Dienstag, 23. Dezember 2008

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dear reader,

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2009!

I am looking forward to another year of great wines, excellent food and more "adventures" in foreign (wine) countries. Stay well!!

Freitag, 19. Dezember 2008

Indigenous white varieties and Red Top wines ...

This weeks theme at Pub Klemos weekly tasting was indigenous white varieties and top reds from Austria.

tasting team: Ulli, Bernhard G. and I - all wines tasted blind.

1. Viognier "Condrieu" 2002 from Rostaing, Rhone - ok
relatively neutral, a bit oxidative but still ok, ripe apple, good acid structure, but short.

2. Chenin Blanc "Coulee de Serrant" 2005 from Nicolas Joly, Loire - yech!!
oxidative, apple cider, old.

3. Verdejo 2007 from Bodegas Aura, Rueda - good
fresh, fruity, grapefruit, soft acid structure.

4. Vernaccia "Terre di Tuffi" 2006 from Teruzzi, San Gimignano - ok
neutral, very phenolic on the palate,

5. Rotgipfler Spätlese 2007 from Weingut Biegler - ok/good
"sweet" nose, honey and sweet melon, touch of burgundy flavors, RS.

6. Fiano di Avellino 2005 from Mastroberardino, Campania - ok
neutral, quite high in volatile acid, phenolic.

7. Grüner Veltliner "Vinotheksfüllung" 2006 from Weingut Knoll - good/very good
ripe yellow apple, tobacco, good acid structure.

8. Grüner Veltliner "Kreutles" 2007 from Weingut Hackl - ok/good
quite neutral, by far not as structured as 6,

9. Rhine Riesling "Kellerberg" 2007 from Weingut F.X. Pichler - delicious/extraordinary
perfumed, typical Riesling, pure ripe apricot, vineyard peaches, perfectly balance between RS and acid structure, wonderful RR.

10. Cuvee "G" 1999 from Weingut Gesellmann - corc
bit open, forest fruit, blueberry, alcoholic, maybe a very slight corc taint, relatively short.

11. Cuvee "M1" 2003 from Weingut Markowitsch - delicious/extraordinary
extremely fruity, bold wine, excellent balanced, pure power, soft tannins, endlessly long.

12. Merlot 2005 from Weingut Krutzler - very good
pure blackberries, very good structured, well integrated tannins, alc. just a bit out balance.

13. Blaufränkisch "Marienthal" 2004 from Weingut E. Triebaumer - delicious/extraordinary
fruity, extremely spicy, still purple hue, soft tannin but very good structure and length.

Dienstag, 16. Dezember 2008

Austrian whites ..

Another tasting day at the Boku Heim. We bought some interesting white wines from Austria. Check out the tasting notes as these wines are really good value for money. Maybe your Christmas carp (or any other fish) is happy with one of those!

1. Leithaberg Weiss 2007 from Weingut Liegenfeld - good/very good - €7,99 Merkur (reduced price) 
fresh lemon and lime flavors, nutty burgundy touch, bit buttery on the palate like partly MLF, multilayered, good acid structure, good length.

2. Grüner Veltliner Wieden Kremstal DAC 2007 from Weingut Salomon - good - €9,94 Wein&Co (20% reduced price)
typical GV, spicy, good acid structure, hints of ripe yellow apples and grapefruit, lemon/lime flavors, exotic touch, good length.

3. Sauvignon Blanc Steirische Klassik 2007 from Weingut Polz - very good/delicious - €12,94 Wein&Co (20% reduced price)
exotic, lychee, gooseberry and nettle flavors, complex, bell pepper, good acid structure, same flavors on the palate, is showing minerality too, dry, good length. 

Just do give this tasting a red counterweight ..

4. Pinot Noir Kreideberg 2006 from Weingut Wagentristl - good/very good
quite dark colour for Pinot Noir, sour cherries, toasted oak, spicy, vanilla notes, smooth tannins, still very young, good balance and length, with potential.

Sonntag, 14. Dezember 2008

Primeur tasting

This weekend Ulli and I had some Primeur wines from France, a wooded Cuvée from Austria and a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

1. Primeur Syrah 2008 Vin de Pays d´Oc from JeanJean - ok
light red color,  purple hue, Schilcher like aromas, strawberry gum, on the palate acid driven, would be much better with more residual sugar. 

2. Primeur Syrah 2008 Vin de Pays de Coteaux du Libron from Vignerons de la Mediterranee - ok
purple red hue,  hints of violets, cherry yoghurt, flavors a little bit undefined, on the palate a bit unbalanced, light in style.

