|
Austrian
wines
Part
1: Introduction
 The
subject of this new series on wineanorak, Austria is rapidly becoming
one of my favourite wine countries. It’s only recently, however,
that Austrian wines have come on to the radar screens of wine geeks in
the UK and USA.
Most ‘average’ consumers don’t realise this,
but Austria makes brilliant, world class dry white wines from Riesling
and Grüner Veltliner, although this message has now definitely
filtered through to wine geeks across the globe. The reason Austrian
wines have not been better known abroad is probably because the domestic market
greedily snaps up most of the good stuff, and this demand keeps the
prices high.
Indeed, Austria doesn’t actually make that much
wine. But the word is out: the best Austrian whites are a match for
any, and increasing numbers of wine buffs are switching on to them
both in the USA and UK.
 In
particular, Grüner Veltliner (left) is gaining more of the attention
that it deserves. It’s Austria’s most abundant grape variety, some
10 times more widely planted than Riesling, and makes versatile,
expressive white wines often with a distinct peppery character. The
new Chardonnay? That might be stretching things a bit, but with its
food friendliness and capacity to gain complexity with age, Grüner
looks set to gain more friends across the globe.
But it would be unfair to think of Austria just in
terms of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from the Wachau, Kremstal and
Kamptal. It’s a country with a range of different climates and
vineyard regions producing a diversity of wine styles, including some
great sweet wines and even some serious reds.
It’s the whites get most of the attention, but the
reds have quietly been improving. Where they aren’t overoaked or
forced, they can be surprisingly good, although they are still quite
rare in the UK. Prices for Austrian wines remain a stumbling block,
keeping them a niche item in the UK trade. While they are still pretty
reasonable considering the quality, there’s not much choice under a
tenner, and you probably need to be thinking about spending around
double that to experience some of the very best.
I visited Austria in early October 2004, where
harvest was just beginning in most regions. Over the next few weeks
I’ll be adding my impressions, together with some further producer
previews stemming from an Austrian wine dinner and the Austrian trade
fair held in London.
Grapes, regions and vintages: an introduction
Grüner Veltliner
Austria’s own variety, which is capable of making complex, full
flavoured, spicy whites often with a distinctive white flower and
cracked pepper edge to them. While Austrian Riesling has tended to
steal the limelight, Grüner has just as much to offer, and the good
news is that there’s a lot more of it. It’s a wine that drinks
well young, yet can age, and it’s marvellously food friendly. Worth
discovering.
Riesling
In Austria Riesling performs very well, making usually dry wines
that have more precision than their Alsace counterparts and more
weight than those from Germany’s Mosel. Justifiably highly regarded,
but with plantings amounting to only 3% of Austria’s vineyard area,
there isn’t that much of it.
Weissburgunder
This is what Austrians call Pinot Blanc, and it makes lovely
gently aromatic dry white wines in southern regions such as Südsteiermark.
Welschriesling
Austria’s second most planted white grape and not related to the
true Riesling. Fresh, simple fruity dry whites are the norm, but it
can make sensational sweet wines.
 Zwiegelt
The most abundant red grape; makes good wines ranging from simple
cherry fruit gluggers to more substantial reds destined for ageing.
Blaufränkisch (right)
Common in Burgenland this makes spicy, sturdy, berry fruited reds
which can have some tannic structure. It’s the same grape as
Hungary’s Kefrancos.
Blauer Portugieser
This red grape makes soft, approachable, juicy wines mainly for
early consumption.
Regions
Wachau-Kremstal-Kamptal
These three neighbouring regions in lower Austria are the best for
Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Most of the country’s leading dry
whites come from here.
Burgenland
On the Hungarian border, famous for its sensational sweet wines
from the Neusiedlersee, and increasingly good reds.
Südsteiermark
A southern region neighbouring Slovenia. Best for aromatic,
savoury white wines from Weissburgunder, Morillon (Chardonnay) and
Sauvignon Blanc.
Vintages
2004 A vintage that the Austrian wine-buying
public will appreciate: the long, cool, drawn out summer led to light,
crisp whites, and that’s how they like them. Not great, but not bad
either..
2003 Four atypically hot summer months led to
some brilliant red wines. The jury is out on whether this warm year
will also be a stunner for the whites. A disaster for the botrytised
sweet wines from Burgenland.
2002 With the widespread flooding in the key
regions during August, you’d be forgiven for thinking this would be
a washout. But growers are actually quite happy with quality and rate
this as a good year. Great for botrytis in Burgenland.
2001 September rains were the problem, but
overall a fairly good year for whites.
2000 This hot, dry vintage was a successful
one almost everywhere
1999 Superb for whites, reds and sweet wines
The
series
Back to top
|
