Snooth PVA: Wines of Austria

Sunday morning in Manhattan we left our Chelsea digs and headed over to a SoHo event space called Meet at the Apartment, a repurposed apartment with a big dining room seen at right, a kitchen, and a few other rooms. There we had our first of three Sunday classes. This one focused on the Wines of Austria and was hosted by Aldo Sohm, Chef Sommelier at Le Bernardin and recent maker of his own Grüner Veltliner back home in Österreich.

While waiting, we sipped on an Austrian sparkling wine, the 2011 Pfaffl Grüner Veltliner Brut, Weinviertel, $14. Gentle and relaxing with aromas of lemongrass, a slightly creamy texture, and mild white fruit flavors. In addition to Aldo, we were joined by other representatives from Wines of Austria, including Constance Chamberlain, who has been a long time supporter of this blog with samples and information. I've issued many thanks to Snooth for putting together the trip, but I also owe gratitude to the many wine publicity groups that put in a lot of work to make that weekend happen.

Each class had something special about it, and this one was superlative for having the greatest density of viticultural information combined with the fact that we all had to be dragged away from the table to make our lunch appointment. Aldo wanted to keep going even as we ran late, and nobody was eager to leave. He spoke about the general distinction between American and European sommeliers: Americans start with the fruit, and Europeans start with the terroir. There are obviously many outliers, but for this course we focused almost entirely on the soil and geology of Austria and how they impact the wine. Aldo spoke passionately about rocks, and passed around chunks of limestone that he had carried from different parts of the country. We heard about winemakers who would pick up a pinch of soil and chew on it to gauge how the grapes would go and how the wine would develop over time. It's also a nation in which a third of the wines produced are organic or biodynamic.

That we stuck purely to Grüner Veltliner should come as no surprise, but we got to see many different expressions. This lineup featured one small wine country, one grape, yet infinite diversity in infinite combinations.

There's far too much information in my notes for one blog post, but I would encourage you to explore the many and often very affordable wonders that are available from Austria. I mention the wine regions in each mini-review, but in brief, we're talking about the eastern side of Austria on the borders with Slovakia and Hungary.

• 2011 Stadimann Grüner Veltliner, Thermenregion, $16: Bright green apple profile, dry and fruity with excellent acidity and minerality. Quite fresh and clean. I was craving oysters something fierce with this wine.
  
  
• 2011 Huber Obere Steigen, Traisental, $22: Wet stone with a more brash edge to it than the prior wine. Touch of peach and white pepper. It is recommended that younger, tighter wines like this be decanted for a period of time serving--a great idea, but one that presents a challenge for warmer climates like my own.
  
  
• 2011 Ebner Ebenauer Birthal, Weinviertel, $19: A bit of dust on the nose, but bright acidity, very floral and crisp. Gravelly and rustic, and one that would pair well with an earthy trout dish.
  
  
• 2011 Graf Hardegg Vom Schloss, Weinviertel, $18: Lots of sandstone in this area, resulting in a wine that is richer, fruitier, but with medium acidity. Well balanced and a classic Grüner Veltliner.
  
  
• 2011 Veyder Marlberg Kreutles, Wachau, $30: 100% organic from an eccentric winemaker. Tropical fruit, pineapple dominate this tangy wine with a slightly salty, bitter finish. Very unique yet enjoyable.
  
  
• 2011 Sohm & Kracher Grüner Veltliner, Weinviertel, $38. Aldo's own wine, produced in small quantities--only 800 bottles in this release. There's a hint of mint on top, with very delicate apple notes underneath. Very soft and round with a mild, gentle finish. Incredibly delicate.
  
  
• 2009 Moric St. Georgener Grüner Veltliner, Leithaberg, $49: Bigger alcohol content in this wine from a predominantly Blaufränkisch producer. Oak and a little oxidation, with a touch of bitterness.
  
  
• 2011 F.X. Pichler Dürnsteiner Liebenberg Smaragd, Leithaberg, $70: Darker apple tones on this wine with a pure and silky body. Mysterious and fascinating.
  