3. Cabernet Merlot Reserve Neckenmarkt 2006 from Wegenstein GmbH- ok
oak, oak, oak, fresh wood shavings, hints of vanilla, opens with more air, peppermint, just new barrel taste on the palate, oak not integrated at all, unbalanced.

All 3 wines about 4 Euros in retail.

4. Sauvignon Blanc Highfield 2006 from Highfield Estate, Marlborough/NZ - very good/delicious - €21,99
lychee and gooseberry power, exotic flavors on the nose, extremely broad aroma spectrum, green bell pepper, very versatile flavors, changing every minute with air, very good acid structure but balanced, great length.

Donnerstag, 11. Dezember 2008

A la Carte - Riesling tasting

Just read this months "A la Carte - Riesling tasting". The tasting crew sampled 228 wines from the vintage 2007. 
There are a few funny things I would like to share ... 

The author wrote in his article ...

"many wines did not show the typical varietal expression of stonefruits"

"Was das Problem bei sehr vielen Weinen war: Es fehlte einfach die klassische und beim Riesling so eindeutig erkenn- und zuordenbare Sortenfrucht nach Steinobst (Marille und Pfirsich). Trotz großzügiger Säureunterstützung fehlen vielen Weinen einfach Pfiff und Animo; Trinkfluss und Trinkfreude wollten sich partout nicht einstellen. Dazu kamen oft merklich unreif-grüne Elemente und auch deutlich erkennbare Gerbstoffnoten, die nicht einmal der manchmal großzügig bemessene (und deutlich schmeckbare) Zuckerrest überspielen konnte."

The funny thing is the description of the wines:
wines with "varietal fruit,  stonefruit, Riesling nose" in the description: 73 from 122 wine (in the range from 94 to 88 pts).

16 wines were rated from 94 to 91 points and 43! gathered 90 pts. 43 wines at 90 points ... how do I decide what to buy??? (maybe the cheapest is a good option ;-)

statistics:
94 to 91 pts = 7.01%
90 pts  = 18.86%
89 pts = 10.96%
88 pts = 16.67%
sum = 53,5% of the wine are over 87 points and that is really exceptional!! 

Last but not least ... my favorite sentence!!!
 "...all wines were tasted blind. The best wines were tasted open to assure the rating"

find out more at: www.alacarte.at

wine rating system

I am proud to introduce the new wine rating system for the wines I/we are tasting. 

The Boku Heim tasting crew agreed (after long discussions) on this new rating system inspired by the book of Dr. Tyler Colman (Wine politics, blog:Dr Vino's wine blog) and based on the rating system of Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher (columnists and bloggers for the Wall Street Journal; Wine Notes and Tastings; Columns & Blogs - Lifestyle - WSJ.com).

The advantage (for critics and consumers) of numbers is ... they are absolute! 93 points are better than 88 pts (on a scale from 0 to 100 ...  in Austria more from 85 to 100).
On the other hand wine consumers (or every other person) are tending more to describe their percepted sensations with adjectives than numbers. Something is ugly, good, bad, delicious, crap, ... You don´t say your steak, your date or your wine was 88 ... The first decision is: was it GOOD or BAD.

The key of this problem is hidden in the definition of absolute: 

absolute: a value or principle that is regarded as universally valid or that may be viewed without relation to other things

95 points are universally valid ... but just for the person who has tasted the wine.
without relation to other things ... what the heck ... first of all we are the other things and there is always a relation to us ... as well as the tasting environment, the food we eat with our wine, our mood ... everything influences our perceptions and therefore the very same wine tastes different on a terrace in Italy or 3 months later at home.

All this things made us think about to adopt a better system to express our perceptions of a certain wine. The rating system relies on adjectives rather than numbers and may vary on the same wine in different situations. (Nobody is perfect!)

These adjectives are:

The rating system

yech (speak: jek) - wines with winemaking related faults (cork taints and oxidation failures are excluded and stated as cork or ox)
ok - wines without faults but simple.
good - satisfactory wines which are showing nice flavors on the nose and the palate. Good value for money.
very good - wines are showing good expression of the variety with very typical aromas on the nose and the palate. Good value for money but definitely in a higher price range.
delicious - extremely good wines with great power, balance and length, with potential.
extraordinary - exceptional wines, perfectly balanced with great potential.

Half steps between adjectives are possible!

Stockholm pics

This post features some pics from our trip to Stockholm last weekend. We visited my friends Fredrik and Tove whom I met in Cape Town during their (work)holidays.

