudler, straw-colored. The aroma recalls strawberry, raspberry and wild berries, a profile experts call “foxy,” typical of these vines.

According to the Traditional Foods Register of the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, these vines arrived in southern Burgenland at the end of the 19th century, when phylloxera destroyed European vineyards. The American plants resisted the pest and did not need grafting, and farmers began making wine with them for personal consumption. The wine is produced mainly in the districts of Jennersdorf and Güssing, notably in the villages of Heiligenbrunn and Eltendorf.

The origin of the name comes from oral tradition. One version links the name to the phrase “Du siehst aus wie ein Uhu” (“you look like an owl”), said to someone who had drunk too much. Another ties the name to an old clay vessel.

In the 20th century, wine laws restricted direct-producing vines: first labeling, then a ban on new plantings, orders to pull up vineyards and a ban on sales. Producers organized an association in 1987, and in 1992 Uhudler was reinstated under wine law and could be sold again.