Did You Know?

Did you know that most wine does not improve with age? Only bottles marked "vintage" are suitable for aging and will gather more flavor as they get older. In addition, there is a classification of of types within the vintages, which is why a 1994 Bordeaux may be worth more than a 1986  Chianti. Additionally, the growing conditions of the season impact the final product, with warmer, sunnier years making for better grape harvests, ergo better wines.

Of course, new wines like a Beaujolais should be drunk immediately, not saved. You probably won't find any vintage wines on this blog in the near future anyway, unless one of us wins the lottery!

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. 

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.

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.

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.