Back from Austria

Coming home from a wine trip and adjusting to more normal life again is always a difficult process. After all, over the course of the four or five or more days that you’re traveling through a different part of the world, eating great food, tasting more wine than most people do in a year, and spending your days and nights with colleagues from all over the planet--well, it’s easy to lose track of the more ordinary aspects of your life back home. (It’s always good to come home, of course, but also very easy to get spoiled while you’re away.)

I spent this past week, as I mentioned in my blog post the other day, at the bi-annual Wine Summit, sponsored by the remarkable Austrian Wine Marketing Board. The specific leg of the excursion I was on focused on Burgenland and Carnuntum and, as such, leaned heavily on the excellent Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch they produce.

The trip started in Vienna, which is actually home to one of the world’s best wine regions located within a major city’s boundaries. (The photo above, in fact, is taken from the Rotes Haus, where our first night’s festivities began. You can see the city itself in the background, behind the vines.) After that, we headed south to Carnuntum, where we focused on Austria’s famously spicy Zweigelt, and then to the huge Lake Neusiedl, which does so much to moderate the temperature of the surrounding areas.

West of Lake Neusiedl (or locally, Neusiedlersee), we tasted in what proved to be one of my favorite spots on the trip--Leithaberg DAC, whose fresh, food-friendly Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and crisp Blaufränkisch were some of my top wines throughout. These are bottlings that sing with a bright minerality that screams out for food--just my style.

Later that day we were treated to a fascinating, eye-opening blind tasting at the Esterházy Palace, where I had one of the best Pinot Noirs I’ve sipped in a while, the 2008 from rising star producer Claus Preisinger: Fragrant, balanced, age-worthy, and delicious already, like some sort of fabulous Gevrey-Chambertin. That night, four colleagues and I celebrated Memorial Day with a barbecue just shy of the Austria - Hungary border, at Weingut Hans Igler in Deutchkreutz, with winemaker Clemens Reisner and his father manning the grill. They were generous enough to open not just the current-release wines they were planning on, but also a number of older bottles that demonstrated how beautifully Austrian reds can age. (Their 2006 “Biiri” bottling, 2001 “Ab Ericio,” and 2000 “Jewel” were show-stoppers.)

More wines followed in the remaining time on the trip, including focused tastings of wines from Mittelburgenland DAC and Eisenberg DAC, both of which demonstrated decidedly different aspects of Austrian wine. This country, like all of the best in the wine world, possesses a wide enough range of terroirs and winemaking talent to be able to call itself home to a huge range of styles and expressions. That diversity is what makes a national wine culture exciting, and Austria, as I’ve said for years, is among my favorite in the world.

We ended the trip back where it started--in Vienna--with a closing-night party at the famous Prater, with live music and more food and wine than a group twice this size could have consumed. The night was highlighted by crowd-rousing musical performances by the AWMB’s Managing Director Willi Klinger and wine writer and budding wine-travel impresario Ben Weinberg. Between Willi’s “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” Ben’s “Stormy Monday,” and the glass of Grüner Veltliner Ice Wine I sipped afterward, I cannot think of a better way to have ended this spectacular experience.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be posting tasting notes and impressions of specific wines and regions. Keep your eyes open for them. In the meantime, start stocking up on the great wines of Austria.

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Austrian Wine on the Web

Wine on the web just got a bit better with the relaunch of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board’s website, AustrianWine.com, a few weeks ago. As readers of this blog know, I’m a big believer in the wines of Austria--from the expressive, pairable-with-everything whites like Gruner Veltliner to the spicier, endlessly rewarding reds like St. Laurent, Zweigelt, and Blaufrankisch, the wines of Austria are some of the most exciting in Europe right now.

Now, with this relaunched web site, consumers will have a chance to learn even more about Austria’s wines and stay up to date on recent developments. With everything that’s happening with Austrian wine these days, this is definitely a site worth adding to your favorites folder and checking regularly.

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Wine Review Wednesday: Stadlmann Pinot Noir 'Classic' 2005, Thermenregion, Austria

The lust that most so-called Pinot people feel about their beloved grape variety still doesn’t stretch, to the extent that it should, to Austria. This is wildly unfortunate: Austria is home to some of the most delicious, interesting Pinots on the planet, and the fact that more people don’t know much about them is one of the great mysteries of the wine world.