Rudolf and friends:















Now I know why the Mercedes A-class fell ... they are really big!















Gamla Stan from a ferry:















old town:















Stockholm castle:















Swedish CH ... thanks my friend for this opportunity!















Fredrik and Johannes are sampling more wine in Rolf´s Kök ... if one plans to go to Stockholm ... this restaurant is a must














elk in a better shape ...















Swedish traditional delight ... gratinated potatoes:















perfectly with reindeer (no it wasn´t Rudolf ... this pic was from the day before!)














wines tasted:

1. Gigondas Cuvee Tradition 2006 from Domaine Santa Duc - good
went very well with the reindeer and the gratinated potaoes, fruity but a little bit unbalanced (high alc. 15%abv.)

2. Chablis 2006 from Billaud-Simon - ok/good
fresh,  fragile aroma, buttery notes but not a bold wine, just partly MLF, alc. 12,5.
at Gondolen wine bar.

3. Rhine Riesling Smaragd 2004 from Domäne Wachau - good/very good
perfect with starter, hering in mustard, hering with cumin and onions, hering with caviar sauce

4. The Fergus 2005 from Tim Adams/Clare Valley - still ok
very fruitforward, Australian nose, no structure but very high in alcohol, totally unbalanced, with more air and temp just alc. noting else.
3 and 4 at the Leijonbaren http://www.leijonbaren.se/

5. Chardonnay Barrique 2003 from Blaxsta / Sweden - ox
unfortunately oxidative.

6. Rosé 2008 from Weingut Unger - good
fruity, strawberry, good acid structure. This is a made Rosé! (means: red grapes are pressed and fermented like a white wine, not drained from red wine must)

7. Grüner Veltliner Grub 2006 from Schloss Gobelsburg - cork

8. Nebbiolo Langhe 2005 from Pio Cesare - good
fruity, typically very well structured (it´s made from Nebbiolo!), good with elk.

9. Kaiserberg 2006 from Weingut Unger - good/very good
fruitforward style with load of blackberries and cassis, smooth tannins, perfect match with elk.

We had some more wines but I didn´t take further notes.

Mittwoch, 10. Dezember 2008

Boku Heim tasting

Today is the annual Christmas Party in our students house (BOKU Heim). We are preparing ourself mentally with some wines ;-)

1. grüner veltliner! 2008 "Junger Österreicher" from Weingut Gschweicher - ok/good
fresh, green apple flavors, lively acid structure.

2. Zweigelt 2007 from Weingut Gmeiner (wine from upper austria!!!!) - ok/good
fruity with oak notes on the nose, chocolate, hard tannins, young.

the wines from the party:

3. Chardonnay Spätlese 2006 from Weingut Kaiser/Matzen - yech
dull, dirty, moldy nose. (Our first thought was cork but the cork itself smelled ok. Our conclusion was a moldy barrels or pipes).

4. St. Laurent Landwein from Weingut Kaiser/Matzen - yech
(Landwein is the stage below quality wine and therefore is no vintage stated)
unclean, dirty old barrel, moldy, phenolic. As this is the second wine of the estate it seems to be a serious problem within the winery!

To drink another decent wine this evening we opened a bottle of 

5. Zweigelt 2007 from Weingut Unger - good
cherry, sour cherries, blackberries, on the nose, slight coffee flavors and tannin structure on the palate.

Donnerstag, 4. Dezember 2008

Stockholm

Tomorrow we are going to fly to Stockholm. I can´t wait to drink Swedish wine (if I find one). Check next week for some cool pics.

Cheers, 
Franz

Falstaff ..

I arrived late at the "Falstaff Red Wine Feast" in the Grand Hotel Vienna ... chain of reasoning ... too many drunk people, too hot, too smoky, no real tasting possible and as every year the awkward - ridiculous speech of Dr. Romé. If one doesn´t know the winners of his own event, it is time to step down.

By the way ... Congratulations to the winners!!

Dienstag, 2. Dezember 2008

Boku Heim tasting .. the next day!

Bernhard Gschweicher brought us the most difficult wine to taste. Blind tasted no one had any idea what this could be!

1. Weingut Gschweicher Uhudler from grape Isabella" 07 (you can´t buy this wine as it is illegal in this region)
pale red hue, extrem strawberry flavors, bit phenolic, strange but interesting!

In front of his house is this big old vine and last year was the first time they made wine from it. Just for fun of course.

