Some Austrian Wines
Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:59 pm
Max,
I thought I would start a new thread with this. If you love Rieslings, you might want to check out some of the Austrian Rieslings. I found the Austrian Rieslings to slot in somewhere between the sweeter German Rieslings backed up of lots of acid with an appley nose and the steely, minerally Aussie Riesling with hardly any residual sugar and a nose in the lime / lemon spectrum.
The Rieslings that my friend and I tasted and liked were all the equivalent of the spatlese and auslese levels. In the Wachau region (from roughly Mautern near Krems to an area around Spitz), the wines were divided into three categories, with Smaragd being the highest category corresponding to the equivalent of an Auslese elsewhere, but all the Rieslings we tried were either dry or slightly off-dry (less sweet than an equivalent half-trocken German Riesling.) I believe all Smaragd wines must be at least 12.5%alc.
We were mainly looking for Gruner Veltiners, but instead stumbled across some very noice Rieslings!
Schmelz Steinriegl Riesling Smaragh 2005 13.5%alc
Pale yellow. A delicious nose of fresh apples and stone fruits, peach perhaps. It seems to slot in somewhere between a German Riesling and the steely Aussie Rieslings. Good weight and body, balanced, fresh but not overly acidic. No holes. Approachable now and ending with a long pleasant and clean mineral finish. When the wine warmed up a bit in the glass, a slight hint of sweetness was noted from some residual sugar, but still drier than many German Kabinett.
Schmelz Durnsteiner Freiheit Riesling Smaragh 2005 13.5%alc
It is like the Steinriegl above, but fuller in body with a little more of everything. It almost seems to be a little more evolved even though it is the same vintage as the Steinriegl. The Steinriegl appears to be fresher a little fresher and crisper.
My friend reckoned this Riesling will hold up well with some of the dishes served with creamy sauces. He bought three bottles of this to take back to London with him.
Loimer Riesling 2004 Steinmassl 2004
I could not find my notes for this wine. I continue backpacking in Austria, Bavaria, and Alsace for another two weeks after my visit to this wine region around the Danube. However, I remember this had a very bewitching nose of apples, peaches, flowers, and some other scents in there that just made me want to sniff this wine again and again. Unfortunately, the sample bottle was a little oxidized from having been opened a while, so the fruit was not fuller reflected on the palate. However, having tasted and sniffed the lower ranges of the Rieslings such as the Riesling Terrassen 2005, I can imagine how this could be a beauty. My friend bought the last two bottles of the Steinmassl 2004, but apparently the Steinmassl 2005 is even better.
Max, this Riesling sits at just 12.5%, but feels lighter and very delicate. It is the sort of Riesling that you just want to drink by itself without any food while sitting on a terrace on some lazy summer afternoon.
The staff at both the cellar doors was extremely friendly and helpful. The wife (Brigit) of the winemaker served us at Weingut Fred Lomier. The CD and office in located in this new all black minimalist concrete building at the end of a little lane up from the road out from Langenlois. The front door is locked and you have to ring for them to let you in. Birgit explained to us that her husband’s style of winemaking is to keep the alcohol down, make a lighter style of both GV and Rieslings than their neighbours and letting the fruit do the talking.
At Weingut Schmelz, the lady behind the counter could only speak German, but was very helpful in showing us where the vineyards were and trying to explain some things to us in German even though between Bill and me, we could put together just “Gruss Gottâ€Â, "Danke Schon" and “Sehr gut†So much for having done three years of German back in high school two decades ago.
Finally, the 2005 vintage in Wachau / Kamptal / Kremstal is meant to be a beauty with just about perfect conditions. I asked about the rains that flooded parts of Germany in mid-August 2005, but the locals said there were no problems in their area. I knew from my travels last year in Europe late August and early September that central Europe got lots of sunshine.
Max, I will PM you the CD prices and contact details.
Okay, I have to go and prepare for my classes tomorrow. The thing about being a teacher is that work always follow you home.
Oh, I almost forgot, one white wine that you must try is the Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner Vinothek 1991 (current release.) We tasted this wine at the Nikolaihof cellar door and was completely blown away by how good it was. I only wrote down a brief TV, but it said:
Amazing! Incredible! Complex nose of ripe fruits. Fresh, not like a 15-year old wine, but more like a three or four year wine. Hits all the spots on the palate. Wine actually dances on the tongue. Long, long, long finish.
My memory is a bit hazy, but I think it was aged in massive 6,000litre Austrian oak barrels. I have some photos of the Nikolaihof barrels, but have no idea how to put them on here.
