Wojciech Bońkowski
Master of Wine

Austrian marvels

I’m in Austria for the VieVinum event, the major tasting opportunity for Austrian wines. VieVinum has a more relaxed feel than similar trade fairs and combined with the near-perfect organisation (if only air conditioning was improved…) this makes for a memorable vinous experience.
The VieVinum takes place in the spectacular interiors of the imperial Hofburg palace.


My tastings this year focus on the 2009 vintage which is looking very promising for the white wines from Riesling and Austria’s signature grape, Grüner Veltliner. A warm, dry vintage, it has actually favoured Riesling a bit more, with some Veltliners crossing the thin line between rich and excessively soft. On the positive side, many of the lighter less expensive Veltliners will provide spectacularly good early drinking.

But in general I have a preference for the Rieslings which are both more aromatic and fresher in taste, with a good balance even at high ripeness. There are some lovely wines from the usual suspects such as Willi Bründlmayer in the Kamptal region (his Heiligenstein Lyra is a masterpiece of harmony and completeness), or Prager and Franz Hirtzberger in Wachau. But I’ve also tracked down some lesser-known estates with great bargains. Franz-Joseph Gritsch from the town of Spitz in the Wachau has a lovely range of Veltliners and Rieslings, and overdelivers also in the Federspiel categories (which will cost you less than 10€). Andreas Lehensteiner from Weissenkirchen has an attractively clean, firm style, and at 14€ his Hinterkirchen Riesling Smaragd is one of the region’s bargains. High up in a remote side valley in Viessling, Josef Gritsch of the Graben Gritsch estate is making some impressively puristic mineral wines including a range of lovely Gelber Muskatellers (it’s rare to see so much minerality in a Muscat), and at 14€ his Setzberg Riesling Smaragd 2009 might well be the best bargain of the fair. 

Josef Gritsch proudly presenting his Riesling.


There were some very good Veltliners, too, especially at the Erste Lage presentation: 2009 is the first vintage for this new category, roughly equivalent to the French grand cru and German Grosses Gewächs (see here for my post on this). Introduced in the regions of Kamptal, Kremstal, Traisental and Wagram by the private vintners’ association Traditionsweingüter Österreich, Erste Lage is a winning idea: the concept is clear (the best vineyard sites are classified and distinguished) and the quality level of the wines is high.  

I’ve tasted through 49 samples and my favourite Veltliners included Salomon’s Lindberg, Petra Unger’s Oberfeld Alte Reben, and Ludwig Ehn’s controversial and bold Titan. But one wine that outshone all others was the Renner Veltliner from Schoss Gobelsburg: after many rich, soft, slightly obese 2009s this is a marvel of crystalline minerality and freshness.
Ever wondered what becomes of opened bottles at wine fairs? …Vinegar!


Disclaimer
I taste at the VieVinum fair on the invitation of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, which pays for my flights, accommodation and wine tasting programme.

wine Shortlink

Positive energy

Wine PR queen Dorli Muhr has now also turned vintner. Her wines, from the hitherto very uninspiring region of Carnuntum east of Vienna, might well be Austria’s best reds.

wine Shortlink

Bründlmayer Spiegel 2002

An antique mirror

As promised in an earlier post I brought a mixed case of Austrian wines from the cellar to sample through in the coming weeks. This particular wine is an old acquaintance – Bründlmayer was one of the first quality estates from Austria I was introduced to, and I remember going crazy about the 2000 Langenloiser Spiegel upon release (it remains one of the very best matches with cabbage in my memory).

The 75 hectares (organically grown) of the Bründlmayer estate in the region of Kamptal are located on some of the most coveted locations of all Austria. Among them is Spiegel, a dramatic sun-exposed hill with very warm microclimate (hence the name, ‘Mirror’, presumably) allowing for high ripeness. In recent years, with global warming making a difference, this vineyard has perhaps become a little too hot for Grüner Veltliner (this one, for example). But Bründlmayer has dedicated Spiegel to Grauburgunder and Weissburgunder (Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc), both late-ripening, with the latter providing crucial acidity to the blend. This aspect, together with a good minerality from the limestone & loess soil, also ensures a long aging potential to this bottling.