We retasted the wines from yesterday and some new stuff as we visited our fellow students Rudi Wagentristl and Flo Alphart.

2. GB Gebirg 07
more open than yesterday, complex flavors, walnut, minerality, decent!

3. Rosenberg Reserve 06 
vanilla and honey flavors, gingerbread spices, more oak detectable than yesterday, but great acid structure, and good length. decent with potential.

4. Weingut Wagentristl Blaufränkisch "Föllikberg" 06
spicy, red fruit, structured palate, bit high in alc., some dry tannins, ok to good!

5. Weingut Unger Merlot 2007
blackberries, coffee notes, structured but smooth tannins, more length than 4., decent with potential.

Montag, 1. Dezember 2008

Boku Heim tasting

My room mate Bernhard Gschweicher arrived last week from home (yes it was quite a long harvest). Now we are sampling some of his wines and some others. The Boku Heim tasting team is reunited!!

All wines were tasted blind, but drunk with knowledge!

1. Weingut Gschweicher Gebirg´ Grauburgunder 07
not explosive flavors on the nose (but it is a Pinot Gris and that s very typical!), bold body and good length, hints of nuts and exoitc flavors on the palate, good.

2. Weingut Gschweicher Grüner Veltliner "Kellerberg" 06 (actually Kellerberg Weinviertel DAC)
fresh, fruitforward style, hints of gooseberries and lychee, ananas flavors, spicy on the palate, long extractsweet finish (14 abv.%) alcohol very good integrated, very good.

3.  Weingut Ott "Rosenberg Reserve" 06
golden hue, like slight vanilla flavors on the nose, typical Löss, bit phenolic, with more air more oak toasting notes but not unpleasant, bold wine with great length. 

4. Viu Manent Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 06 / Valle de Colchagua / Chile
cassis fruit and oak on the nose, with more air and at higher temperature more Brett flavors.

Donnerstag, 27. November 2008

Mondovino tasting notes

Argentina

Bodega Catena / Mendoza
1. Malbec 05
bit overripe flavors, very smooth tannins, on midpalate bit alcoholic. 
2. Cabernet Sauvignon 02
simple ,but good.


Australia 

Penfolds
3. Thomas Hyland Shiraz 05
typical, Australian sweet fat flavors, soft tannins, bit alchoholic, good.
4. BIN 2 Shiraz / Mouvedre 06
spicy, good structure, ok.
5. BIN 128
fruity, spicy, after a while overripe flavors and some volatile aroma components


Chile

Vina Ventisquero
6. Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 08
reductive, green, hints of exotic flavors, ok on palate
7. Carmenere Reserva 06
green, eucalytus, good tannins, good length.
8. Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 06
extremly fruitforward, extract sweetness!!, good structure and length, very good !!
9. Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva 06
fruity, smooth tannin structure, very good !!
10. Grey Carmenere 06
hints of green flavors, but typical for variety, good length, very good.


Germany

Weingut Prinz von Hessen / Rheingau
11. Riesling H trocken 07
simple, fruitforward, good acidity.
12. Riesling QBA trocken 07
good balance, 7 g RS, ok.
13. Riesling Johannisberger Klaus
show good minerality, very distinctive, very typical.
14. Riesling Auslese sweet
good acid structure but rather few flavors on the nose.


France

Champagne Deutz
15. Champagner Brut Classic
brioche, good mousseux, good length.

Champagne Pol Roger
16. Champagner Vintage 99
white bread flavors, good but short.

Champagner Roederer
17. Champagner Brut Premier 
brioche, buttery, mousseux and length very good.

Chapoutier / Cotes du Rhone
18. Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Bernadine
smokey oak flavors, Brett, rather short and flat.


Italy

Fattoria Zerbina / Emiglia Romagna
19. Ceregio Sangiovese Superiore 06
very simple, ok.
20. Marzieno Ravenna Rosso 03
acetone, no tannin structure, alcoholic.

Frescobaldi / Tuscany
21. Chianti Castiglione 06
simple, but shows good cherry flavors on the nose, good.
22. Tenuta di Castiglione 06
spicy, good tannins, but bit alcoholic.
23. Chianti Nipozzano Riserva 05
bit volatile and Brett!!
24. Mormoreto 05
overripe flavors, very dry tannins, short.

La Brancaia / Tuscany
25. Tre 06
simple, ok.
26. Chianti Classico 05
Brett .. nothing else!
27. Il Blu 06
smoky, smooth tannins, good lenght, ok.