  
• 2011 Prager Stockkultur, Wachau, $90: Very ripe peach aromas dominate the nose of this powerful and rich wine. Big acidity and a slight sweetness round out the wine that has 4g/L of residual sugar. Yet another surprising facet of this versatile grape.
  
  
• 2011 Ott Fass 4, Wagram, $26: Loess soil provides for a clean and charming wine dominated by minerals. Perhaps the most purely mineral-focused wine of the entire tasting.
  
  
• 2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Lamm, Kamptal, $62: Dark and deep with a bitter edge. Austere and in need of much deeper inspection, yet we were running out of time.
  
  
• 2010 Schloss Gobesburg Tradition, Kamptal, $50: From the same producer as above, but more mellow and approachable with a brightly perfumed nose.

Check out these other great reviews of the same tasting! VineSleuth "Gruner Veltliner: A Delicious Puzzle", The Reverse Wine Snob "Gruner Love Featuring Stadimann Gruner Veltliner", Jameson Fink "High Line Park and Gruner Veltliner: Contemplating Time and Space", Vindulge "So you think you know Grüner", Wine Julia "SnoothPVA: Terroir Driven Grüner Veltliners of Austria Create Food Friendly Wines with Distinctive Flavors", My Vine Spot "#SnoothPVA: Wines of Austria Master Class", The V.I.P. Table "My 2013 Vinous Revelation: Grüner Veltliner", Palate Press "Lingering Flavors, Lingering Questions: Tasting Grüner Veltliner with Aldo Sohm"

Note: This trip was provided by Snooth.

Laurenz V. Grüner Veltliner

Nearly two years ago to the day, I wrote about the wines of Laurenz V. from Austria. I got a press release recently about their newest Grüner Veltliner, a slightly sweet wine called Forbidden and marketed around the story of the serpent in the garden of Eden. It certainly sounded interesting, but alas, the wine is not yet available in the United States. But the PR firm was happy to send me the recent releases of Singing and Charming, the two wines that I tried in 2010.

The bottles still have a lot of great things going for them: affordable prices, friendly labels, convenient screwcaps, and food-friendly flavors. Grüner Veltliner is coming in a close second to dry rosé as my favorite type of wine for the summer. There's no heavy oak, no heavy acidity, just a pleasant and well-balanced white wine that goes well with so many different foods.

2011 Laurenz und Sophie Singing Grüner Veltliner
Kremstal Region
$16, 12% abv.
Crisp and refreshing with a light ripe apricot aroma and just a touch of lime peel. It's an easy drinking wine that would be an outstanding introduction for a first time Grüner Veltliner drinker, and it will pair well with a lot of light summer dishes like grilled chicken salads and cold pasta.

2010 Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner
Kamptal Region
$30, 13% abv.
This is a more serious wine with more earth, more minerality, and greater balance. Once again, I found myself craving seafood but also enjoyed sipping this one after dinner. While it's great cold, this one maintains its elegance even as it warms up, something that I always take as a sign of a great white wine.

I made enchiladas verdes with pork shoulder that I smoked over cherry wood. What does Austria have to do with Mexico? How about the 1864-1867 reign of Austrian Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico. He overthrew (and was later overthrown by) President Benito Juárez, who happens to be the second most well-known Benito in history after that bastard Mussolini. Some day I'll overtake them both...

The wines worked well with the enchiladas and it was fun to maintain a "green" theme with the meal. On a second helping I added a bit of ghost pepper sauce and discovered that Grüner Veltliner can hold up to some pretty serious heat, something to consider for future pairings with Thai and Vietnamese food.


Note: These wines were received as samples.

Austrian Wines & Year of the Rabbit

Constance is my source for interesting Austrian wines, and I was more than happy to try a couple of new bottles. These were sent as a promotion to pair Austrian wines with Asian cuisine as part of the Year of the Rabbit celebrations. I contemplated making a Chinese rabbit dish, but given my limited cooking skills when it comes to an entire continent, I didn't feel like a first attempt here. (I'll get around to studying the culinary methods of the Far East one of these days, stay tuned.) Instead, these wines got paired with normal Benito fare like fried catfish and linguini with clams. Since Constance always includes a little gift inside the box, this time I received a nice pair of chopsticks that have a slow twist carved in the top. I promise I'll use these for something very soon.

