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.