Basic Juice - the wine blog for my generation

Sublime Alpine Prism

Sublime Alpine Prism

3 Musts

1. A rosé must not contain more than 13% abv

2. Your Friday audio rotation must contain Motorin' by the Saturday Knights

3. This photo must receive a caption

Shake it off

Shake it off.  Type through it.  Don't let the tendonitis win.  Wuss.

A Year in Wine (& Photos): Oct-Nov-Dec '06

De Angelis Lacrima Christi del Vesuvio Rosso 2004 ($17)

"When Archangel Lucifer was cast out of heaven, he grasped a small divine chunk of heaven while falling to earth.  Lucifer placed this chunk in what is now the bay of Naples - Campania's capitol.  Missing this little chunk of heaven, the Lord cried over it and his tears rained down on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius.  From these 'Lacrima Christi' sprang vines that later produced the grapes for this fancifully-named DOC wine."

Tasca d'Almerita's Regaleali Bianco Sicilia IGT, 2005 (~$11)

"Regaleali defies expectations with a zesty mouthfeel coupled to scents that can best be described as a vanilla-peach cream soda-pop minus HFCS.  This wine is indeed simple, but also unique and refreshing."

Kermit Lynch Cotes Du Rhone 2004 ($10-$13)

"Kermie's C.d.R. is ruby red in color with scents of tart red cherry, ripe raspberry and pepper.  In the mouth, the wine is dusty (#2 grit tannins) earthy (geriatric Syrah vines) and ever-so-slightly meaty (ahh, Mourvedre)."

Happy Belated Holidays

A Year in Wine (& Photos): September '06

Qupe Marsanne 2004 ($20)

"What do you get when you pull Viognier out of a white Cali-Rhone blend?  Less honeysuckle and more fresh melon tang."

Mahogany

A Year in Wine (& Photos): August '06

Mark West Pinot Noir 2004 ($8-$10)

"Howdy Monsieur, much obliged for the avant-garde.
Even though, you own nary a vine-yard.
Vanilla charred, speakin of which or who,
wine all toasty like you tossed in an oak or two.
A glass of baked fruit cru; bottled in C.A. - who knew?"

Still Life

A Year in Wine (& Photos): July '06

Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($~20)

Deep⁽⁵⁾ indigo⁽⁶⁾ in color, fading to an intense pink rim⁽⁷⁾.

(5) Deep, as in the color’s depth. Perhaps I should’ve simply gone with ‘dark’ as the adjective in this instance.

⁽⁶⁾ The word, “indigo,” conjures up two, very different, images in my mind: Indigo Girls and indigo snakes^(f). 

⁽⁷⁾ A pink rim, either of the intense or laid back variety, indicates youth and/or the near absence of oxygenation in red wine. As red wine ages, and/or is exposed to oxygen^(g), the pink rim fades to a less intense garnet/copper/rust color. Think of the rim as your wine’s freshness indicator.

Glacier Polished

 

A Year in Wine (& Photos): June '06

Hirsch Riesling 'Heiligenstein' 2005

"This wine is all about texture with a more subtle, balanced rich & tangy mouthfeel.  Hirsch Riesling also possesses flavors of 'sea salt,' which are slowly revealed throughout the long finish."

Serious Spiral

A Year in Wine (& Photos): May '06

Gross Styria "Nussberg" Muskateller 2004

"Take a sip, nibble on some bread slathered in Verhakert or salami; and sit back and take in the serenity from Styria's rolling green hills."

Austrian Tuscany

A Year in Wine (& Photos): April '06

Pecchenino 'Siri D'Jermu' Dolcetto di Dogliani DOC 2003 (~$20)

"It is indeed soft and fruity (the Dolcetto calling card), but it also possesses depth and balance.  this wine is the perfect foil to the succulence of pork, bitterness of radicchio and earthiness of beans."

 

First Bloom

 

A Year in Wine (& Photos): March '06

Viñedos de Ithaca Odysseus PX 2004 ($25-$28)

"Unfortunately, in addition to apochryphal tales surrounding its origins, the PX grape also suffers from outright character assasination:

"The grape is also grown in the regions of Valencia, Canary Islands and Extremadura, and occasionally also used in making a poorly-rated table wine."

 

Microaeration

A Year in Wine (& Photos): February '06

Viña Alarba Old Vines Grenache 2004 ($6-$8)

"Distorted Voice: "Is this 555-4933?"
"Yes.  Can I help you?"
Distorted Voice: "You are an associate of Mr. Alarba and Sheikh Al Lata Yud."
"Who?"  I don't know any....wait.  Did you say, Mister Alarba?
Distorted Voice: "That's correct.  He is a known Al Qaeda #2 along with Al Lata Yud." 

Arctic Poodle

A Year in Wine (& Photos): January '06

Domaine Pichot Vouvray Moelleux AOC 1995 ($25)

"I recommend planning an entire evening around this bottle, as it will change dramatically once opened.  At first glance, Domaine Pichot looks like liquid gold"

Bottlebubble

[One of the original Vino Voyeur photos]

Mystery Moose

Spot the moose, win a prize.
(taken 12-aug-06, Amethyst Lake trail, high Uintas, Ut.)

[update] All good guesses.  However, you have to look very close in order to see the moose.  Click here for a zoomed-in view of the mystery moose.  Perhaps then you will be able to spot the mystery Cervid.

H-birds

Hummingbirds.  Tiny, fascinating, beautiful & photogenic!

Check out my h-bird gallery here.

Romeo's Mug

Minus a little testosterone, Romeo is now a loveable puss.

A: Prosecco, Pasta & Pungency

Q: What are sensory experiences in Venice

Have a look at my Venice photoset, or drink a little Prosecco, or both.