2009 Weingut Christ Wiener Gemischter Satz
Vienna, Austria
$24, 12% abv.

This is a field blend made within the city limits of Vienna. (The mind reels at the thought of vines grown between the monuments of Washington, D.C.) Originally these Vienna wines were consumed in local taverns as table wines, but recently they've become popular and even trendy. I don't know the precise grapes or percentages. One source suggests that the blend is Grüner Veltliner, Neuburger, Riesling, Weissburgunder, Welschriesling, Traminer, Roter Veltliner, Silvaner, and Zierfandler, which just happen to be the names of Mozart's first cousins. You'll see the phrase Gemischter Satz translated as "mixed sentence", but that's not accurate. It's just the German phrase for "field blend", and might be literally translated as "mixed type or style".

This wine has a bewitching aroma. Wet rocks, honey, talc, and vanilla. Tart beginning, slightly fizzy mouthfeel (though no bubbles are present in the glass), and firm acidity. Dry as a bone with little to no fruit. The finish is short and stony, and Gott im Himmel, I love me a rocky wine.

2010 Domäne Wachau Terrassen Federspiel Grüner Veltliner
Wachau Valley, Austria
$18, 12% abv.

Federspiel is the middle grade of the Wachau classification, between Steinfeder (table wines) and Smaragd (the finest wines), and Terrassen refers to the terraced vineyards found in the valley.

Coming from a region directly west of Vienna, this Grüner Veltliner has a huge fruit presence, more so than I've ever seen from this grape. Lots of cantaloupe and pineapple, dry with a tart, long finish. Later, at room temperature, there's a little wet limestone character, but the fruit continues to dominate and the acidity is more pronounced. I felt that it worked well with the linguine and clams, although it should be good with all sorts of seafood dishes. You'll want something salty or with lots of strong flavors to stand up to the wine, because it would completely cover up something like simple poached salmon.

Both wines are enclosed with a convenient screwcap that bears the red circle and white striped banderol of Austrian Qualitätswein.


Note: These wines were received as samples.

The Austrian Duet

When Constance e-mailed me about some Austrian wines from Monika Caha Selections, she said she had a "Grooner and a Zvy-gelt". That was odd, I thought--I knew she'd been over there recently and I can get by in Deutsch (even if it isn't meine Muttersprache), but I was happy to try the wines despite the English phonetic spelling. And then a few days later I received screwcap-enclosed bottles labeled Grooner and Zvy-gelt. Well I'll be a monkey's uncle!

I've spoken many times in favor of simpler German and Austrian labels. I think the Austrians are doing a better job of it from what I've seen, but they're also viewed as a newer entry to the American market and have less of an established fan base to deal with. With simple, pop art-inspired labels, anyone should be able to ask for these wines easily, even if they know nothing about the Niederösterreich appellation in Lower Austria, home to both.

I really wanted to enjoy these wines with food, and so recruited Lady A and Paul as dinner companions. For the first course, I made blackened cod with steamed asparagus and Hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise is one of those things that is completely pointless to make just for yourself, but for a group of people you can put a lot of smiles around the table. I used some of the Grüner Veltliner and lime juice in the sauce.

Speaking of which, we obviously paired this with the white: 2009 Grooner, $10, 12% abv. 100% Grüner Veltliner. It's light with a lemon and green apple aroma. Crisp with tart acidity, but not too strong. It rounds out somewhat as it warms up. Outstanding match for seafood--I have a lot of Austrian trout recipes, but I had cod on hand and was anxious to cook it. It was a bit salty with the blackening spices, but delicious regardless.

For the second course, I did something closer to Austrian cuisine. I coated a pork tenderloin with a mix of soy sauce, Dijon Mustard, and honey, and roasted it to a perfect medium, with just a touch of pink in the center. Slices were placed atop a mixture that had been braising for an hour: purple cabbage, red onion, and Jazz apples, with a bit of butter and a dash of red wine vinegar. I didn't overcook it, so the cabbage was still a bit crisp and the flavors of the ingredients were still distinguishable.

