The region of Carnuntum has always been influenced by the historical legacy of the Roman past as well by the traditions that stem from the cultivation of wine. Many archaeological witnesses and archaeobotanical evaluations of the remains of plants give important clues about the cultivation of wine in those days. There are archaeological indications of the beginnings of viniculture in the Pannonian area during the 1st millennium BC.
Emperor M. Aurelius Probus (276-282 AD) is always named as the person responsible for bringing the cultivation of wine to this region. In actual fact he successfully brought about relief from earlier legal constraints in the northern and western provinces. It is most probable that both white and red wine were grown here (vinum album and vinum atrum).
As wine was a bulk commodity which was part of the staple diet of all classes of society, it was one of the most important goods traded in the Roman Empire. The following quotation demonstrates the high regard (which must have also applied to our region) that wine enjoyed in ancient Roman times: “Wine is the most useful of drinks, the tastiest of medications, the most pleasant of foods.”
Viniculture today
Carnuntum is situated in the southeast of Lower Austria. Carnuntum’s Pannonian climate favours strong, fruity wines, and viniculture is particularly impressive in the splendid countryside surrounding Göttlesbrunn, Arbesthal and Höflein as well as Prellenkirchen and Berg.
For a long time the Carnuntum region was overshadowed by more famous wine-growing areas, but now what was an inside tip has become a glorious star. This is thanks to the powerful soils, the influence of Lake Neusiedl and the cool winds from the Danube riparian wetlands – and especially the young wine-growers in this region, who knew how to make use of the potential that was always here.
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