Here’s evidence of that with the Langenloiser Spiegel 2002, cellared by yours truly since release in 2004. At first this is tasting a little banal and one-dimensional but shows very good evolution in the glass. Nose is mildly maturing and elegantly oaky (high-grade butter and cream; in fact there is only partial aging in Austrian casks). I think Weissburgunder is having the upper hand in the blend at this stage, offering crispness, mineral transparency, and a lighter aromatic register (citrus). But the key to success has surely been the low alcohol (12.5% only): the wine has remained refreshing and alive instead of tiresome and sticky.

It is interesting to note that back in 2002, this wine was a roughly 55–45% blend of Pinot Gris and Blanc; now with some new parcels coming into production, Pinot Blanc has been reduced to a mere 10%. I am a big fan of Pinot Blanc and usually find its refreshing, flowery, crisp profile a beneficial addition to Pinot Gris, but tasting Bründlmayer’s Spiegel 2005 and 2006 recently I must say it is still a remarkably fresh and balanced wine. Highly recommended – not only with cabbage.

wine Shortlink

Austrian trade tasting

My top picks from the annual Austrian trade tasting in Warsaw, including some delicious whites from the lesser-known Wagram region.

wine Shortlink

Fred Loimer Spiegel Veltliner 2003

Final call


Went to a friends’ house for a dinner today. And had the tricky task of providing a wine for salmon in a Mornay-like sauce. The natural choice would have been a white Burgundy or dry Chenin but I picked up the Fred Loimer Spiegel Grüner Veltliner 2003 instead. Expected this to be mature and nicely rich for this classic French butter & cream sauce.

2003 is a vintage I was heavily stocked with, and am only now finishing the last bottles of the whites. European readers surely remember the excruciating heatwave that nurtured Europe throughout August that year, and made for a fairly appalling collection of flabby, alcoholic, burned-fruity whites wines from Savennières through Alto Adige down to Danubian Austria. (Only the limit zones for dry whites wines, such as Champagne, the Mosel and Tokaj, seem to have produced decent wines in any quantity).

In their early youth these 2003 Rieslings, Sauvignons, Veltliners and Pinots were surely one-dimensional but with a certain fruity charm. With years passing, the fruit deteriorated, leaving unbalanced structure heavy on C2H5OH and low in life-giving acidity. Few have been the wines that have stood the test of 4–5 years, and 2003 has turned out to be the true ‘vintage of the devil’ as I have nicknamed it (for the white wines). To a lesser extent, I have similar feelings about 2006 in such regions as Austria, the Palatinate, or Chablis.

The Loimer Spiegel confirmed all what was wrong about 2003. Clearly it is the last urgent call for cru Veltliners from this vintage. This wine shows no minerality, no freshness, although a vestige of former green citrus pithiness perhaps. Palate is broad, alcoholic, vague. Alcohol is noticeable though perhaps not outrageous (13.5% on label; I can’t help thinking of a recently tasted F.X. Pichler ‘M’ Veltliner from 2006 which was 15+%), but it doesn’t really help the overall balance. This wine is not exactly unpleasant but has clearly lost most of its qualities.

Surely Veltliner, with its natural richness, earlier ripening, and moderate acidity was handicapped in 2003. Austrian Rieslings overall have fared better, and some are still alive. For example, the Schloss Gobelsburg Gaisberg Riesling 2003. There is no denying the devilish imprint of 2003, showing in a pervasive alcoholic warmth (despite there being only 12.5% on the label) but there is also some good substance and a whiff of acidity for nominal freshness. About recognisably Riesling, although the notes of butterscotch, honey, peach jam are really quite pushy. Don’t decant or leave sitting open for too long: chill well and enjoy with rich foods. And get rid of any 2003s you might still be sitting on.

wine Shortlink