Connections ...

A global network of friends can make life much more easy and interesting.

I am proud to announce the linkage between the "Cellars-Hohenort" and "The Franz Schneider Wine Experience". 

Guests of the luxury five star Relais & Chateau Hotel in Cape Town can find the link to this blog directly at cellars hohenort - food and wine - the greenhouse. (Scroll down beside the pic... my link is at the bottom).

And to make it easier for my readers  ... here is the link back:

The Cellars-Hohenort

Thanks Miguel ... now I have to try to comment on Austrian wines more eloquent.

For more information on Austrian wines:

Wines from Austria - A taste of Culture

Riesling Loimer

This week I tasted an extraordinary Riesling. The "Riesling Terassen 2007" from Fred Loimer is exceptional well balanced and shows pungent peach and apricot aromas with underlying minerality on the nose. On the palate again the same flavors as in the nose but with a really good acid structure (makes the wine easy to recognise as Riesling!).

The most stunning thing was the minerality on the palate with an alcohol level of just 12.8%. 

analysis:

TA: 7.5 g/l

RS: 4 g/l

Alc: 12.8 %vol.

Winery link:   Weingut Loimer

Kamp valley: (Kamp is the name o fthe river)

no flowers ..

Last weekend I was the proud host of my birthday and graduation party. As a matter of fact ... my birthday was in February .. had to reschedule because it was to close to my departure to South Africa ... the same works for grad party (graduation in September 07) .. but no time.

Anyway ... I have invited family and friends .. overall about 55 people .. and my birthday wish was:

No flowers, bring good! wine. 

Gladly everybody obeyed and now my collection is much more valuable than before. On the other hand some treasures were opened too!

Don´t ask how many..

Didi and I:

Aunt Frieda and aunt Anna:

Contemplation?

Am I that small?

Soccer friends:

The VIP ... (very important pig!!)

My birthday cake:

old friends ...

I spent this weekend with my old classmates in the "Wachau" area. Lots of stories, lots of wines, ... self explaining.

It was nice to meet my friends from school after 10 years and Martin was the perfect tourguide. Boat trip from Krems to Spitz and back, wine tasting and tour at "Winzer Krems" .. the biggest cooperative in Austria (with about 1350 members), "Heurigenjause" and Spritzer.

Danube:

terrasses:

Krems:

Martin and Didi:

wine tasting:

Chill out:

"brothers in alc":

Bye, Bye Cape Town

Today is our last day here in Cape Town. 

I had a really great time here and I will take many experiences (pics as well!!), thoughts and new ideas back home.

We had a nice long! holiday the last 3 weeks but I am glad to go home after 6 months, too.

Last Friday we hosted our farewell party in the cellar and I would like to post pics of some new good friends who (hopefully) enjoyed the evening as much as we did.

This blog will change its focus again with the end of my stay in South Africa. It will focus again more on wine tastings  because I neglected this part here totally. Not because I didn´t taste .. just because it is quite a lot of work to keep a blog up to date. 

And by the way ... it really sucks when one is writing in the unendingly spaces of the web .. with no replies! 

Cheers

Ulli and Franz

the wines:

wine discussions: 

happy: