Austrian Dinner and Masterclass 26th March 2013

I will cheerfully admit I am a huge fan of Austrian wines. When a winemaking teacher tipped me off to the existence of Gruner Veltliner it opened up a whole world of textural, aromatic white wines that are almost more fun to smell than to drink (almost but not quite!). After years of enjoying Austria's Riesling and Gruner the importer decided to challenge us with reds. Yep, reds from Austria. Made from native grapes that suit the climate. And they are very darn good too. I even heard a whisper of some Austrian sparkling eventually coming into the country at some stage too.

So when the importer asked if I would like to showcase some of the Austrian wines I was dead keen.

Austria can be just as confusing as Germany when it comes to decoding what the labels mean. At least they almost always list the variety used on the label. From experience the best thing you can do is get to know the producer and their style after that it is just a matter of working out which is vineyard name, what is marketing speak and what is quality level. The notes from the night can be view here and as always the best way to learn is by doing, so you can purchase the wines here. Feel free to email to chat about an introduction pack for similar.


Champagne Jacquesson Cuvee 735 At the time of the dinner we had no access to Austrian sparkling wine. Champagne would "have to do". I loved the crisp and refreshing nature of the 735. Very zesty, a hint leesy but perfect for a warm night to lead into the aromatics. Jacquesson make some great Champagne that have flavour and interest as a drink but often get forgotten sadly.

Bracket One. Gruner Veltliner - textural wines with power and complexity. Great transmitter of terroir.
Stift Goettweig Grüner Veltliner Gottweiger Berg DAC 2011 Soft, floral, spice (pepper), musk, savoury and dough. The palate was zesty and clean. This wine shows the mid-weight Gruner style, it was so well balanced I found myself emptying the glass sooner than I meant to.

Prager Grüner Veltliner Hinter Der Burg Federspiel 2011 Using 100% stainless steel the Prager team want the purity of variety and terroir to shine. This was noticeably lighter than the other three in the bracket. I enjoyed the pure, fresh, grapey, floral, Clean and doughy notes. The acid was more noticeable in this wine as were the phenolic structure and there was even a hint of the Gruner bitterness too. This made it a very refreshing drink.

Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Smaragd 2011 Riper, peach, melon, zesty fruits, mineral/chalk, hint of funk and grapefruit. Great mouthfeel and balance makes this wine a joy to drink. This wine was a bit of a talking point. A lot of people loved the power in the this wine but a few people found it a bit challanging. It really showed the progression from light through to full Gruner.

Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Loiser Berg 2000 Being able to try an older bottle really puts the wines into context. It is said that old Gruner takes on similar characters to aged White Burgundy. There was plenty of toasty, honey, zesty and tuna characters. The wine still had the purity of floral and grape/grapefruit perfume and the texture was amazing. Just a great example of how well the wines age.

Bracket 2. Riesling - dry wines with drive and purirty.
Domaine Wachau Riesling Terrassen Federspiel 2011 This is "just" the entry level. Wow! Sweet fruits, waxy, grapey, green apple. Very crisp, long and satisfying. The wine was just everything that great Riesling should be. Such an enjoyable drink.

FX Pichler Riesling Loibenberg Smaragd 2011 I must confess a love of Pichler wines. This wine did not disappoint. Pure, spicey, grape and powerful. There was hints of exotic fruits as there was probably a touch of botrytis in here but that only made the wine more complex. Lots of mid palate stuffing in this wine. A hint of saline but just dripping with ripe stone fruits. This is a keeper for sure.

Emmerich Knoll Riesling Vinothekfuellung Smaragd 2011 A mouthful to say and to drink. A blend made for wine bars (Vinothek) in a slightly fuller and more forward style. Lots of spice, red apple and a mixture of overt fruits best summed up as "like a hippy commune". The palate was full and satisfyingly harmonious. Great for drinking now. Will probably improve with time but I'd never find out.

Bründlmayer Riesling Heiligenstein Lyra 2001 A great producer and vineyard from a hotter year and this wine certainly provoked discussion. I loved the silky mouthfeel and fresh toast and cured limes. It was however at the end of its life and definitely needs to be drunk. Some people loved it, some thought it was too old. I think I'd like to restaste to be sure ;)

Bracket 3. Native reds - What are they like? Closest I can come is a divine blend of Nebbiolo, Syrah, Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. You just need to try them.
Pittnauer St. Laurent Dorflagen Villages 2011 St Laurent is thought to have descended from Pinot Noir a long time ago. This is an entry point to the variety and was full of smokey, blood oranges, dirt, mineral and meaty. The palate was tart, with red fruits, soft and tasted of the earth. Fine tannins and a hint silky. I think this variety suits the foods we eat in Australia.

