Tasting Report: Wines from the Vin Divino Portfolio: Austrian Wines
February 22, 2008 by michael · 2 Comments
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)
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Free Austrian Wine Tasting!!!
February 4, 2008 by michael · 3 Comments
Incredible timing on my article on how you all should try Austrian wine. I just received an e-mail from The Wine Source saying that they are holding an Austrian wine tasting this Thursday, February 7, 2008 from 5:00 until 7:00 pm. There will be four winemakers on hand each pouring 2 -3 samples of their wines. I highly recommend that those of you in the area that have the free time try to make it to this tasting. I’m really seeing something special in a lot of new Austrian wines and would love to hear what everyone else thinks.
Wine Source
3601 Elm Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21211
A Great Pairing: Outstanding Austrian Wine and World-Class Architecture
February 2, 2008 by michael · 2 Comments
The time? 1985. The place? The Republic of Austria, a small European country who had been making quality white wines for a long time. The crime? Winemakers decided to add a touch of ethelyne glycol to their wines to add body and texture. The punishment? Immediate decline in sales in 1986 to 1/8th the level of 1985, almost two decades of a bad reputation and a struggle to overcome the shame of their actions.
The result? Youthful winemakers, some too young to remember much about the scandal, others to ambitious to care, are now taking over the winemaking industry and bringing to it New World techniques and Old World tradition. Even more exciting, this new group of vinters has established personal and professional relationships with some of the best architects in the world and together they are creating outstanding vineyards, wineries, and most importantly, wines.
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a country known for it’s beautiful landscapes, world-class skiing, outstanding sweets, and history of great classical composers, this generation of Austrian winemakers is working hard to etch its way into stone as being the generation that made Austrian viticulture into something special . I recently had the opportunity to sit down with some of the winemakers, architects, and other professionals involved in this transformation at an event co-sponsored by the Austrian Tourism Office and Austria Airlines, termed the Austrian Wine Salon in New York City.
My friend Carlos Lafourcade joined me on the train ride up to NYC. Upon our arrival at the Austrian Cultural Forum we were greeted with a great Austrian Sparkling wine and a tour of the beautiful facility. We joined roughly 40 other guests in the tour which showcased two main galleries featuring detailed scaled models of many beautiful Austrian wineries. Stories about the wineries were told while guests enjoyed their sparkling wine and listened in on a brief lesson on the amazing history of viticulture in Austria. Following the 20 minute walk-through, we made way to a large open conference room where a slide-show presentation on one of the more amazing Austrian wine and architecture projects was beginning.
The focus of the a presentation was one of the newest projects of world renown architect Steven Hall, with oversight by project architect Christian Wassman (seen in the model to the left). The project, the Loisium Hotel and Spa Resort with Wine Center, is located in the town of Lagenlois, one hour west of Vienna. The spirit of the design is to capture magnificence of the vault system using three dimensions, under, in and over the ground. Everything down to the materials used for each part of the design was meticulously thought out and incorporated to provide the ultimate architectural sensory experience. This project captures the essence of the collaboration of youthful wine makers and architects, giving tourists and wine lovers a unique and exciting experience in Austrian Culture.
The meal was built around traditional cuisine such as smoked trout, a delicious Wiener schnitzel with potato salad, and a venison ragout with Austrian dumplings was elegant and quite the crowd pleaser. The wines, of which the tasting notes are below, had good character and were great compliments to the fare. In total we had four wines: two whites, a red, and an Icewine (no notes taken) that was paired with a Chocolate cake.
The evening has me really excited about the future of Austrian viticulture. It’s exciting to taste wines from up-and coming areas of the world; watching the wines of specific vineyards develop year after year into great wines. The passion of these young winemakers, the beauty of the landscape from which the wines are extracted, and the collaboration with visionary architects is on display as artwork for all the senses. This has inspired me to plan a visit to Austria in the next year to witness first hand this metamorphosis from traditional wineries and wines, to novel and contemporary works of art. From what I’ve seen so far, I recommend you do the same.
More information can be found on the website of the Austrian Culture Forum NYC. The forum is open to the public and free, and I highly recommend stopping by if you’re in New York City (11 E. 52nd St.) and keeping up-to-date on their exciting events.
Tasting Notes:
Ploder Rosenberg Grauburgunder 2006 (Pinot Gris) : Lovely nose with minerals, tropical fruits, pear, cut grass. Butter and citrus notes stand out with the medium acidity and refreshing, complex finish. My rating: 89 pts.
Weingut-Steininger Gruner Veltliner Loisium 2006: Apple, banana, grapefruit. A bit of structure to it, with very nice mineral notes and good balance. My rating: 91 pts
Umathum Ried Hallebuhl Zweigelt 2003: Exceptional dark ruby color. Aroma’s of cherry, dark berry, smoke, vanilla and cedar. Medium bodied wine with good character and a finish that has good length. My rating: 88 pts
Highly recommended are the red wines of Anton Iby (Read more here).
Austrian Red Wine? Yes. Austrian Red Wine!
November 2, 2007 by michael · 4 Comments
Anton Iby has me convinced. And I’m pretty sure this Austrian winemaker, if given the opportunity (read: try his wines) would convince you as well that Austrian red wines have great potential. No, I didn’t mistype “Australian”, I really mean Austrian red wines. The small European country, most well known for the Governator and for having some good wines of the white variety is overlooked as having quality…heck, as having ANY red wines!
A few weeks back at a winemakers tasting I spoke with Anton Iby about wine is Austria. I admitted to him that I have only tried a few Austrian red wines, and that they were at the very best, palatable. Iby noted that this sentiment is quite normal in wine shops in the US and quite frankly, most of the world. But people in Mittelburgenland, the Austrian wine region where Iby’s wines are made, have known for years the potential and quality of red wines in the region.
The major red grapes of Austria are the Blaufranksih, Blauer Portugieser, Saint Laurent (France origins), Blauerburgunder (Pinot Noir) and the hybrids Zweigelt (cross between the Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent) and Blauberger (cross between Blaufrankisch and Blauer Portugieser).
The Iby’s make a wide variety of red wines including the following (the image as well as this list is from their website):
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Oaked:
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The Dürrau Blaufränkisch Juwel (My rating: 93 pts) was exceptional, and although a bit pricey around $50, I picked up two bottles. The thing that impressed me most about the wines were the balance and structure. Overall the fruits were ripe and alive, very “new world” style. The oak, when used, was just the right amount to add spice and character to the wines without overpowering the fruits. All of the Iby wines had exceptional balance and an elegance to them that keeps me wondering what else the region has to offer. My full tasting notes for these wines will be posted this weekend.
Currently, Iby’s wines are available at many retailers in the United States. I know the Wine Source in Hampden has quite a few in stock and they are imported by Domaine Select. I’d recommend at the very least giving one a try. I think you’ll be quite surprised at the quality of the wine. And when it comes down to it, we all want a wine that tastes good. Simply put: all of the Iby wines I tried were very unique and also very good.