I thought I would start a new thread with this. If you love Rieslings, you might want to check out some of the Austrian Rieslings. I found the Austrian Rieslings to slot in somewhere between the sweeter German Rieslings backed up of lots of acid with an appley nose and the steely, minerally Aussie Riesling with hardly any residual sugar and a nose in the lime / lemon spectrum.
The Rieslings that my friend and I tasted and liked were all the equivalent of the spatlese and auslese levels. In the Wachau region (from roughly Mautern near Krems to an area around Spitz), the wines were divided into three categories, with Smaragd being the highest category corresponding to the equivalent of an Auslese elsewhere, but all the Rieslings we tried were either dry or slightly off-dry (less sweet than an equivalent half-trocken German Riesling.) I believe all Smaragd wines must be at least 12.5%alc.
We were mainly looking for Gruner Veltiners, but instead stumbled across some very noice Rieslings!
Schmelz Steinriegl Riesling Smaragh 2005 13.5%alc
Pale yellow. A delicious nose of fresh apples and stone fruits, peach perhaps. It seems to slot in somewhere between a German Riesling and the steely Aussie Rieslings. Good weight and body, balanced, fresh but not overly acidic. No holes. Approachable now and ending with a long pleasant and clean mineral finish. When the wine warmed up a bit in the glass, a slight hint of sweetness was noted from some residual sugar, but still drier than many German Kabinett.
Schmelz Durnsteiner Freiheit Riesling Smaragh 2005 13.5%alc
It is like the Steinriegl above, but fuller in body with a little more of everything. It almost seems to be a little more evolved even though it is the same vintage as the Steinriegl. The Steinriegl appears to be fresher a little fresher and crisper.
My friend reckoned this Riesling will hold up well with some of the dishes served with creamy sauces. He bought three bottles of this to take back to London with him.
Loimer Riesling 2004 Steinmassl 2004
I could not find my notes for this wine. I continue backpacking in Austria, Bavaria, and Alsace for another two weeks after my visit to this wine region around the Danube. However, I remember this had a very bewitching nose of apples, peaches, flowers, and some other scents in there that just made me want to sniff this wine again and again. Unfortunately, the sample bottle was a little oxidized from having been opened a while, so the fruit was not fuller reflected on the palate. However, having tasted and sniffed the lower ranges of the Rieslings such as the Riesling Terrassen 2005, I can imagine how this could be a beauty. My friend bought the last two bottles of the Steinmassl 2004, but apparently the Steinmassl 2005 is even better.
Max, this Riesling sits at just 12.5%, but feels lighter and very delicate. It is the sort of Riesling that you just want to drink by itself without any food while sitting on a terrace on some lazy summer afternoon.
The staff at both the cellar doors was extremely friendly and helpful. The wife (Brigit) of the winemaker served us at Weingut Fred Lomier. The CD and office in located in this new all black minimalist concrete building at the end of a little lane up from the road out from Langenlois. The front door is locked and you have to ring for them to let you in. Birgit explained to us that her husband’s style of winemaking is to keep the alcohol down, make a lighter style of both GV and Rieslings than their neighbours and letting the fruit do the talking.
At Weingut Schmelz, the lady behind the counter could only speak German, but was very helpful in showing us where the vineyards were and trying to explain some things to us in German even though between Bill and me, we could put together just “Gruss Gottâ€Â, "Danke Schon" and “Sehr gut†So much for having done three years of German back in high school two decades ago.
Finally, the 2005 vintage in Wachau / Kamptal / Kremstal is meant to be a beauty with just about perfect conditions. I asked about the rains that flooded parts of Germany in mid-August 2005, but the locals said there were no problems in their area. I knew from my travels last year in Europe late August and early September that central Europe got lots of sunshine.
Max, I will PM you the CD prices and contact details.
Okay, I have to go and prepare for my classes tomorrow. The thing about being a teacher is that work always follow you home.
Oh, I almost forgot, one white wine that you must try is the Nikolaihof Gruner Veltliner Vinothek 1991 (current release.) We tasted this wine at the Nikolaihof cellar door and was completely blown away by how good it was. I only wrote down a brief TV, but it said:
Amazing! Incredible! Complex nose of ripe fruits. Fresh, not like a 15-year old wine, but more like a three or four year wine. Hits all the spots on the palate. Wine actually dances on the tongue. Long, long, long finish.
My memory is a bit hazy, but I think it was aged in massive 6,000litre Austrian oak barrels. I have some photos of the Nikolaihof barrels, but have no idea how to put them on here.