Vorarlberg sits in western Austria between Lake Constance and the Alps. The protected designation covers the whole province, not a single vineyard district. Its sites run from Bregenz through Röthis and Feldkirch toward the Arlberg foothills and Bludesch, with many small vineyards spread across the area.
The climate is harsh, with marked differences between day and night. Cool conditions favour pronounced acidity, although the varied sites do not produce one fixed sensory profile. Much of the wine comes from family-run businesses that generally work with their own grapes and sell from the farm.
Qualitätswein is the main category, with Kabinett, Spätlese and Eiswein also made under the designation. Still wine is the usual form. Quality sparkling wine is permitted, though it is not used in practice. Before a wine can be marketed as Vorarlberg, it needs an official quality-check number based on laboratory analysis and an official tasting assessment.
Winegrowing declined sharply during the cooler nineteenth century and has resumed at some sites in the twenty-first. Röthis has kept its winegrowing tradition without interruption for more than 1,000 years.
Inside the region
1 named area
Each guide keeps its place within Vorarlberg clear, with a direct route back to the map.