Austria

Weingut Willi Bründlmayer / Kamptal
28. Sekt Brut 05
coarse mousseux, fresh, ok.
29. Grüner Veltliner Käferberg 07
soapy, typical Löss GV.
30. Riesling Heiligenstein 07
good acid structure, just few flavors in the nose, not very "loud".
31. Riesling Lyra 07
typical Löss RR, no minerality.
32. Riesling Heiligenstein Alte Reben 07
Löss flavors on the nose, good acidity, rather high RS.

Weingut Hannes Hirsch / Kamptal
33. Riesling Zöbing 07
bit soapy, plastic flavors, short.
34. Riesling Heiligenstein 07
bit reductive, good acid structure.
35. Riesling Gaisberg 07
fragile but typical flavors on the nose, rather high RS, good acidity.
36. Grüner Veltliner Lamm 07
fat, good length, shows ripe yellow apple flavors on the nose, good.

Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg / Kamptal
37. Grüner Veltliner Grub 07
bold, complex aromas on the nose, good length, very good!

Weingut Bernhard Ott / Wagram
38. Grüner Veltliner am Berg 07
fruity, peach and honey melon flavors, rather simple on the palate.
39. Grüner Veltliner Der Ott 07
fruitforward, good length, ok.
40. Grüner Veltliner Rosenberg 07
voluptuous nose, good extract, good length, very good.
41. Riesling Von Rotem Schotter 07
very typical nose, stone fruits, peach, good acid structure, good length, very good.


Spain

Bodegas Paixar / Bierzo
42. Bodegas Paixar 05
oxidative, indifferent structure, bit alcoholic, unbalanced.

Clos Galena / Priorata
43. Galena 05
slight Brett falvors, acetone, loads of oak, high alcohol.
44. Clos Galena 05
acetone, smooth tannins, bit alcoholic.

Ebano / Ribera Duero
45. Ribera der Duero Crianza 05
fruitforward, extract sweetness, good tannin structure, very good.

Valminor / Ribera Duero
46. Albarino 07
fruity, good acidity, but rather simple and short.


South Africa

Thelema / Stellenbosch
47. Sutherland Sauvignon Blanc 07
very typical nose (for South African SB), good acidity.
48. Chardonnay 06
good acid structure, oak very well integrated.
49. The Mint Cabernet Sauvignon 05
eucalyptus, mint, cool flavors on the nose, good tannin structure, perfectly balanced, very good!!


United States

Fetzer Vineyards / California
50. Chardonnay Valley Oaks
good nose, oak, high RS.

Gallo Vineyards / California
51. Sauvignon Blanc Dancing Bull 06
bit phenolic, simple.
52. Chardonnay 06
oak flavors, simple, extract sweetness. ok.
53. Chardonnay Sonoma Selection 07
fat, oaky, typical Californian CH,
54. Laguna 05
pure vanilla flavors, fat, bold wine.

I had some more Austrian wines but ... you know!

Mittwoch, 19. November 2008

Mondovino

Last Friday the Austrian fine wine retailer Wein&Co. hosted its annual tasting "Mondovino" at the Hofburg in Vienna. Wines from all over the world were poured by winemakers, salesmanagers and proprietors from the about 100 estates on show.

It was very nice to meet some friends from South Africa and I had the opportunity to show them around in my home town (unfortunately just in the wine bars ;-)). Good advice ... take more time than 1 night ... Vienna is a great city and I would love to be your host!

Find some pics from this gorgeous wine fair at  WEIN & CO - 2008-11 MondoVino 08 - Aus Lust am Leben!

Tasting notes will follow soon!!

Dienstag, 18. November 2008

Young wines

Just found this interesting article on young Austrian wines. It seems like winemakers are not able to satisfy the needs of all journalists. 
On the one side young wines are appreciated and on the other side doomed and which are the "not interesting varieties" dumped in the various young wines??




from: Der Standard - Online - 5.11.2008
Jagd nach der Jugend 
Lasst den Junker lieber links liegen, fordert Luzia Schrampf

"Der ist ja biblisch alt", mault der Angebetete, dem man einen 2002er Roten schmackhaft macht, der gerade richtig schön ins trinkfähige Alter kommt: Die Farbe ist dunkelrot wie Rotwein, nicht blauviolett, die kratzigsten Tannine sind rund geschliffen, das Ganze hat sich zusammengewachsen und duftet beerig und würzig und abwechslungsreich aus dem Glas, dass es eine Freude ist. "Gibt's nicht schon 2008er?" Dass das Gegenüber trotz aller Reize auf Jüngeres besteht, gibt schwer zu denken.

