The day has arrived, time to head back to the Hofburg and experience the international wine festival known as Vie Vinum here in Austria. I stayed within the Austrian sections of the show today to get a full immersion of their wines; later on there were two "parties", one back at the Badeschiff (boat restaurant) and the other at the Kursalon. Here's how the day progressed and a smattering of the wines I tried.
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| Our morning walk to the Hofburg took as past this sign. If you look at it quickly it looks like ti says, "Fine Rats" ... |
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| We arrive at the first sign that a wine tasting is in town |
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| This is an even bigger sign: media tasting hours are from 10-12 so I best get in there |
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| I'm gonna hang a left and start in the Wachau and then see where it all leads. |
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| But before I get there I am confronted by this sign: how's this for eye-catching, or is that over a little over the top? |
The Wines ...
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| Nikolaihof 2013 Von Stein Federspiel Rieslingpeach, pear skin, dry and pleasant with nice minerality and mouthfeel **** |
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| Double Gruner Veltliner: Sigl 2013 Federspiel - lively lemon and pea pod notes (****) Smaragd - big minerality with citrus pith rather than fruit (****) |
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| Sigl 2013 Smaragd Kirnberg Riesling mineral, limestone, tart with great acidity, slight touch of sweetness noticeable (****) |
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| Polz 2013 Federspiel Gruner Veltliner crisp, fresh, mineral and orange peel based *** 1/2+ |
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| Weingut Franz Pichler 2013 Smaragd Kollmitz Gruner Veltliner robust and mouthfilling, sweet fruit takes the form of apricot and tangerine *** 1/2+ |
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| Weingut Franz Pichler 2013 Federspiel Bachgarten Gruner Veltliner lime zest, lemon peel, mineral and pea pod *** 1/2+ |
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| Weingut Erich Bayer 2013 Smaragd Vorderseiber Gruner Veltliner a mix of pea pod and fresh peas with mineral and citrus backing *** 1/2+ |
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| Weingut Karl Stierschneider-Kartauserhof 2013 Federspiel Achleiten Gruner Veltliner fresh and lively with pea pod and grapefruit zest **** |
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| Weingut Karl Stierschneider-Kartauserhof 2013 Federspiel Achleiten Riesling lots of mineral stoniness with citrus pith and a dry refreshing finish **** |
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| Double Shot of Gruner Veltliner from Domaine Wachau 2012 Smaragd Axpoint (cooler temps, deeper soils) vs 2012 Smaragd Achleiten (rocky gravelly soils) Axpoint: apricot fruit with citrus pith and fresh peas Achleiten: more mineral but with juicier fruit, pear and lemon pith on finish Both: *** 1/2+ |
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| Weingut Alfred Schwaiger 2013 Marienfeld Federspiel Gruner Veltliner lots of freshness in the glass with pear and mineral riding the wave *** 1/2+ |
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| Double Shot of Riesling from Weingut Alfred Schwaiger 2013 Kollmitz Federspiel - lots of mineral 2013 Kollmitz Smaragd - lots of fruit Both: *** 1/2+ |
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| Weingut FJ Gritsch Mauritiushof 2013 Atzberg Obere Steilterrassen Gruner Veltliner only 4-6 year old vines on the steepest slope in the valley (70% grade) grown on the cooler west side of the valley - this wine was young and vibrant, fruity and clean **** |
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| Weingut FJ Gritsch Mauritiushof 2013 Setzberg Smaragd Riesling this is a big mineral driven Riesling with lots of green apple notes on the finish **** |
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| Salomon Undhof 1971 Weiden Gruner Veltliner not often you get to try a 43 year old Gruner - and even better, it was amazing; hard to describe but also hard to forget |
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| Another Study in Terroir and Riesling, this time from Salomon Undhof 2011 Steiner Kogl 1otw Reserve - nice weight, apple core, peach pit, quite fruit driven 2011 Pfaffenberg 1otw Reserve "Metternich & Salomon" - firm minerality with citrus pith and zest Both: **** |
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| Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg 2012 Renner 1otw Reserve Gruner Veltliner all stainless steel - fruit forward with peach and apricot and nice mineral background **** |
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| Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg 2012 Heiligenstein 1otw Reserve Riesling 10 month oak ferment yet shows none of it - stoney and minerally with green apple singing on the palate; elegant and full of finesse **** |