The same, really, could be said for the other great reds of the country, too: Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent--all of these offer pleasures far, far greater than their still-niche reputation might indicate.

What sets Austrian Pinot apart in particular, for me at least, is the specific place it occupies on the Pinot Noir continuum: It seems most at home somewhere between the more earthy delicacy of Burgundy and the fruit-forward lustiness of Russian River. Of course, Austrian Pinot Noir is much more than simply a stylistic middle-ground: It is, rather, a wholly unique (and at the same time wonderfully accurate) version of the beloved grape variety--utterly drinkable, capable of great nuance, and, in the case of the bottling I tasted yesterday, irresistible.

The Stadlmann Pinot Noir ‘Classic’ 2005, from Thermenregion, south of Vienna, was a stunner. It started off with a concentrated, peppery strawberry nose, a hint of anise, a touch of licorice, and, unexpectedly, Mandarin-orange oil. On the palate, the silkiness of the texture stood out right away, a tactile creaminess that was balanced perfectly by the kind of acidity that you find in just-picked wild strawberries. This was complicated by cherry fruit, a hint of orange, sage, more high-toned spice, a wisp of bonfire smoke, and something seductively brambly.

In other words, this is serious Pinot Noir, and a wildly successful argument for the virtues of Austrian Pinot. More people should make a point of learning about these Pinots in particular and Austrian wines in general: Their rewards are significant.

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Eisenberg: A New DAC in Austria

I received a press release this morning from the AWMB (the Austrian Wine Marketing Board) announcing the recognition of a new DAC, or Districtus Austriae Controllatus, the Austrian wine world’s definitive appellation. The press release says that the wines of the new, specific Eisenberg DAC, in the more generic Burgenland appellation, are “characterised by a distinctive spicy minerality while reflecting the terroir of the Südburgenland wine-growing area...”

This is good news for fans of Austrian wine in particular, as well as for the Austrian wine industry in general. After all, the identification and classification of ever more specific appellations within the country not only makes it easier for consumers to differentiate between the various parts of Austria’s wine-producing areas, but it also highlights the distinct differences between them as manifested in the wines themselves.

In other words, just as, say, Pauillac and St.-Julien are home to two uniquely different expressions of the larger Bordeaux region, so, too, is this naming of the Eisenberg DAC an identification of a unique, special area within the overarching Burgenland appellation.

Here, then, are the defining characteristics of the Eisenberg DAC, as noted in the press release:

“Like all of the other DACs, Eisenberg DAC is subject to the general conditions and requirements for Austrian quality wine. Specifically, Eisenberg DAC wines must be produced from 100% Blaufränkisch grapes.

“Eisenberg DAC stands for the typical, fruity and mineral-spicy Blaufränkisch, which is further characterised by the loamy, mineral-rich soils of the Südburgenland wine-growing area. The wines can be matured either in steel tanks or in wooden barrels, but the wines should show no – or else barely noticeable – wood tone.

“Eisenberg DAC wines also may be marketed with the additional designation of ‘Reserve.’ These are complex wines with great storage potential. They must be matured in large wooden barrels or in barriques, allowing for the aromas and flavours of Blaufränkisch to be complemented by wood notes.

“The first Eisenberg DAC vintage is 2009, and the wines can come on the market no earlier than September 1^st of the year following the harvest. For Eisenberg DAC Reserve, the first vintage is 2008; these wines can be released for sale no earlier than March 1^st of the second year following the harvest.”

This means that the first Eisenberg DAC wines will hit the market on September 1, 2010 at the earliest. In the meantime, a bit of homework now--on the wines of Austria in general and those produced from the Blaufränkisch grape variety in particular--is in order.

In other words, drink up: It's the tastiest homework you can imagine.

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New Years Resolutions

Forget about traditional New Years resolutions: As wonderful as they sound today, they lose their luster, for most of us, somewhere around brunch on January 1st. Who, after all, can really follow through on their vow to eat healthier in the face of New Year’s day brunch? And that gym membership you swore you’d purchase this year? Well, maybe it can wait till bathing-suit season is a bit closer at hand…

So forget about those unkeepable promises for the new year; instead, focus on something you’ll actually want to keep.

Drink better.