Here we opened the 2008 Zvy-Gelt. $11, 13.5% abv. 100% Zweigelt. I will quibble ever so slightly with the pronunciation here, since the German z is a sort of ts sound that takes some practice, especially at the beginning of a word. But no matter. This is a light and refreshing red wine, comparable in character to a Cru Beaujolais. Very mild cherry, soft and smooth with practically no tannins. Subtle spice and toast elements as well. Had I known it would be so gentle, I would have left out the vinegar from the cabbage and dialed back the spices a bit. The food didn't overpower the wine, but I was expecting something much stronger. As it was, the Zweigelt was a pleasant surprise and I was happy to add another grape to my list.

For dessert the always charming Lady A brought along a tasty carrot cake (Karottenkuchen) from Fresh Market with amazing icing. Usually it's just cream cheese, but I swear this had some sour cream or crème fraiche in it. Either way, it was rich, moist, and the perfect cap for the dinner.


Note: This wine was received as a sample, and the shipment included some lovely autumn-patterned table napkins that will show up in a future post.

Laurenz V. Grüner Veltliner

To finish out a week of posts based on a single night hanging out with Sam and Michael, here are the two wines that I brought to the gathering. I knew that Michael was a big fan of Austrian wines, so it seemed like a good fit. Normally it's in bad form to show up at someone's house with already-opened bottles of wine, but I figured two fellow wine bloggers who are also wine retailers would understand. Notes and photos were taken earlier in the day so that I could focus on having fun with friends in the evening.

Laurenz V. is an Austrian winemaker focusing exclusively on Grüner Veltliner with five amusingly named styles. Two are reviewed below, and in the same way that Riesling can be made in a wide range of sweetness and acidity, it's nice to see a single producer doing the same with Grüner. I assumed at first that the "V" stood for a lengthy and difficult to pronounce surname, but he is Laurenz Maria Moser the Fifth, member of a family that has been in the wine business since 1124. I love the simple, straightforward design of these labels, and nicknames like "Sunny" are an excellent way to differentiate and demystify a product line like this.

First up is the younger, more casual of the two: the 2009 Laurenz und Sophie Singing Grüner Veltliner, $15, 12% abv. This comes from the Kremstal region in northeast Austria. Crisp lemongrass, light body, very short finish. Made with his daughter Sophie, this is a fun, relaxing wine that is great chilled and would be a perfect match for salads and cold pasta dishes. Think picnics and summer lunches.

On the more serious side is the 2006 Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner, $27, 13% abv. This is from the Kamptal region, directly north and adjacent to the Kremstal. I was extremely impressed with this wine, and to enjoy this properly you'll want to make sure it doesn't get too cold. Rich, earthy, mineral, long and slightly bitter finish. It is drier than the Singing wine, with less fruit. I found myself craving grilled trout. Because the flavors here are more subtle, you'll want to enjoy this with milder dishes so that those quiet notes are not lost.

This is a great time to be an Austrian wine fan, because the quality is superb, the prices are affordable, and the availability is getting better every day. There are far fewer producers than in Germany, so the selection at the wine shop or on a wine list is not quite as imposing if you're just getting into the scene. I look forward to trying the remaining three Laurenz V. wines in the future.


Note: These wines were received as samples.

Dinner With A.

From time to time it's nice to dine with a friend, though not everyone wishes to become world famous on a wine blog. Thus I respect the privacy concerns of my associates, and present this dinner with the lovely Miss A.

The first course was seared mahi-mahi topped with a fire-roasted orange bell pepper sauce and steamed broccolini. Between this particular cut of fish and the cooking method, I ended up with something as rich and succulent as a lobster tail. A. was quite fond of the pepper sauce, which was a nice balance of smoky, bitter, and sweet.

There was also a salad course after this--simple mesclun greens with shaved Asiago and thinly sliced croutons from a baguette. Both first courses were served with the 2008 Höpler Grüner Veltliner from Burgenland in eastern Austria. $15, 11.5% abv. Clean and crisp at first, but smooth and rich on the finish. Light and refreshing with a very mild citrus flavor. Touches of lime peel and jasmine linger on the nose. I absolutely love this wine and I think it's a great one to keep on hand for all sorts of occasions. Despite coming from a landlocked country, it is superb with seafood.

