Tasting Report: Wines from the Vin Divino Portfolio: Austrian Wines

These are my tasting notes from a recent tasting of the wines of Vin Divino. The tasting reaffirmed my belief that within a few years, Austrian wines will be considered the up and coming wine region offering incredible values and unique styles and flavors. Most of the wines in this tasting were good to very good, with a few being outstanding. The majority of the wines are even better with food as they are structured to stand side by side with a variety of cuisine. (Image taken at Austrian Cultural Forum in New York City)

The highlights of the tasting for me were a 2007 Loimer Lois Gruner Veltliner that would be a great pairing with some spicy Thai food and is an outstanding value at $13, a 2005 Weinenger Weiner Trilogie ($18) that had great balance and structure, and a few wines by Alois Kracher that really exemplify the beauty and focus of the wines he made (passed away recently).

Again, if you’re not yet trying Austrian wines, what are you waiting for? I do recommend using resources available (this site, cellartracker, google, other blogs, etc) to find producers and specific wines that get positive reviews - just because there are a lot of good Austrian wines on the market doesn’t mean there aren’t some very poor ones (and a bad Austrian wine can be…well, terrible!). With a bit of research and shopping around, you’re likely to find some of the best values and more interesting wines on the market.

White/Rose Wines:
2006 Zantho Muskat - $14: Floral nose with grapefruit notes. Very nice structure and good balance, nice citrus notes on the palate. I summed this wine up on my tasting notes with “fun” - it would make a nice appertif. My rating: 87 pts, GV (good value)

2007 Loimer Lois Gruner Veltliner - $12: Light straw color with aromas and flavors of freshly sliced apples, a variety of citrus fruits, lavender and mineral notes. Really nice acidity through the middle and on the finish. Highly recommended, especially as a pairing with Thai cuisine, fried chicken, or to start off a spring/summer barbeque. My rating: 90 pts, OV (outstanding value)

2006 Kracher Pinot Gris Trocken - $15: Nice and crisp wine with grapefruit, apple, some tropical fruit notes as well. Refreshing finish. My rating: 89 pts, GV

2006 Kracher Rose Zweigelttrocken - $16: Cherry, strawberry and citrus notes. Crisp, good mouth-feel, good acidity. Perfect for a warm summer night or a barbecue. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2005 Kracher Cuvee Auslese - $18 / 375 mL: Tropical fruits, hazelnut, rose petal aroma’s. Lovely body with flavors of apricot, apple, peach, and a rich butterscotch. Good balance and an elegant finish. Medium length finish, lovely. My rating: 90 pts, GV

2002 Kracher TBA #5 - $18 / 187 mL: Apricot, honeysuckle, toasted pine nuts, honey, and some citrus aromas and flavors. Incredible richness, near perfect balance, good focus, good concentration. Just a beutiful wine - one to serve to your friends who say they don’t like sweet wines…it will open their eyes! My rating: 94 pts, CV (collectors value)

Red Wines:
2005 Winzerkeller Neckenmarkt Zwigelt Classic - $11: Nose and palate show of cherry, raspberry and spice as well as smoky flavors. Falls apart for a second or two in the middle but finishes with a burst of cherry. My rating: 84 pts, OKV

2005 Winzerkeller Neckenmarkt Blaufränkisch Classic - $12: Very food friendly wine. Raspberry, cherry flavors, good amount of acidity - light body, medium to light tannin structure. Paired great with the spices in Persian food and would overall do well with many different dishes. Good value. Tasted 3 times. My rating: 86 pts, GV

2006 Zantho St. Laurent - $13: This wine shows deep ruby color with aromas of leather, raspberry, cherry and cedar. The body is light with mostly cherry and spice coming through, especially on the finish. Good tannins, but lacks balance - medium finish. Another food-friendly effort. My rating: 85 pts, OKV

2006 Zantho Zweigelt - $13: Really nice light purple/violet color. Aromas of vanilla, cherry and allspice attack the nose while plum and cherry flavors are the star on the palate. Fermented in stainless steel, the wine has great ripe fruit character, subtle tannins and medium length finish. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2006 Umathum Zweigelt - $22: Interesting nose filled with black fruits and spice. Good fruit character in this wine including a lot of plum and cherry. Good acidity but lacks balance or elegance and the finish seemed too abrupt. My rating: 84 pts, PV (poor value)

2005 Heinrich Blaufrankisch - $16: Deep color that hint at the underlying dark berry fruits. The fruits give way to some spice notes and a slight cedar component. There is good acidity that is in balance with the tannins which carrry through a medium finish. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2005 Weinenger Weiner Trilogie - $18: A blend of Zweigelt, Merlot and Cabernet, this “trio” received just the right amount of oak. There are a lot of dark and red fruits on the palate and very good balance and structure. One of my favorites in the lineup- My rating: 90 pts, VGV

2005 Heinrich Neusiedlerse - $12: Miscellaneous red fruits and spice notes. Interesting minearality and acidity, no focus, lacks balance. My rating: 83 pts, PV

2005 Beck Blaufrankisch - $16: Vibrant ruby in the glass with aromas and flavors of cherry, balckberry, pepper, some leather. Spice notes through the light tannins, medium acidity - another very food-friendly wine. My rating: 87 pts, OKV