Wegenstein Blaufränkisch Klassik 2009

This was another BOGO at Merkur - 2 for €4.95, like the Bordeaux from a few posts ago, but this one's Austrian. Blaufränkisch is a deeper red than a Zweigelt, and typically produced in the Burgenland region of Austria, next to Hungary. I've tried Wegenstein's Zweigelt as well, and was not impressed, but the Blaufränkisch is quite good. It is, after all, called Klassik. 


The color is a deep ruby red, and there and hints of blackberry and pomegranate, though it does have high alcohol content, which gives it a bit of a bite. To be paired with food, most definitely. Honestly, this wine is not very good on its own. I bought a selection of cheeses as well at Merkur, and among them, white Irish cheddar, roulade aux noix (goat's cheese with walnuts) and a smoked Gouda tasted quite lovely on Kaisersemmeln and a glass of Blaufränkisch.


One note: the Blaufränkisch is to Zweigelt as Cabernet Sauvignon is to Merlot - have I mentioned this before? Anyway, one is the "parent" grape and the other is the "baby" which gives one a stronger, hardier flavor in the wine...and a better aging process. Oak barrels recommended.

Glühwein!

It's Glühwein time here in Austria - has been for about a month, actually, but I'm just getting around to posting a comment now...been enjoying it too much, perhaps?!?


For those unfamiliar, Glühwein is the German-speaking term for mulled wine. It is typically red, but also comes in a white variety (similar to Sturm, though the law's the opposite, with white being the norm and red the outlier). The Christmas tradition of German mulled wine uses spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, sometimes vanilla pods, cloves and sugar added to boiled wine. 


In Vienna, you can visit a charming Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) - there are dozens around the city - and sample Glühwein or Punsch (rum, sugar and orange or other fruit flavors) at one of the stands (€5-7 for a 1/4 l mug, which you can keep after draining, or give back for a €2 refund). Or, you can buy your own pre-mixed tea bags of spices and add them to the wine of your choice at home for a cheaper version (€2 for a 2-liter bottle of junk wine + €2 for a box of spice bags = party-sized tank of Glühwein). The choice is yours - and your liver's! 

Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Jamek 2011 Grüner Veltliner

Oh, autumn! The most wonderful thing about autumn is the harvest - as it is getting closer to Thanksgiving, my American upbringing is kicking in and I am getting excited about stuffing and pumpkin pie! Here in Austria, the focus is not exactly on turkey and stuffing yourself until you explode, but quite a few seasonal delicacies have sprung up at the Naschmarkt, including mushrooms (it's mushroom season and a favorite Austrian pasttime is picking your own...) and Kürbis (translated as both "squash" and "pumpkin"). I've been experimenting with both ingredients, and since I decided to make a chantrelle (Eierschawmmerl) goulash for dinner, I thought I would flavor it with another favored Austrian autumn classic, a new wine! 


This delicious white wine, produced in the Wachau, is a soft, fruity, light wine - just what you'd expect from a new wine! Opening the bottle reminded me of spring, and though I don't often compare wines to perfumes, it really reminded me of Yoko Ono's signature scent, Ma Griffe (certainly it tastes better than Ma Griffe would, however). Sort of a lemony-sage-jasmine flavor (scent?). I tasted a distinct grapefruit flavor in the palate. The finish is a bit earthier than expected, and the color is a beautiful pale yellow.


I bought this wine for roughly €8 at Wein & Co. It's a bit more than what I normally pay at Spar or Billa, but definitely worth the splurge. 

Hiedler Kamptal Grüner Veltliner 2010

This wine was the Spar October "Wein des Monats" and is from Langlois, which is incidentally a place I visited around this time last year - it's a small town in the Weinviertel, near the Czech border. Touted as the "region's finest" on the chalkboard outside the wine section, I can even feel reassured that I was buying local when I bought this wine.

The Hiedler tasted excellent with butternut squash au gratin and bleu cheese. The wine is just sweet enough to be perfect with bleu cheese and just dry enough to be able to call itself a Grüner Veltliner. I might just be making this up, but i'm pretty sure I tasted notes of lemongrass and mint. Maybe even strawberry?! It was a very herbal-y wine, at least.

I would definitely buy this wine again. It can even be found online - props to being in a viniferous country!

