The Leithagebirge is home to the all-rounders. Hardly any other wine-growing region allows such a variety of wine types as the 3,576 hectares on the western shore of Lake Neusiedl. With the Ruster Ausbruch, one of the most famous sweet wines in the world, the region has also created its own wine identity.
The dry wines are characterised by the mineral soils on the slopes of the Leithagebirge, where, between limestone-rich layers, primary rock islands break through again and again. The wines, which are particularly typical of the area, are marketed under the new designation "Leithaberg DAC".
The legally defined production area for the Leithaberg DAC includes the political district of Eisenstadt-Umgebung, the free city of Eisenstadt and the political communities of Jois and Winden am See. The white Leithaberg DAC may be produced from the varieties Weißburgunder, Chardonnay, Neuburger or Grüner Veltliner. Cuvées from these varieties are also permitted.
The red Leithaberg DAC comes from the Blaufränkisch variety, although blending with a maximum of 15 percent Zweigelt, St. Laurent or Pinot Noir is possible. Leithaberg DACs are always mineral and medium-bodied in character (alcohol content according to the label: 12.5, 13.0 or 13.5 percent by volume). In addition, a wide variety of other varieties and styles are cultivated in the area west of Lake Neusiedl, mostly marketed under the names "Neusiedlersee-Hügelland" or "Burgenland".
The noble sweet wines of the Free City of Rust are marketed under the already mentioned name "Ruster Ausbruch". The area, with its many efficient wineries, is also a wine tourism Mecca. (Wine) culture as a supporting program is offered by, among others, the provincial capital Eisenstadt with the famous Esterházy Castle, Mörbisch with the Lake Festival, Sankt Margarethen with the Music Festival in the Roman Quarry or the Wine Academy in Rust.