Jungweine sind ein bisschen wie Botox-Gesichter. Die Ausdrucksmöglichkeiten sind bei beiden ziemlich eingeschränkt, hier durch Lähmung, dort durch brachiale Einheitsvinifikation - trotzdem mögen es viele so haben. Und das, obwohl ein Wein, der im September noch als Traube am Stock hing, Anfang November nur mit vielen technischen Mätzchen klar und duftend in der Flasche sein kann.

Dass es der Steirische Junker in Österreich geschafft hat, den international fest etablierten Beaujolais nouveau zu verdrängen, ist eine Meisterleistung der Vermarktung. Und dass dieses Erfolgsrezept mittlerweile von allen Regionen kopiert wird, sei auch gestattet. Schließlich wird mehreren Seiten Gutes getan: jedem Winzer, der seine mäßig aufregenden Sorten unter einem Jungwein-Label doch gewinnbringend verkaufen kann. Und den österreichischen Weintrinkern, die Frucht und Spritzigkeit lieben wie sonst niemand.

Dass dieser Wahn nach Jugend auch auf die ernsthafteren Weine durchschlägt, ist leider wirklich bedauerlich. Nur wenige wissen mit Aromen etwas anzufangen, die sich außerhalb des Frucht-Spektrums von Jungweinen bewegen, das ebenso attraktiv wie endenwollend ist. Sie verzichten auf ein samtiges "Mouthfeel", das nichts mit der Anmutung von Schmirgelpapier zu tun hat, das man mit zu jungen Weinen mitgeliefert bekommt. Die Komplexität von reifen Weinen bleibt ihnen verschlossen. Dass ein guter Wein auch mit der Reife Frische bewahrt, haben sie noch nicht verstanden. (Luzia Schrampf/Der Standard/rondo/31/10/2008)



Terroir ... what else?

Bernhard found this interesting insight in the traditional winemaking techniques of Domaine Patrick Hudelot / Burgundy.
Now we know the cause for the sweatiness in some French wines ;-)

Domaine Patrick Hudelot

Mittwoch, 12. November 2008

white and red

Yesterday I have tasted two absolutely different wines. Yes of course ... one was white and the other one red  ... but beside this fact they were really different in taste and style.

Both wines were tasted blind in my favorite tasting glass Riedel Riesling - Vinum Extreme Series

1. Vouvray 2006 - Domaine Huet 
showed strong aging aromas on the nose, no fruit, no structure, the same on the palate, residual sugar, very unpleasant. 
No chance to determine Chenin Blanc or Vouvray in this bottle.

2. Blaufränkisch Eisenberg 2006 - Uwe Schiefer
rather light in color, red berries and spicyness on the nose, good tannin structure and balance, 12,5%abv. and that creates a typical, easy drinking BF, very good and good value for money (9€ at cellar door)

Saint Martin

This weekend was the traditional blessing of the new vintage by the pastor in my region. Besides the delicious "Martini" goose on the menu of nearly every restaurant lots of wineries hosted tasting of the young wines from 2008 and of course older vintages.
"Martini" is a good opportunity for Austrian wine lovers to get to know what the new vintage tastes like and is also enjoyed by our neighbours from Germany, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Especially visitors from the Czech Republic showed great interest in our wines and they have changed from mere wine drinkers to wine lovers and real connoiseurs during the last years.
 
Find an actual review of young wines at B-Blog

Montag, 3. November 2008

wine of the month October

Unbelievable but true. After this long time I posted another wine of the month.

check out at: Wine of the month

Champagne tasting

I was recently invited at a Champagne trade tasting at LeCru in Vienna. Attendees were mostly buyers and sommeliers. The tasting was perfectly organised and held blind. 

Link:  Le Cru - 100% Champagne - demnächst in Wien

Have a look at my score card: (first number: my score, 2nd number: mean score)
 

