Sunday, June 15, 2014

Report from ... Austria: Vie Vinum 2014, Day 4 - June 15, 2014

It's Day 4 of my trip to Austria and the second full day of the Vie Vinum event in Vienna ... today I'm starting, as promised, in the Thermenregion then I will flit about to see what other finds I can find when it comes to Austria wine.  This festival is not just about Austrian wines though, there are plenty of other producers here, but when in Rome (as they say) ... so I am sticking with my Austrian theme.

Went to a wine tasting and a tractor-pull broke out:
outside the Hofburg on Day 2 of Vie Vinum
Early morning and the halls of the Hofburg are starting to fill already

The Wines ...
Weingut Stadlmann 2013 Weisser Burgunder
these guys take Pinot Blanc serious - it came into their area back in 1141BC
here we have floral with hints of pear and juicy peach, with just the right
hit of minerality and good acidity for balance
****+
My first introduction to Zierfandler and Rotgifler, grapes that are exclusive to Thermenregion
Rotgifler is a cross between while Traminer and Roter Veltliner; while Zierfandler is also called
"Spatrot" (late red) because it turns red just before harvest time ... but both make white wines

Here are two examples from Wiengut Stadlmann
2013 Zierfandler - melon rind and mac apple with a pith-like finish
2013 Rotgifler - lanolin and floral aromas; nice balance of floral and citrus pith/zest on the finish
Both: *** 1/2+
Weingut Hannes Hofer 2013 Hausberg Rotgifler
good acidity with lime rind and pith
*** 1/2
Weingut Hannes Hofer 2013 Spatrot Rotgipfler Reserve
aged 12 months in new and old oak: vanilla, butterscotch yet with lots of fresh and lively
acidity and plenty of citrus note; reminds me of a fresher/livelier version of Chardonnay
****
Weingut Alphart 2012 Rotgipfler Rodauner Top Selektion
30% new oak is used in the making of this wine; due to the acidity the oak can't be allowed to
overwhelm the fruit:  vanilla, floral, melon rind with really nice acidity and gentle bitter finish
****

Weingut & Heuriger Pferschy-Seper 2013 Rotgipfler
lots of acidity here with good limie zest and grapefruit pith
*** 1/2+
Weingut Zuschmann-Schofmann 2009 Gruner Veltliner Ralessen
here we see the ageworthyiness of Gruner, this one is fresher than expected, with lively acidity,
lots of grapefruit from the pulp, zest and pith.  Delightful.
*** 1/2+
Weinbau Seifried 2013 Gruner Veltliner, Weinviertal
lots of fruit, a touch of spiced orange, pea pod and grapefruit pith on the finish
*** 1/2+

Weinbau Seifried 2013 Gruner Veltliner, Lange Haide
mineral and lime zest, shows really good acidity and spiced notes but this one's hallmark
is that screaming minerality that grabs the tongue and won't let go
****
Weingut Beyer 2013 Envoy Riesling
this is a select bunch later harvested whihc are left to hang then manually picked:
it has a rich textual mouthfeel of juicy apple and pear puree - but with good balancing
acidity on the finish
*** 1/2+
Weingut Veyder-Malberg 2013 Gruner Veltliner, Hochrain
mineral and acidity meet, then fight in out in the mouth while lime zest and pith play along
*** 1/2+
Weingut Veyder-Malberg 2013 Gruner Veltliner, Weitenburg
from 60 year old vines this one has a richness of flavour while still managing to maintain
its minerality and citrus - mouth-filling and palate pleasing
*** 1/2+

Weingut Veyder-Malberg 2013 Riesling, Schon
from 20 year old vines this wine has a juicy peach, pear and nice minerality
plenty of green apple on the finish.
****
Weingut Rudolf Rabl 2013 Gruner Veltliner, Loss
a basic Gruner with all the things I've come to expect: minerality, acidity,
lime pith and a pea pod linger
*** 1/2

Everything Else About the Day ... including lunch, dinner and all things inbetween
Lunch is Veggie "Lasagna", add your own sauce
along with pork and some mystery rounds
every day we pass through this arch way ... at least twice
On the way back we come across the moving of the famed Lipizzaner Stallions
As they make their way across the road ... now there's something you don't get to see every day

my walk back to the hotel included this quiet alley with cafes as far as the eye can see
Funny signs can be found every where ...
... and so can funny people
we're on our own for dinner tonight so we start with Austrain street meat:
sausages, here we have curry (right) and cheese (left) - I'm told the curry one should be a sauce, not a powder

We walk right by the St. Stephen's Cathedral, in the Stephensplatz
yeah, it's a pretty big place, and a pretty big deal
As for dinner ... it was a gyro from the vender we passed a couple of nights ago
 And that takes care of a rather quiet Day 4 ... some very good wines and some really good food, especially that gyro ... join me tomorrow for the last day of Vie Vinum when I'll discover more Austrian wines.


No comments: