Austrian Wine Showcase
Austria has a long and illustrious winemaking history dating back to the
Celts and the Roman Empire. Today it enjoys a reputation for producing
top-quality wines to some of the loftiest standards set by any European
wine-producing country. Its landlocked borders are shared with eight countries
and while it only makes wine from around 48,000 hectares its varying climates
from lowland pastures to mountainous ranges produces a wonderful array of wine
from aromatic whites, sweet and sparkling wines to the full gamut of
reds.
Its flagship varietal gruner veltliner reaches it heights here with
its herbaceous nose and tightly coiled palate brimming with energy and subtle
complexity. Its riesling's are nothing short of world-class and the best give
its cousin Germany to the east a run-for-their-money. For its reds, unique
varietals like blaufrankish and sweigelt are some of its most famous exports
making wines from light and easy drinking styles perfect for Stehachterl
(standing-Achterl, a glass of wine drunken quickly whilst leaning against the
bar) to full and robust drops perfect for its cold winter
nights.
Kamptal - Situated in the north of Austria, this
is one of the main regions for Gruner Veltliner with cold weather and with
varied soils across undulating vineyards.
Wachau - Maybe
best known for Riesling there is plenty of fantastic Gruner Veltliner grown here
too. Undoubtably the best known of Austria's wine regions, the Wachau (as with
Kamptal) follows the massive Danube river, with vineyards planted on its
banks.
Burgenland - Heading up into central eastern
Austria, the Burgenland region borders Hungary and is red wine country red
mainly from Blaufrankisch. Look a bit harder too and you may just fin some rare
but incredible sweet wines too.
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Rudi Pichler Terrassen Smaragd Riesling 2021A focused, minerally wine, offering alluring floral, white tea, citrus and honeysuckle notes wrapped around a core of chalky crushed flint, with a dusting of white pepper. Tightly coiled and complex and crackling with energy, this is shy now but has a lot of power in reserve. Drink now through 2035. WINE SPECTATOR2021RieslingAustria501$75.00 As low as $67.50 -
Moric Blaufrankisch 2021Expressive nose of red fruit with a lot of earthy depth! Excellent concentration for this humble category, with fine, powdery tannins and lively but ripe acidity. Complex finish with notes of clove, black pepper, cardamon and wild herbs. Salty touch, too. Drink or hold. SUART PIGOTT, James Suckling
The 2021 Blaufränkisch was harvested partly in the Leithagebirge but mostly from Lutzmannsburg in Mittelburgenland. It was fermented spontaneously in open cuve and matured in used barrels between 500 and 4,000 liters for 14 months. With a touch of smoky reduction, a tender note of blood on the nose takes a while to shine through. The wine spreads across the mouth in a smooth, almost cooling, soothing fashion, with a gentleness that holds dark petals like peony, aromatic tart, dark cherry and tart cranberry. The body is light, with just a veil of fine tannins that crinkle like chiffon. The 2021 is tender, red-fruited, bright and lasting. (Bone-dry) ANNE KREBIEHL W, Vinous2021BlaufrankischAustria357$57.00 As low as $51.30