Austrian sustainable viticulture reaches record high

By Oliver Catchpole

Published: 23 February, 2026

The extent of Austrian vineyards which are sustainably farmed has reached an all time high for the country, with 28% of its total area under vine now in compliance with the independent Sustainable Austria programme.

This amounts to over 700 wine producers achieving certification under the programme, cultivating a collective area of up to 12,324ha.

Since 2019, this number of certified hectares has more than tripled.

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Chris Yorke, CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, explained: “‘Sustainable Austria’ is an internationally recognised label in the viticultural sector. It endorses clearly measurable sustainable practices in all areas of a winery's business.

“This also brings very tangible economic benefits. In some of our most important export markets, such as Scandinavia and Canada, credible environmental certifications are increasingly influencing purchasing decisions.”

The certification was launched in 2015 after several years of development by the Austrian Winegrowers Association and a group of scientists.

The process involves assessing (in terms of sustainability) about 400 measures implemented in the vineyard – from cellar work to social and commercial aspects – the results of which are recorded on a digital tool (to allow for transparency).

This is carried out by independent inspection bodies LACON or agroVet/Austria Bio Garantie – Landwirtschaft GmbH.

Evaluation of the data shows that along with compliance with the blanket ban on glyphosate use, 84% of vineyards under the Sustainable Austria certification also refrain from using any herbicides, and 80% farm without any insecticides.

Additionally, 80% of such vineyards’ energy consumption is covered by renewable energy sources, including photovoltaic systems, biomass and green electricity – a significant increase on previous years.

A total of 38 wineries are totally self sufficient in terms of energy.

Many certified wineries have also turned towards environmentally friendly packaging solutions, such as lightweight glass bottles and recyclable materials.

At the same time, other environmental certifications have become widespread, with 25% of the country’s area under vine certified as organic – making Austria the leader worldwide in that aspect.

Over one in 10 organic vineyards in Austria are also cultivated biodynamically.

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