Now, after all, is the time to make the vow to drink more broadly, with a more open mind, a more willing palate, and a wholehearted acceptance of the three key rules of wine consumption:

The wine world is a big place; explore wines from all parts of it.

Great wine often comes from grapes you may not be familiar with; don’t shy away from unusual or unfamiliar varieties.

And don’t ever assume that you know what to expect from a specific producer or region; change happens all the time, and smart consumers will embrace it.

If you follow these rules—if you allow them to provide a framework of sorts for your vinous decisions from here on out—then I promise that your wine life will be far richer, and far more rewarding, than it ever has been before.

The hard part, though—as always—is knowing where to start.

Personally, I can think of no better place (especially this time of year) than Champagne. As readers of this blog know, I visited the region this past September during the harvest, and spent a week tasting the wines and speaking with producers. I cannot stress enough how impressed I was with both the quality and the range of styles.

Indeed, now is the time to branch out and start exploring the region as a whole. Whatever you buy, though, go beyond your usual comfort zone: Champagne is a far more nuanced, and far more finely mapped, region than most people realize, and the range of wines coming from there is just astounding.

It’s also a great idea to re-familiarize yourself with producers you thought you knew. Of all the affordable wines from California that I’ve tasted in the past year, few have surprised and impressed me quite as much as Blackstone. I had the chance to sit down to lunch with winemaker Gary Sitton this past summer, and his passion for wine, and his desire to express the unique terroirs that his grapes are grown in, are infectious.

The Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Chardonnay 2007, for example, incorporates fruit from four specific vineyards in Carneros, the Russian River Valley, and Sonoma Coast, and showcases all the rich, warm characteristics you’d expect (brown butter, almonds, lovely fruit), as well as a sense of minerality and energy-held-in-reserve that you may not have. And the 2006 “Rubric” bottling, with its grilled graphite, red plums, chocolate, minerality, and spice, is a marvel at a great price.

Grape varieties to keep your eyes open for in the coming year and beyond include bright, often very gently perfumed Albariño from Spain, particularly Rias Baixas in the North West of the country; Torrontes, with its typical notes of melon and flowers, from Argentina; white Rhone Valley varietals like Marsanne, Roussanne, and Viognier from France and California and Australia; Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and St. Laurent, the excellent red Austrian grapes that I reported on here several months ago after my trip to the wine regions in the East of the country; the wines of Long Island; the new generation of high-end whites from Italy’s Alto Adige; and the list goes on.

Here’s the point: There is no longer any excuse to drink the same as you always did, no matter which direction your tastes run in. And this time of year, with all the days off from work and the many large meals centered around the holiday and New Year’s celebrations, offers the perfect excuse (as if you needed one!) to start exploring.

Plus, promising to venture off into the ever-growing world of wine is infinitely more fun than resolving to go to the gym more in the new year.

This, indeed, is one New Years resolution you’ll actually want to keep.

(Note: This blog post has been adapted from a column I recently wrote for Affluent Magazine.)

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This Time to Austria

I’m off again, this time to Austria on a trip hosted by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board. Between Wednesday and Sunday of this week, I’ll be attending seminars, tastings, vineyard and winery tours, and restaurants throughout Austria’s major wine regions. And, of course, I’ll be taking both tasting notes and making videos while I’m gone. It should be an amazing experience, and I expect to have some great information to share with you here when I return.

But after all the Internet drama I experienced in France and Scotland a couple of weeks ago—if you missed it, I had to camp out at a McDonald’s one night in Bordeaux and use their Internet connection—I’ll be taking precautions this time.

You’ll notice that most of my blog posts this week will be stamped with the same date—June 8th. That’s because I have already written several of them and saved them onto our system here, with the idea that my wife will simply hit the “Post” button while I’m gone. This way, you’ll still be able to check back throughout the week to get fresh wine news, reviews, and info while I’m in Austria, and I won’t have to go crazy if my hotel rooms don’t have great Internet connections.

Of course, if I do have good Internet, then I will definitely post from Austria. But a backup plan is in place.

Either way, the point is this: Keep checking back this week for updated posts, whether they’re coming from this side of the ocean or the other one. And, upon my return next Monday, start looking for updates and videos from this most recent trip, as well as tasting notes on what I expect will be more Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch, St. Laurent, Gruner Veltliner, and Riesling than I’ve ever tasted before.

My teeth are turning purple just thinking about it.

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