1 Bouvet-Ladubay Extra Brut 82 81,4 

2 Robert Moncuit Extra Brut 83 83,2 

3 Pierre Peters Extra Brut 85 82,8 

4 Michel Arnould Brut Tradition 75 78,7 

5 Pol Roger Brut Réserve 83 83,8 

6 Taitinger Brut Réserve 82 84,9 

7 Arnould Rosé 76 81 

8 Bergeronneau-Marion Rosé 85 84,9 

9 Veuve Cliquot Vintage Rosé 1999 

10 Taitinger Rosé 83 83,5 

11 Maurice Veselle Rosé 84 85,1 

12 Daniel Caillez Rosé 81 85 

13 Veuve Fourny Cuvée 'R' 87 86,6 

14 DOM 79 80,5 

15 Krug Grand Cuvée 81 79,1 

16 Bouvet-Ladubay Instinct 86 86,5 

17 Lenoble Gentilhomme 1999 91 86,8 

18 Veuve Fourny Millésime 2002 90 88,5 

19 Taitinger Prelude 88 86,7 

20 Pierre Peters Les Chétillons 2000 89 87,5

Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008

Austrian Wine Challenge

I am looking forward to thursday 3pm. The Austrian Wine Challenge is held at the town hall Vienna and over 1000 wines are waiting to be tasted by us!!

You will find soe more information about this fair at: awc vienna - Home

Hope to see you there!!

Freitag, 24. Oktober 2008

red wine festival

Recently there were quite a lot of tastings in my region and in Vienna. I will just post all the wines I like´d most and those with Brett. 
Brett is a bigger problem than I have thought and it is ubiquitous. From now onwards I will try the famous "name and shame"-policy with these wines!! Maybe we can change the world ...  a world were excessive Brett aromas are faults and not the "terroir".

Red wine tasting 2008 - Vinothek Sailer´s - ranking shows the wines I liked most in each category!

category: Zweigelt (5 wines)
1. Zweigelt "Kaiserberg" 2006 - winery Josef Unger - €11,50
typical Kaiserberg fruit with load of Cassis and smooth tannins

2. Zweigelt "Heideboden" 2006 - winery Georg Preisinger - €8,60
well structured and fruity, good.

category: Blaufränkisch (7 wines)
1. Blaufränkisch "M" 2006 - winery Josef Wurzinger - €12
spices and berry fruit on the nose. good tannin structure.

2. Blaufränkisch "Dürrau" 2006 - winery Paul Kerschbaum - €19,50
dark cherry aroma, tannin structure good. nice spice on the palate

category: St. Laurent (4 wines)
1. St. Laurent 2006 - winery Franz Lentsch - €11
dark cherries, smoth tannins, well structured

2. St. Laurent 2006 - winery Gernot Heinrich - €14
nice cherry and berry flavors, but oak tannin bit overdone

category: Pannobile (9 wines)
1. "Pannobile Rot" 2006 - winery Gernot Heinrich - €21,60
fruity and very well structured, but no harsh tannins, very balanced.

2. "Pannobile Rot" 2006 - winery Leitner - €18
very elegant, refined tannins, very slight Brett aromas give more complexity, good.

3. "Pannobile Rot" 2006 - winery Helmut Renner - €19,50
elegant structure, good

All Pannobile wines are changing towards the more elegant, "terroir"-driven side.

category: blends 1 (17 wines)
1. "Remanenz" 2006 - winery Franz Lentsch - €16
fruity, refined tannins, balanced

2. "Tetuna" 2006 - winery Robert Goldenits - €14,50
nice structure but a bit oaky

3. "Capello" 2006 - winery Josef Unger - €16
Cassis aroma, could do with a bit more structure

category: Pinot Noir (3 wines)
actually none of the Pinot Noirs fitted my palate. Damn!! Fabien "spoiled" me with that Charton et fils 2001.

category: Cabernet Sauvignon (3 wines)
CS is aparently not the best variety for the Austrian climate. All 3 wines had slight green unripe flavors.

category: blends 2 (18 wines)
1. "Gabarinza" 2006 - winery Gernot Heinrich - €33
fruity, complex aromas, structured and very well balanced

2. "Terra O." 2006 - winery Johann Heinrich - €22,50
ripe fruity aromas on the nose, cinnamon, spicy,

3. "Impressario" 2006 - winery Paul Kerschbaum - €28
very well structured and fruity

4. "Steinzeiler" 2006 - winery Kollwentz - €37
bold wine, needs time, but great potential

5. "Admiral" 2006 - winery Pöckl - €33
very well structured, tannin will need time to mellow, potential.

category: Brett (9 wines)
All these wines showed Brett flavors with various intensity.
winery Claus Preisinger - Gols - Heideboden 06, Pannobile 06
winery Steiner - Podersdorf - Sapienta 06
winery Heinrich Lunzer - Gols - Cuvée d´amitie 06
winery Hans Moser - St. Georgen - V.T.S. 06
winery Wellanschitz - Neckenmarkt - Fraternitas 06
winery Josef Gager - Deutschkreutz - CabLot 06
winery Igler-Reisner - Deutschkreutz - Ab Ericio 06
winery Umathum - Frauenkirchen  - Hallebühl 04 (cork, Brett)

9 wines with Brett out of 70 are 12,86%!! 