The main course was mostly prepared ahead of time... I braised short ribs in beer, shallots, garlic, and tomato sauce for about six hours. On the next day, I shredded the meat and stuffed it in homemade ravioli. I used a bit of the braising liquid as a sauce, and also used a sour cream-horseradish sauce just to punch things up. Here I was somewhat mimicking Michael Symon's beef cheek pierogies at Lola in Cleveland. (Actually, now that I have a nearby source of beef cheeks, I might have to really make this recipe.)

This dish didn't come off quite as I expected, but it was still very good and full of savory flavors. My pasta dough was a little sticky this time around, but the ravioli still boiled up properly.

For the main course I poured the 2006 Signaterra Three Blocks from Sonoma. $49, 14.5% abv. 64% Cabernet Sauvignon and 36% Merlot, roughly 4400 cases made. The three lines on the label signify the forces of Earth, Nature, and Man (the name Signaterra means "earth sign"). Most of the grapes are grown using biodynamic practices. I visited Benziger last spring in Sonoma, and while I didn't taste the Signaterra then, I was very impressed with the property tucked back in the hills and valleys of Sonoma.

The initial profile is of black cherrry, earthy, plum. After some breathing, swirling, and sniffing, you get more classic Bordeaux-style aromas like tobacco and cocoa. With the braised short ribs, it worked quite well, but I can see it pairing successfully with practically any red meat. I'd strongly recommend this one in a restaurant, as it opens and develops nicely over the stretch of three hours.

Finally, I have to thank A. for bringing an amazing dessert--cheesecake made in-house from Mosa in east Memphis. We divvied up a pair of slices, one plain, one strawberry. Both were great, but what really set them apart from the herd of factory stamped cheesecake is that they were slightly runny, like brie on a hot summer day, with a similar texture and luscious creaminess to boot. I may have enjoyed mine with a snifter of well-aged Scotch, I'm afraid my notes are incomplete at that point.


Note: The Signaterra was received as a sample from Benziger.

NV Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut

The wines of Austria are getting a lot more attention these days, but the grapes and producers still don't quite roll off the American tongue. I've had several Grüner Veltliners in the past but I've never had one of the sparkling variety. This little beauty is the NV Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut, $20, 12.5% abv. It's from Burgenland, the easternmost state of Austria, and a patch of land that has passed back and forth between Austria and Hungary over the centuries. In fact, the family name Szigeti is of Hungarian origin though the winery is fully within modern day Austria.

The website calls this wine a Typisch* Österreichischer Sekt, or a "typical Austrian dry". The translation doesn't do it justice. This is in fact a light, dry, casual sparkler, but it has an enchanting aroma of lemon and toast on the nose, with a crisp lemony mouthfeel. Big bubbles, firm acidity, and a sharp, short finish. I'd compare it favorably to Prosecco, a tasty food-friendly bubbly that you can open in the middle of the week.

I served it with a vaguely Austrian dinner: lightly floured and fried veal cutlets (pounded thin, of course) topped with a mushroom cream sauce, braised apples/onions/red cabbage, and a refreshing salad featuring roasted golden beets. I dined al fresco on the back porch, with Wolfgang's bushy tail making yet another cameo appearance on this blog.

A lot of different wines could have been paired with this dinner, but I loved the way it turned out. The acidity cut through the savory/creamy main dish while making the cabbage side even better. And I've found sparklers to be consistently great dance partners for fresh salads.

I'll avoid the usual small type for a bigger thanks here: this wine was received as a sample from wine publicist and fellow blogger Constance, who is also responsible for the ribbons on the bottle and the collateral material that came with the wine, including a little packet of morning glory seeds that I think I'll plant near the backyard fence.

*Typisch is one of my favorite German words, because you almost never get to use the letter Y in German, even though they have all those vöwëls wïth ümläüts and the ß (eszett). Germans also don't make much use of Q, X, or even C except when combined with an H (much like the English Q is almost never seen without a U outside of Scrabble tournaments). Also, since I brought up Hungarian, they get to use neat vowels with double accents like Ő and Ű.