Ironstone Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel 2007

This, I believe, is the first California wine I've tried in Europe.

Not that I'm a snob about it or anything. Mostly, it's because (like European wines in America), buying a California wine in Austria just isn't cost effective, when there are cheaper, and equally good, local (or at least non-imported) wines to buy all over the place. But, since it's been a while, and I feel a bit homesick (maybe?) I thought I would get a California wine, seeing as it was also on sale - and looked pretty good, to be honest.

Speaking of honesty, I must admit, I'm not much of an "Old Vine Zin" fan, although I probably should be. Like most Americans, I am more familiar with White Zinfandel (sadly the staple at Christmas and other family gatherings) and I know what I feel about it. No nostalgia, no warm, fuzzy sensations - unless it's been shoved down my gullet and in struggling to get away I unwittingly imbibed too much of it. So, Zinfandels, I've had it out for you since before I could drink. Legally.

I remember my first encounter with Old Vine Zinfandel (red as opposed to rose wine) and it was not unpleasant: getting a bottle of Gnarly Head at some World Market campaign during senior year. Also a California wine, I remember being pleasantly surprised. However, it's been quite a while since then, and perhaps my taste buds have changed.

The second of my Wein & Co. bargain purchases, Ironstone Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel is dark, flavorful, and very sweet...for a dry wine. It tastes, in fact, a little saccharine. i like strong flavors, nothing artificial, and to me, wine should not be like Coca-Cola but like wine.

The Zinfandel grape, it must be known, has a high sugar content, which is precisely why it makes such a popular wine. In fact, the sugar allows the wine to ferment to very high alcohol percentages, upwards of 16% in certain processes.  However, that aftertaste of sugary-syrupyness is not what I desire in a full-bodied wine. Leave me to my Merlot, and I'm the better for it.

My motto thus far has been: don't get anything in Europe that you can get at home. I think it'll stick, for now.

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.

Wein & Co. & the Bargain Bin

Recently, I was at the Naschmarkt, getting some cooking supplies/ingredients, when I saw a big, fat red sign in the window of Wein & Co. (a chain liqueur store in Vienna) which read: 50% OFF SUMMER CLEARANCE! Which lured me in, and I'm glad it did: I got 3 interesting wines for under 20 euros. Now, unfortunately, Wein & Co. has a reputation for me...and not a very good one.

Here's why:

1) I despise chain stores.
2) This is the very place I got that quite disgusting rose mentioned in this post.
3) The prices seem overly inflated for tourists and the like.
4) Being unable to afford expensive, quality wine, I normally just stake out one or two of my tried-and-true brands sold at the grocery store where I shop.
5) Being the consummate bargain hunter, I look at price tag first.

But, being the consummate bargain hunter, I am also lured by getting something for less that sticker price. And, with 50% off nice wines, I can start to afford them! From this expedition, I found: a Portuguese wine, a California wine, and a French wine.

More to come...once they've been "taste tested"...