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| Weingut Brandl 2012 Kogelberg 1otw Reserve Riesling - rock beside bottle is the type of soil the grapes grow in - this wine absolutely screams minerality in the glass balance with bracing acidity **** |
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| Now here's a way in which to bring the idea of how soil helps bring wine to life |
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| Weingut Weszeli Terrafactum 2013 Loiserberg Riesling green apple, peach, mineral with a dry stoney finish **** |
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| Weingut Weszeli Terrafactum 2013 Purus Reserve Gruner Veltliner nice balance of mineral and pea pod on the finish nice grapefruit zest through mid-palate *** 1/2+ |
Lunch ... (this was what was on the buffet, that does not mean I ate everything)
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| Spinach "Lasagna" and potatoes |
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| Spaetzel and Beef Roulade |
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| And there was also a fridge of wines to choose from |
The Afternoon ...
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| was spent here (a French Bistro) with some fellow writers watching Greece lose to Columbia (3-0) |
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| With one of these (okay maybe two) |
Sights Along the Walk ...
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| This is an old school taxi stand: a line of horse-drawn carriages which seem to be all over Vienna |
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| And arrival back at the Holy Moly - again |
Premium Estates of Austria (at the Badeshiff) ...
This get together was put on by the Premium Estates of Austria (together since 2004) and was a showcase of great wine and delicious food - the wines were outstanding, especially the older vintage wines, some dating back to 2004.
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| The Wine List (part 1) - note the black stars on the right to denote 10 year old wines |
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| The Wine List (part2) |
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| Starter wine was this Loimer 2013 Zweigelt / Pinot Noir Rose (*** 1/2+) |
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| Wine of the Night was this Heinrich 2004 Zweigelt (**** 1/2) |
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| This Heinrich 2008 Alter Berg Blaufrankisch was no slouch either (****) |
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| Here Ben MacPhee-Sigurdson holds a 6L bottle of Wieninger 2004 Grand Select Pinot Noir, while Master Sommelier, John Szabo, awaits picture taking to be over so he can have a glass. |
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| Problem is, the moment you pick up a bottle this size you become the guy who has to pour for everyone else ... |
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| ... and that can be somewhat ... |
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| ... tiring because this is a heavy bottle of booze to keep control of (I know it's blurry but witness that facial expression) |
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| Wineinger 2004 Grand Select Pinot Noir (****) - the "pouring show" above (*****) |
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| Heinrich 2004 Pannobile, a Zweigelt / Blaufrankisch blend (****) Best guess this is a 9L bottle: I poured this one. |
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| John Szabo is seduced by a glass of Blaufrankisch - or is it the other way around? (or John Szabo gives his best smoky look for a smoky wine) you chose. |
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| This wine got to us later in the evening, but we were all blown away by this Loimer 2004 Seeberg Riesling, which barely showed its age (****+) |
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| The party goes on aboard the boat |
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| And still more guests come - they must have heard the wines were amazing (did I mention that already) |
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| Meanwhile, this was the scene below deck (trust me when I say this picture looks better than it actually was) |
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| Saying goodbye and good-night to the Holy Moly |
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| And hello to the Kursalon |
The Big Austrian Wine Party (at the Kursalon)
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| A much more formal affair then what we just came from ... |
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| ... complete with live band ... |
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| ... a large outdoor patio ... |
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| ... and a theme: "Rise like a Phoenix" |
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| Inside, Managing Director of Austrian Wine Marketing, Wilhelm (Willi) Klinger, puts on a show |
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| And with that we'll bid a fond farewell to the Kursalon with a last look at the building and the patio ... "below deck" in this place was also much different - as you can imagine. |
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