Pittnauer St. Laurent Altenberg 2007 The next step up, a single vineyard example. Darker, fuller and with more pronounced mineral and earth. The palate showed lots of cherry cola and had such a great feel and balance. A very impressive wine that would hold its own next to a lot of more famous Old world wines.

Moric Blaufrankisch Burgenland 2011 Blaufrankisch offers a step up in weight and intensity compared to St Laurent. This village level wine was full of sweet fruits, plums, hint of prune and currants. Although very primary there is a lot of depth and glimpses of savoury notes. The palate is full but not heavy and there is a nice perfume that carries through the wine.

Moric Blaufrankisch Neckenmarkter Alte Reben 2007 Single vineyard from high altitudes. This was a serious wine. Rhone like earthy/limestone and dried meats, red and blue fruits and a fair weight on the mouth backed up with great tannins. I'd love to see this wine with more time in the bottle as it was quite compact at the tasting.

Emmerich Knoll Grüner Veltliner Beerenauslese 2007 500ml To finish we had the pleasure of this sweet wine. Luscious, balanced and seamless. There was a plethora of tropical fruits and floral characters. The perfect way to draw a close to a lovely evening that showed off how good Austrian wines are.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Austrian wines or if you are curious to know more please get in touch.

A Love Affair In Aromatics – Riesling.

Riesling is one of the ‘noble’ varieties of grapes used to make wine. I believe it to be the King (or should I say Queen?) of the aromatic whites. It is found in most wine producing countries over the globe, and if made by someone with a passion for the variety, they will usually have success. However, Riesling seems most at home in Germany, Austria and Alsace where its ability to transmit the terroir shines through. The best wines of these regions, indeed the best Rieslings from outside these regions too, seem to develop and display personality and soul.

It appears that Riesling as a variety doesn’t seem to capture the attention of the greater drinking public. It seems the domain of ‘wine people’ (heaven forbid we use the term connoisseur). I feel there is a lot to like about Riesling. And of course I’d say that, I’m a wine person! Even a basic Riesling can be lovely. The perfume, elegance and understated nature of the wine with its lovely structure underneath punctuated by fresh and lively acidity. Add to that the lack of oak to mask these graceful characters and all of this adds up to a clean and fresh drink that enlivens the palate. The very best though can charm, intrigue, beguile. They don’t always jump out of the glass and instantly grab your attention like a Sauvignon Blanc may do. But there are layers and nuances that become apparent the more time you spend studying the wine.

One barrier to people enjoying Riesling is that they can range from bone dry through to lusciously sweet. And generally it is hard to tell from looking at the label what you are going to get. When thinking of Riesling its best to consider it in three broad styles; Dry, ‘Dry’ and Sweet. The Dry Riesling styles are truly dry. As in they have little to no residual sugar left after fermentation, high acid, very crisp and clean. Most Riesling from Australia and especially Clare and Eden Valleys fall into this category. So to do Germany’s ‘Trocken’ Riesling. ‘Dry’ Rieslings tend to have a touch of residual sugar that is used to balance high levels of acidity. They are refreshing, fruity and really lovely drinks that you should not be scared of tasting. Kabinett Rieslings, a lot of Alsace and New Zealand Rieslings tend to fall into this category. In Australia we tend to use the term ‘off-dry’ to describe these wines. Sweet Riesling is sweet, can be late picked, botrytised or even ice wines (left to freeze on the vine in winter). The best are truly complex and almost seem too pretty to drink. Like all great wines, the key to sweet Riesling is the balance. No matter how sweet it should have acidity that balances the sugar to make a clean and refreshing wine.

Riesling is a wine that can be drunk on its own, matched with white meats, pungent cheeses, spicy foods and it has been known to out shine even Pinot Noir when you are faced with a plate of lovely duck. It is a wine that is cheap for the quality you get and it is a must for any serious wine cellar. How can one grape bring so much joy? It just proves that there is a lot to love about Riesling.

Riesling Cheat sheet

Flavours

Tropical fruits, citrus, white flowers, stones, slate, white chocolate, pork fat/sausage meat.
With age it can add toffee/caramel, dry biscuits, kerosene, undergrowth, crème brulee.   