Sturm!

Yes, they have officially started selling Sturm for the season! Sturm, for those unfamiliar with the wine-making process, is wine in its very first fermentation of the year. It's a lot like a mix between a grape cider and a grape beer, with the possibility of as much alcohol content as the wine it will become, but tastes just like juice, so you don't feel like you're drinking wine. Thus the name, "storm," which refers most undoubtedly to the hangover you get the next day...like a hurricane in your head. However, since it is only produced for a few short weeks, typically September through October each year, it is a rarity and an indulgence.

Sturm is almost always a white wine, perhaps because of the climate of Austria and the preference for white wines in this region, it is the most abundant. However, I have also seen red sturm, though I personally prefer white. Red sturm can be awfully heavy, whereas white sturm is lighter and, by contrast, more refreshing. Also, because of the yeast content, sturm has a lot of B vitamins!

Known as must in English, the drink appears in other wine-making cultures. But, I ask you, where else but in Vienna would you find sturm sold in such disparate places as: 1) a traditional Kaffeehaus, 2) a ritzy restaurant in the Museums Quartier, 3) a street festival, and 4) an Aldi (Austrian = Hofer)? If you have an idea, let me know.

Hochriegl Frizzante Acht

According to the bottle, the Hochriegl Frizzante Acht is a Viennese traditon. To me, it just tasted like any other sparkling wine.

I have not had incredible luck finding good wine in Vienna. In Austria, yes. In Vienna, no. I think back to a bottle of rosé I bought from Wein & Co. the first time I was in Vienna four years ago. It was terrible...though, to be fair, it followed a very good Kékfrancos (the one mentioned in this post, though not the titular Kékfrancos) bought in Budapest and accompanied by too many Mozartkugeln. From which the inevitable happened: one of us got sick, and both of us swore off Austrian wine.

Not a fair judgment to be sure. Personally, I have enjoyed many an Austrian wine since, and will continue to do so. But, as far as prosecco goes, it's a better bet to stick with the Italian varieties. I can honestly say I've had very good sparkling wine in  Italy - and, limited by budget, it's been 100% cheap-ass prosecco. Keep this in mind, friends:

V.C.'s Rules to Follow when Purchasing a Wine in Austria:
1. Austria is great for a Grüner Veltliner, a Zweigelt or sometimes a Blaufränkisch.
2. In Vienna, you will be gouged for French wines. Instead, buy Austrian.
3. Austria is really close to Italy, so Italian wines are cheaper than French ones. But not as cheap as Austrian.
4. Always buy Italian prosecco, even if it's not on sale.
5. When given the choice between a sale-priced French wine and an Italian wine, it's your call.
6. Similar to French wines, American wines are insanely overpriced. Something you could get at Festival Foods for $5 in Wisconsin (i.e. Turning Leaf) is priced roughly at €12. Just because it's imported.
7. Cheap is fine. Cheap-ass might get you in trouble*.

*For example, stay away from anything in a 2 liter plastic bottle, no matter how appealing the price may be.

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!

Lenz Moser Selection 2009

Lenz Moser Grüner Veltliner; came in box

VC got this as a gift for being the judge of an English speaking competition in St. Pölten in March.

The flavor is a bit sweeter than the average Veltliner, which  could be accounted for with the "Selection" label. The bouquet is fruity, lots of citrus (lemon, and maybe even grapefruit). The palate is very like a Riesling, and went well with my veggie stir fry.

The 2010  Grüner Veltliner just won the International Wine Challenge 2011. That should tell you something! Prices for this particular wine I cannot share, because it was a gift. But, according to the website, you can get the wine for €6.30 per bottle, with the opportunity to join the Lenz Moser club, and buy wine. They also have the possibility to ship their wares to you throughout the world! Snazzy.

Thanks* A Bunch

After I tried the white wine from the Austrian Winvino collection, I immediately thought to try the red as well, being obsessed as I am and all...

Danke is a light, fruity, Zweigelt from Burgenland. Sour cherry notes can be detected, as well as a hint of spice...cinnamon? Since the 2010 is still a new wine, it is much crisper than an aged Zweigelt, which would tend more toward the Cabernet Sauvignon end of the body spectrum.

