Lower Austria Achieves Record Presence at Wine Paris as 100 Wineries Showcase Regional Strength

More than 130 winemakers from all Austrian wine regions took part in Wine Paris, now the largest wine fair in Europe, held from February 9 to 11, 2026. The event marked a strong international showing for Austrian wine, with participants reporting positive feedback and enthusiasm. The Austrian Wine Marketing Board (ÖWM) organized a masterclass during the fair with top sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, focusing on “The Thousand and One Faces of Austrian Whites.” In addition, ÖWM collaborated with regional wine associations such as Kremstal DAC, Wein Niederösterreich, Wein Steiermark, and Carnuntum DAC to present eight more pop-up masterclasses.

Lower Austria recorded a new milestone at the event, with 100 exhibitors representing the region—the largest contingent from any Austrian state. This presence highlighted the growing international importance of wines from Austria’s largest wine-producing area. Stefan Neumann, a Master Sommelier originally from Lower Austria and now working in London’s top restaurants, said that few regions worldwide offer such diversity in wine styles and quality at competitive prices. He attributed export success to innovation and a relentless focus on quality among winemakers across Lower Austria’s eight wine regions.

Preliminary figures for 2025 show that Austria exported 59 million liters of wine valued at about €217 million. Wines from Lower Austria accounted for around 60% of these exports. Germany remains the main market within Europe, followed by Switzerland, Scandinavia, and the Netherlands. Overseas, the United States, Canada, and increasingly Southeast Asian countries are key destinations for Austrian wines.

Wein Niederösterreich presented two seminars in Paris under the title “The Beauty of Maturity.” These included tastings of selected wines from two vintages to discuss origin, style, structure, and aging potential—from cool precision to powerful maturity. Reinhard Zöchmann, president of the Lower Austrian Winegrowers’ Association, explained that the combination of origin profile, stylistic precision, and aging potential makes Lower Austrian wines internationally competitive. Klaus Goldmann, managing director of Wein Niederösterreich, noted that Wine Paris has grown into Europe’s most important wine fair with over 4,000 exhibitors and about 60,000 trade visitors from more than 150 markets. He described it as a major platform for dialogue with importers, trade partners, and top sommeliers.

Winemakers from all eight Lower Austrian wine regions—Thermenregion, Traisental, Carnuntum, Wachau, Weinviertel, Wagram, Kamptal, and Kremstal—emphasized the importance of the fair for market presence and export opportunities. Markus Huber from Traisental said that Wine Paris has quickly become a must-attend event for international buyers and is essential for showcasing their wines. Rudolf Rabl from Kamptal highlighted how the interplay between origin and maturity is central to their wines and allows them to meet diverse customer needs at the fair.

Diana Müller from Kremstal noted that Grüner Veltliner and Riesling attract international attention at Wine Paris. Karl Lagler from Wachau reported high satisfaction due to strong interest in their wines. Gregor Schup from Thermenregion described Wine Paris as an important gateway to overseas markets because direct contact with international professionals is indispensable. Robert Payr from Carnuntum pointed out that their region demonstrates how powerful yet elegant red wines from Lower Austria can be. Katharina Baumgartner from Weinviertel saw the fair as an opportunity to make new contacts worldwide and expand exports with good preparation. Bernhard Ecker from Wagram emphasized that their unique loess soils form the basis for expressive Grüner Veltliner as well as their regional specialty Roter Veltliner.

The strong participation of Austrian winemakers at Wine Paris underlines both their commitment to quality and their ambition to expand further into global markets. The event provided a platform for exchange between producers and buyers while highlighting Austria’s growing reputation in the international wine industry.