Styles

Dry, off-dry, sweet, occasionally sparkling. Does not like oak.

Regions Germany – Mosel (esp sweeter styles), Rheingau (dry styles), Pfalz

Austria – Wachau, Kremstal
France – Alsace
Australia – Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Frankland River, Henty

Aging

Drinks well on release to 12 months then goes into a dip from 2 years from vintage until about 7 years. In this period all the fruit drops off and the wine looks flat and disappointing. Afterward though the fruit returns as does the bottle aged characters that are so desired in Riesling.  

Ready to try some Riesling? Why not check out some of TWD's current offers:
Alsace Riesling

Old World Riesling

Australian Riesling

Wine Notes

A selection of wines I have tasted in the recent past that I have enjoyed.

DR BURKLIN WOLF TROCKEN PFALZ RIESLING 2009 - The Bűrklin-Wolf estate is based in the Mittelhaardt, the quality core of Germany’s world-renowned Pfalz. Since the 2001 vintage Bűrklin-Wolf have classified their wines according to the vineyard site (similar to Burgundy) rather than sugar weight (as the 1971 German wine laws dictate). They have discovered that today’s top vineyards are exactly the same as those identified in the 1828 Bavarian Land Taxation Laws: A time when these vineyards produced some of the most expensive and highly regarded wines in the world.

This is a great introduction (or a welcome return) to the Pflaz style. Citrus, stone fruits and a mineral undertone. Dry (trocken means dry in this context) and clean with good fleshy fruit and mid-weight body.

DR LOOSEN DR L DRY MOSEL RIESLING 2010 - The King of the Mosel. Owning sizeable amounts of land across the great vineyards and villages of the region, Ernie (not actually a Doctor) and his team craft the best drinking wines out of the whole region, while the top end wines cellar and improve for a long time.

An easy drinking, zesty style of Riesling that offers lovely mineral, citrus and floral notes while having nice weight in the mouth and plenty of clean acid.

MAX FERD RICHTER ESTATE MOSEL RIESLING 2009 - There are many producers who are more recognisable in the Mosel, but Dr Richter at the family Estate consistently makes some of the best and most balanced Rieslings from the region. In great years like 2009 even the entry level wines will benefit from age. The Spatlese level wines are simple amazing too.

Produced entirely from Estate fruit this wine has juicy, ripe fruit and crunchy crisp green apple. The palate is off‐dry, perfectly balanced, fine and mineral.

MARC BREDIF VOUVRAY LOIRE VALLEY 2009 Chenin Blanc may not be the most popular or the most famous wine grape, but the good examples are seriously good! Lovely, fleshy/flowery apples and pears, a nice mineral - flinty streak, lemon zest and a touch of dough. I have always described good Chenin as feeling ‘pillowy’ and I stand by that. Round and fluffy mouth feel but the zesty acid kicks it into shape. Great balance and harmony. Entirely too drinkable, but like all great Chenin it will age surprisingly well (and long). If you are thinking of cellaring, drink from 2019-goodness knows when.

BERNARD DEFAIX LES VAILLON CHABLIS 1ER CRU 2009 - The estate owns 25 ha of vineyards in Chablis of which half are Premier Cru and the largest holder of the famed Cote de Lechet. A natural approach in used in the vineyard and they are getting close to organic certification. The wines are made to be pure, fresh and textural.

Vaillon gernerally makes a more round style of Chablis due to the higher content of clay in the soil. This wine shows crisp apples, and some pepper and leesy/dough like notes. The palate has a hint of richness of texture, and some stoney/chalky minerality. Overall it is well balanced and has a classic bone dry finish. Will fill out with more time.

PRAGER HINTER DE BURG WACHAU GRUNER VELTLINER 2009 - Innovative is his approach winemaker Toni Bodenstein has been in control of winemaking since the early nineties and has positioned the Prager estate as one of the very top echelon. The estates vineyards cover 13ha; 65% planted to Riesling, 25% Gruner Veltliner. A strong use of stainless steel retains freshness in the wines without sacrificing the lovely Gruner texture that everyone loves.

Like drinking some divine tea. This wine has apple blossom, lemons, white flowers, peaches, white pepper and some savoury leesy notes. The palate is lighter than the nose would suggest and drier. But has great fruit richness and amazing length. So much complexity packed into one bottle. Very enjoyable.