wine

Mick O’Connell: When it comes to Austrian wine, Burgenland does it better than the rest

The area’s wines showcase family ties and exciting terroir

The community of organic wine producers in Burgenland is growing, writes Mick O’Connell. Picture: Getty Images

In January 2013, I visited Austria for the first time. The destination was a small town called Rust about an hour south-east of Vienna. This area was the heart of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire, the cradle of the Esterhazy family who were the largest landowners in Hungary.

Rust, with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, has the odd title of being Austria’s smallest city. Rumours abound that the Hungarian crown granted this title after a barrel of ...