For a mere €2.89 at my local Penny Markt, I was able to procure this flavorful Austrian wine. Because of the similarity in taste and quality to a Pinot Noir grape, and because the French variety is so much better known worldwide, it is often difficult to find a Zweigelt outside of Central and Eastern Europe,where the grape is mainly grown. However, seeing as I am in Central Europe, what better way to celebrate than with a Zweigelt?

Prost!


*For the non-German speakers in the audience, danke is "thank you"in German. Think the song "Danke Schön" made famous by Wayne Newton and sung by Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Darling, Danke Schön!

Where Have All the White Wines gone?

It's spring time, which means it't time to whip out delicious white wine, summer drinks and the like.

Recently, I had the chance to sample a fruity, new wine to go with all of the lovely springtime weather we've been having in Amstetten.

Called "Welcome," it is from the Winvino line of affordable Austrian wines: Danke (thank you) a Zweigelt, Welcome, the only Veltliner – and, thus, white wine of the bunch -  Zweisam (twosome) a Blaufränkisch/Zweigelt mix, Sternstund (magic moment) which is their cuvee wine…

For €3.59 at the local Penny Markt, Welcome is a delicious, yet inexpensive,  wine choice for the picky, broke consumer.  Sharing the wine aisle with 2-liter plastic bottles of Tafelwein (table wine), this Qualitätswein is sort of a big fish in a small pond…and one of the more expensive wines at the Aldi-esque Austrian market. Aside from the price, this white wine is a crisp, refreshing, with notes of lemon and green apple and went very well with my home-made hummus! 

The best thing about new wines in a typically dry wine is that they are somewhat sweeter (not being given the time to fully ferment) which makes them perfect entertaining wines. But unlike Riesling, Grüner Veltliner is not typically sickeningly sweet, and can thus be enjoyed with lots of things and by lots of people. Grüner Veltliner, unfortunately for those Stateside, is not commonly found outside of Austria - you'll have to do a bit of digging. It has been compared to Moscato (Muskatell)...but I shall not make that claim, as I think Moscato is sweeter.    

Weingut - Or, How Austrians Buy Their Wine

NB: As V.C. is currently living in Austria, and has plenty of wine stories to share...consider this overlap, the intersection of two blogs with the intention to educate distinct groups of followers...rather than pure laziness on our parts.

The Weinviertel is one of Austria's loveliest areas, a region to be proud of. On the border with the Czech Republic, it is rather hilly (certainly not mountainous when compared to the Alps) and known for white wines. For red wine, one must go to Burgenland...on the border with Hungary. 

During the, excursion, partaken with Austrians who really know their wines, I sampled some typical Austrian wines (mostly Grüner Veltliner) but also some Rieslings, a Traminer...etc., went to three different Weinguts, that is, wineries...or wine-growing estates...all family-run and charming! 

Each was different and offered different specialties, which I enjoyed. I tried to keep them all straight, but by the end of the afternoon (it must be said) I just had had too much wine! Each place is family-run and -owned, so there is a real homey atmosphere. My hosts told me that they had been going to one of the wine farms for over 20 years, and knew the whole family. I found that kind of amazing.

Another interesting aspect of Austrian wine culture is the Heurige, which means both "new wine" and the place where the vintners showcase their new wines once they come out -- which should be pretty soon! Exciting stuff. Depending on whether the Heurige is owned by the vintners, or by a local Gasthaus (Pension), they open between mid-October and early November. 

Here are some photos of the last place we went.

Unfortunately, there are no photos of the other 2 places. One was in a dungeon (OK. Wine cellar) which did not make for a photographic scene.

The second place was actually in the home of the Weinbauer and, yes, I was introduced as the American teaching assistant (probably a precaution against my sitting there looking stupid) but I still feel uncomfortable taking pictures in people's homes uninvited. I don't want to get a reputation as one of those Americans, you know.

Below are the grapes they gave us at the second place. I've eaten them all ready and they were super yummy! The one downside is that they had seeds. Which makes for a messy snack, but even better, you know they didn't put disgusting chemicals on the grapes to make them "seedless" i.e. infertile.

AND...the piece de resistance: 

This is all of the wine my Austrian hosts bought...over 300 Euros' worth!!! My kind of people :)