Lenz Moser Fête Rosé 2010

This delicious rosé is reminiscent of all things yummy in summer – the color is like ripe watermelon, the taste like strawberries crushed in champagne. I am pleasantly surprised, not only that I’ve found yet another scrumptious rosé (having assumed from a previous bad experience that rosé wine is difficult – one could say high maintenance) and a cheap one to boot! This particular bottle was €2.99 (on sale from €4.99) at the Unimarkt in Amstetten. Wine of the Month. And a good month it was, too.

I believe I will purchase often from Lenz Moser - their website again, for those not in Austria.

Austro-Hugarian Flair: Esterházy Chardonnay Classic

The good thing about empires? They leave behind great wines! Another empire as we know, was also run on wine...

This delicious white wine is what all Chardonnays should be. A bit high on the price side at €7.80, it is seriously worth it! The notes are lemony, with a bit of mint after taste. It has the perfect body as well - not to heavy, not too light. Goldilocks would approve.

I got this at the local Merkur in Amstetten, but you can contact the vintners via this website.

A bit of information about the Esterházy name: the House of Esterházy (also spelled Eszterházy) was a Hungarian noble family who, once the Habsburgs took power, cuddled up to the Emperor and Empress. They stem from Pressburg (Pozsony) but also had a (more famous) chateau in Eisenstadt now the capital of the Austrian state of Burgenland. Like the Habsburgs themselves, the Esterházy family had a string for fortuitous (read: political) marriages that helped them become the largest landowners in the Austro-Hungarian empire.

Today, the winery in Eisenstadt still produces "Maria Theresa's favorite wine" (the chardonnay) as well as a number of other delicious varieties that would make an empire proud!