Vieux Lartigue Saint-Emilion Gran Cru 2008

This is the wine steal of the century - at least in my book!


A €30 bottle of Saint-Emilion for €15 in the Wein & Co. bargain bin: talk about sweet. Or, dry, actually. I was completely on the fence about the whole thing, until I decided, hey, this is a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of deal on my favorite type of wine! I would be a sucker not to get it, and spend the whole €30 on the bottle later, or never get it and wonder - what if?

I've been saving this one for a special occasion, and had a really rough weekend, so I figured tonight was as good a night as any to celebrate and pep myself up.

The wine is smooth, attractively deep and purple. The bouquet is a bit unusual. Upon opening the bottle, I was reminded of olive oil, tomatoes and strawberries. The flavor is more akin to black currants and blueberries. The finish is smooth and velvety.

I savored this particular bottle with a Greek salad, Pecorino cheese and a small slice of bakery bought Sachertorte. It's life's little pleasures, isn't it?

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!

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"...

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.

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!

Reasons to Love Wine

OK, so, for anyone interested, I will now delineate why I love wine:

1) It gets you drunk.

2) Good wine is sooooooo yummy, I have no idea how to explain the sensation to someone who doesn't like wine. If you don't like wine, sorry, we can't be friends.

3) Grapes. I love grapes. I love raisins. I love wine. 'Nuff said. Ask my mom.

4) You can be a total snob about wine and be completely justified. Name one other aspect of life where this is appropriate. Can you?

5) Wine is grown in many wonderful regions of the world. Including Austria. I want to visit them all.

6) Food and wine go well together. I am a total foodie.

7) Wine is fine by itself. I love wine.

8) See my Facebook profile.