WINES, AUSTRIAN

AUSTRIAN WINES

It’s been a while on the wine front that is! I’m listing here some interesting wines that I have tried. Per usual, I’m concentrating on Austrian red wine which is still the less known and harder to obtain. On top of that, the wines chosen are mainly for everyday drinking, so a price mark was set at around 8 Euros!

With the current trend of Austrian wine growers, they are not concerned with wine that needs to be laid down for a number of years to achieve maturity, instead most wine growers concentrate on producing wine that can be “drunk now”. So when a wine is full bodied, it is as if it has been laid down for a number of years to achieve maturity. Another modern trend that you may notice is that the wines are not bottled in the conventional way – they may either have a glass cork or come as a screw top.

So let’s get down to the list below:

Leithaberg, Burgenland, Austria

KIRCH & KNOPF

I tried the Kalk & Schiefer Blaufränkisch 2018, a wine recommended by a shop I happened to stumble across called Die Weinagentur West in Rankweil, Vorarlberg, Austria. And the recommendation was purely based on what wines I like generally so the guy was pretty much spot on.

Blaufränkisch is a typical grape of Austrian wines, this and Zweigelt are both typical Austrian grape varieties. The descriptions below are from Weingut Kirch Knopf.

Blaufränkisch Kalk & Schiefer Leithaberg DAC
Blaufränkisch vom Leithaberg, our red business card.
Old, deeply rooted vines from the vineyards around our hometown Kleinhöflein form the origin, limestone and slate soils the mineral starting point.
The Pannonian climate on the Leithaberg allows the traditional red wine variety to mature to the highest quality.
The careful aging in large wooden barrels creates an elegant, finesse-rich Blaufränkisch, which impresses with its intense cherry fruit and spice.

Churchbutton Red 2018
The red classic from Kirchknopf.
Zweigelt and Merlot are aged in large wooden barrels for 14 months and combined to form our fine Churchbutton Red.
A spirited cuvée with dark berry aromas and a wonderful interplay of fruit.
Churchbutton Red promises excellent drinking pleasure for every occasion!

Kalk & Schiefer, Kirch Knopf | Austrian Wine | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Gols, Burgenland, Austria

ALLACHER

Where other than in a supermarket can you get this wine 🙂 after all, for everyday drinking, buying a nice wine should be from somewhere easily reachable. In this case, the wine can be bought at InterSpar. Scoring 91 on Falstaff, this zweigelt and merlot blend hails from my favourite wine area of Burgenland and the Neusiedlersee (I really must make a tour of this area soon). The descriptions below are from Weingut Allacher.

ALL RED 2020
Dark ruby garnet, deep color core, violet reflections, intense precious wood spice on the nose, dark berries from blackberries to cassis, hint of spices, suggestive bouquet.
Powerful on the palate, juicy, sweet play of fruit, elegant, well integrated wood note, sticks very well, dark berry fruit in the aftertaste, good length, plums and nougat in the aftertaste.

Allach | Austrian Wine | ytTastes | Yvanne Teo

Weingut Josef Igler – Mittelburgenland, Austria

IGLER

Another exceptional wine, medium bodied almost from the moment the bottle is opened. The descriptions below are from Weingut Joseph Igler.

CLASSIC 2015
A traditional cuvée from the varieties Blaufränkisch / Zweigelt / St. Laurent, this wine stored in large oak barrels, fine fruity nose, fresh cherries with herbs and spices, well integrated tannins, a sensational “Classic”!

Weingut Heinrich, Deutschkreuz, Burgenland, Austria

J HEINRICH

Tasted this at the shop and in their wine tasting session, this Ried Siglos came top for what you get for the price. This is a full bodied wine, noticeable from the start, and after leaving the wine to breathe for a couple of hours, it becomes smoother and smoother to drink. The description is from Weingut Heinrich.

RED SIGLOS 2019
Cultivated in the Siglos location in the Old Wine Mountains, which serves as the basis for our cuvée of the same name.
Almost 60 year old vines, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch.
Aged in a small oak barrel.
Fertile and deep loam soil with a high proportion of lime.
The wine beguiles with finesse and delicately fruity elegance and promises drinking pleasure from a young age.

Heiderer Mayer – Großweikersdorf, Lower Austria

HEIDERER MAYER

This is a nice option which in my opinion sits in between champagne and prosecco being not too sweet yet fruity at the same time. Though labelled as dry, it is not as dry as champagne so is very drinkable either with or without food. The descriptions below are from Weingut Heiderer Mayer.

ESPRIT FRIZZANTE, HEIDERER-MAYER
Lively fruity frizzante!
Delicate fragrance, dry with a harmonious tingling acidity.
The noble scent, the freshness and fruit finesse of the Burgundy vines stand for enjoyment at a high quality level.
This Frizzante is a compilation of several soloists from the Burgundy family such as Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.

Weingut Steininger, Burgenland, Austria

STEININGER

Fresh, a little sharp initially (definitely must be served very cold), easy to drink especially with oriental food. I actually had this with a Chinese Hot Pot meal and it paired well with the spiciness of the the chilli sauces. I’m generally not a great believer in wines with oriental foods, but this is actually pretty good! The only other pairing I liked with oriental food is champagne... The descriptions below are from Weingut Steininger.

MUSKATELLER
Our Muscatel grapes combine the yellow and red Muscat grapes, which together always produce intensely fruity wines.
This wine is pale straw yellow in color and has a balanced fruity note with some elderflower on the nose..