Mittwoch, 22. Oktober 2008

marmalade, jellys and more

Last Friday I was invited to judge 54 marmalades and jellys from the Burgenland area.
Most popular were varietal preserves and specialities. On the one hand I am not the most proficient marmalade cook but tasting is tasting and one can train his senses with good made marmalades. 

Have a look at this most interesting tasting at Magazine Kulinarium 20.10.

Dienstag, 14. Oktober 2008

Autumn in Austria

As I am quite busy with the theory part of my Master thesis I would like to just post some Austrian fall impressions. Enjoy!!

bird food!


















rolling hills:


















leafs:


















leafs 2:


















young wine - "Heuriger"
















Donnerstag, 2. Oktober 2008

insights ...

Rudi Wagentristl, fellow student and winemaker in Großhöflein, launched his wine blog on the 21st September.

He gives us insights of the hard everday work in his vineyards and hte cellar with accurate explanations in the actions taken during the harvest. I/We are very curious to learn more ...

Link: Rudi's WeinBlog or find it in my link list

P.S. Have a look at the great pics!!

a step back ...

Bad luck for all wine lovers. The Austrian fine wine retail chain Wein&CO takes back a step in the question of smoking in all of their tasting outlets. 
After proclaiming proudly with lots of PR effort to be the first smoke-free wine bar in Austria earlier this year (1.1.2008) the step back is taken much more silent. The reason according to the article from ORF Bei Wein & Co wird wieder geraucht - oesterreich.ORF.at is the decrease of wine sales by 20% and the "more important" decrease of tips!

Mittwoch, 1. Oktober 2008

Vienna Wine field day

This weekend was the second Vienna Wine field day. The wine interested public had the chance to walk about 12 km in the vineyards of the Viennas hills (Nussberg, Kahlenberg,..). Along the way various winemakers and "Heurigen" proprietors hosted tastings in little cabanas and we had the chance to eat some local cheeses and other food.
Another hotspot was the "Bauerngolf" - farmers golf ... one had to try to throw gumboots into a wheelbarrow from different distances. It was really a lot of fun and we missed just one boot to win a bottle of wine. Bad luck ;-( 


Farmers golf:



















views of Vienna:



















the danube:



















the signs:


















tastings:


















Cheese!!



















the hole:






















Donnerstag, 11. September 2008

Pannobile tasting

Last weekend, the high end wine producer association "Pannobile" hosted the release tasting of the "Pannobile 2006". I tasted the wines of the 9 members at the "Heuriger Schlossahaus" in Mönchhof.

All "Pannobile" wines are underlying strict production rules including the usage of autochthon varieties (Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, Saint Laurent). 
The white Pannobiles are limited to Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Neuburger and Chardonnay. 

All wines are tasted blind by all members and they choose which batches are good enough for the "Pannobile".

Pannobile white:
1. Gsellmann (Pinot Blanc)
fresh fruity, very delicat toasting aromas on the nose and powerful on the palate. Very good.

2. Renner (Pinot Blanc)
Toasting aromas a bit prominent on the nose, more powerful as 1. but not as elegant.

Pannobile red:
3. Renner (Zweigelt/Blaufränkisch)
fruitforward, black cherries, juicy tannins with good structure, lenghty finish.

4. Nittnaus (ZW/BF)
very fruit forward nose, red cherries, smooth, bit shorter as 3., spicy, animating!

5. Preisinger (ZW/BF)
Cassis and cool aromas on the nose, tobacco, smooth but with good lenght ... after a few minutes with O2 ... fruit is gone, overripe aromas dominating.

6. Gsellmann (ZW/BF)
cooked nose, no fruit detectable, smooth but slightly alcoholic finish, dry tannin.

7. Beck (ZW/BF/Saint Laurent)
dominant SL aromas on the nose, bit cooked, oaky tannins on the palate.

8. Pittnauer (BF/ZW)
dark berry fruit, structured, fruity on the palate, bit alcoholic.

9. Leitner (ZW/BF)
fruit forward, cherries, bit Brett, palate bit bitter.

10. Heinrich (ZW/BF)
very fruit forward, cherries, very good structure with good implemented oak, very good.

11. Achs (ZW/SL/BF)
strange cabbage flavors, same on the palate, here is definitly something wrong! 

for more information: Pannobile | Gols | Burgenland