Denise’s Austrian Wine Adventure
Wine Adventures
Check out this website for more information about Austrian wine.
Austria
Our fearless leader, Denise, is travelling abroad in search of new, interesting wines to bring home.
For her first adventure, Denise is heading to Austria for a week-long tour of wineries, where she’ll taste wines, meet winemakers, and find the best of the best Austria has to offer in wine.
Join us as we follow Denise through Austria’s wine country for five days of vineyards, wine makers and beautiful countryside.
She’ll be embarking on her journey Thursday April 14th and will hit the ground running with her first tour and tasting on the 15th.
We will be update about the trip; posting photos and observations right here, so check back regularly to stay up-to-date on the goings on in Austria, and be the first to hear all of the interesting stories that are certain to come from a five day wine tour.
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Upon her return, we’ll be introducing Denise’s favorite finds at our wine tastings and events through May.
April 14, 2016
Denise has successfully arrived in Vienna! According to her email, she lucked out and landed one of the best hotels in Vienna, Kaiserin Elisabeth. Because a portion of the hotel was under construction, she was upgraded from her small single room to a king size suite. I think lucked-out is the right term for this.
She had a fantastic dinner at a farm to table restaurant called Zum Weussen Rauschfangkehrer, affectionately known as “The White Chimney Sweep.”
She begins her wine tour tomorrow, April 15 (tax day for us, wine day for Denise) in the Burgenland region of Austria at Franz and Christine Netzl Vineyards for lunch and Meinklang Winery for dinner.
April 15, 2016
Wine Tour, Day One.
Hillinger Lounge
From Denise:
First stop at Hillinger Lounge..a one vineyard (Hillinger) wine bar serving coffee, light fare (we had a delicious breakfast of Vienna pastries , cheeses , charcuterie and of course jams and juices produced by Hillinger.) Not to mention sampling 2 of their new wines…Vin Gris, a white wine made from Pinot Noir, and a stainless steel Sauvignon Blanc remarkably similar to some New Zealand favorites.
“Bad” pic…Great wine. Treated to a glass of Gelber Muscateller…a dry still version of Muscat. Winemaker Christine’s favorite
Then it was off to the Vineyard reception at Netzl, with a Muscadelle, a dry version of Muscat, which just happens to be winemaker Christine Netzl’s favorite, called Gelber Muscateller. Denise agrees…Great Wine!
Netzl is a family run winery as are so many in Austria. Christine’s father Franz and mother Christine started the vineyard as part of their diverse farm.
Winemaker Christine with her children
Now the next generation is making award winning wines in Carnuntum..following the Celts and then the Romans. Who knew …dry summers and warm Autumn’s plus cool air from the Danube lead to intensive fruit and aromatic wines. All very very good. What a nice morning with a luncheon of homemade goulash and Apple strudel!
Host importer, Klaus Wittaur
For dinner, they head off to Meinklang Winery. Meinklang’s Austro- Hungarian Michlits family
Concrete eggs used in fermentation.
still farms in an area that used to be behind the iron curtain. In addition to the many all natural wines they produce are innovative ciders and beer along with original sparkling wines pettillant naturel ( BC…before champagne). On their biodynamic farm properties are concrete eggs used for fermentation, rather than stainless steel or barrel.
Amazingly they are growing wine grapes without pruning in their biodynamic vineyard. Too much to write. Can’t wait to share some of their ancient and modern techniques.
Vines grown wild on the Meinkling property
April 16, 2016
Wine Tour, Day Two.
Another “bad” pic…another Great wine. Bubbly stop on the way to Hillinger…
Breakfast tasting number two – Saturday at the Vila Vita Pannonia resort in the heart of the nature preserve in Burgenland…
Travelling in Burgenland…
Made it to Hillinger Winery. Hillinger is an Austrian top producer of organic and all natural wines. Too much to type. Can’t wait to share! For now enjoy the pics!
Hillinger winemaker tapping a pitcher of 2015 pinot gris from the tank…
Wildly fashionable tasting room at Hillinger. Wow. Just…wow.
“Hoppingbon” board the wagon for the Hillinger vineyard tour
April 17, 2016
Wine Tour, Day Three.
From Denise
Weingut Jalits Vineyard view
Sunday morning visit to Jalits and blaufrankisch country…we stood in one of their vineyards just before sampling the 2015 rosé made from 100% blaufrankisch, and is excellent. Apparently 2015 was an exceptional vintage all over Austria. Long dry summer followed by refreshing rains and cool nights preserved the grape acidity throughout the late harvest. Weingut Jalits is located in southern Burgenland specifically on a hill known as the Eisenberg. Like most of the artisanal wineries we are lucky to visit, the winemaker is young and taking over from parents and grandparents who have been growing grapes in their specific terriors for generations.
Later that day…Literally blown away by the vineyards on the enormous Gamlitzberg…the single largest wine growing area in southern Styria.
Vines in Gamlitzberg
Not only the hillsides are gorgeous. Just take a look at that architecture!
At the bottom of the hill – literally blown away by the beauty and steepness of the vineyards in Styria
At the top of Jalits vineyard…more rose! Zweigelt. Delish!
If it ain’t baroque don’t fix it!
And at the bottom of the hill is Stauss tasting room, where we had fried chicken.
After a wonderful tour of the enormous vineyard, some great wine, and some fried chicken it is time for a rest before we head into day four of our wine tour.
April 18, 2016
Wine Tour, Day Four.
From Denise:
World famous Vienna woods on the way to Wachau.
The Loisium hotel is so named for the wine museum located here in Langenlois. Check it out at www.loisium.com. This town is completely devoted to Austrian wine culture.. With the museum and wineries everywhere..they’ve also added a walking wine trail in the vineyards where for a small fee one can obtain a key and visit the winemakers hut in the vineyards to sample and enjoy. Apparently one can walk all the trails in under an hour but most people do it in four..walking from hut to hut and sampling while picnicking… Sounds like we need this in Virginia!
Tasting at the Loiseum
Dr. Schilling an accomplished muti-careered gentleman who just happens to be the Austrian minister of finance…a job he says he won’t keep long because nobody does it for very ling- nature of the beast. He owns a winery located in a monastery built 900 years ago which his daughter is happily running in his absence
Steininger
Here’s a picture of Steininger…the Loisium is within sight of this and many other wineries. We enjoyed a sekt (sparking wine tasting and dinner here…I even got to open a bottle of Weissburgunder (pinot blanc) sekt with a saber…it’s easier than you would think…
April 19, 2016
Wine Tour, Day Five.
Winery diagram wine trail
Yep. That’s me in front of a giant grape sculpture…and Brian’s finger
These things are not fancy but Steininger is equipped with a wooden banquette, a couple of leather armchairs and a fridge full of wine. Prost !
That’s Karl Steininger on the observation platform…below him are sekt bottles in riddling racks cleverly forming the sign
After the wine tour we were off to Anton Bauer…
Newest cellar at Anton Bauer
Concrete fermenters
Another “egg”