Technorati Tags: italy, photos

Baths of the Rich & Famous

Austria's Thermenregion (Thermal Region) is situated just south of Vienna.  As the name suggests, this region is home to numerous natural spring baths.  At one time, the Thermenregion was the summer frolic spot for those with cash in Vienna's societé.  This area, once home to soggy rich folks, is also the birthplace of sparkling wine in Austria, not to mention the home to a mysterious red grape variety.  There is more history here than one can shake a bottle at...

• In 1770, the Earl of Fries (whom I picture looking something like Mayor McCheese) developed large vineyards in this area for the purpose of selling red wine to customers in Vienna

• In the 18th century, Emperor Joseph II ruled that most anyone could open wine taverns (called Heuriger in German).  A vibrant wine-tavern culture sprung up in the Thermenregion after this imperial decree

• Robert Schlumberger, director of Ruinart Champagne, yearned to produce bubbly in Austria.  Why? He fell in love with a Viennese woman, whose mother forbade her to move back to france with bubbly Bob.  Schlumberger settled into Bad Vöslau, a town in the Thermenregion, and began producing Champagne-method-made wine

• Blauer Portugieser is the 'bulk' red wine grape of the Thermenregion.  It's origins are murky.  Two wine industry people I spoke with in Austria indicated that a Graff (royal) was said to have brought this variety from somewhere in France.  However, neither source knows why it carries the "Portuguese" moniker.  Wine from this grape is best sampled in a Heuriger

• Two unique white wine varieites, Zierfandler (spicy, lively) and Rotgipfler (sort of Gewurz-like, slightly flabby) are grown here

Not Done Yet

LAWA is not quite finished yet.  This past week, my Sweets & I traveled to....

Istria (Croatia, Adriatic Sea)

Venice (Italy, P. San Marco)

Slovenia (Julian Alps)

Klagenfurt (Carinthia, Austria)

and back to Slovenia (Bled)

This week I'll be featuring Live Austrian Wine Adventure Highlights.  Enjoy the memories.

Technorati Tags: austria, live austrian wine adventure, photos, travel

It's The Weekend

Here's an excerpt from a blog entry I wrote last August, tongue planted firmly in cheek:

Last night I made my world-famous peach melba sangria. It is delicious when it is first made, but it turns the most gorgeous color after a few hours in the fridge.  This time I let it macerate for a whole day.

I fudged on the quantities, as usual:

Dry white wine (I used a Bordeaux blanc)
Triple sec
White peaches
Raspberries (I used frozen)

I dug a little deeper and found the actual recipe, which I adapted from this Sheila Lukins cookbook:

White Peach Melba Sangria

3 or 4 ripe peaches (yellow peaches are okay)
1/2 cup to 1 cup fresh raspberries
1 750 ml. bottle of dry or semi-dry white wine 
1 oz. triple sec
2 cups sparkling water, chilled
Fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

Peel, pit and finely chop the peaches (Oops. I didn't peel mine).  Place the peaches and berries in a large glass pitcher.  Pour in the wine and triple sec.  Let stand at room temperature for an hour or two. Before serving, add the sparkling water. Serve in wineglasses over ice and garnish with mint sprigs.

Lukins suggests a Chenin Blanc for this sangria. I've used a Sauvignon Blanc and a cheapie Bordeaux blanc, both with good results. (I'm not very good about following recipes).

Fresh raspberries are very dear in France, so I have always used frozen ones for this. However, frozen raspberries disintegrate when they thaw. My suggestion is that if you are serving the sangria to guests, use fresh raspberries or add frozen ones at the last minute. It won't be such a lovely color in that case, but at least there won't be raspberry niblets floating around in the pitcher!

Santé!

It's Spanish to Me

The Lipizzaner horses are one of Vienna's most well-known attractions.  The horses are part of the Spanish riding school; begun by the Habsburg family to teach their lucky kids classic equestrian skills.  The Habsburg family had branches in both Spain and Austria - thus the Spanish horses in Vienna.  In fact a common vernacular phrase in German (es kommt mir Spanisch vor) hearkens back to the time when Austrians overheard visiting Habsburgers speaking in Spanish (which would have sounded extremely foreign to many Austrians at the time) and were unable to understand.  The phrase can be translated as, "it's Spanish to me."  It's analogous to the phrase, "it's all Greek to me."

Walking to Vievinum, I met the horses going into the arena for morning exercises.

No photos please

Technorati Tags: austria, live austrian wine adventure, vienna

Come With Me

Come along with me (gallery) on a tour of Vienna on the first sunny day in a couple weeks.  And, of course, today was the first day of Vievinum, the Austrian wine expo.  It's taking place in a humble little exhibition center called the Imperial Palace.  Thanks to my extremely knowledgeable guide, Mr. Wili Fuchs.  He took me through several hundred years' worth of history in the Imperial Burial Vault.

Technorati Tags: architecture, austria, austrian wine, coffee, live austrian wine adventure, photos, travel, vienna, wine

Temple of Wine

As you drive towards the town of Langenlois in Austria's Kamptal valley, you begin noticing signs displaying the word, "Loisium."  There are no garish billboards, simply small, discrete arrows leading you to a mysterious destination.  This destination consists of two buildings, whose design will make you regret that decision not to study architecture.

Loisium Wine Visions
The Loisium "wine attraction" opened in 2003.  This building, a creation of architect Steven Holl, is gateway to "Cellar World."  Cellar World is a tour in which visitors journey through the winemaking process, a cuvée of installation art, preserved winery history, light and sound.  To enter Cellar World, one walks down a subtly sloped path, through a vineyard and into the press house  Once inside, visitors are asked to imagine themselves as grapes, and enter an elevator designed to look like  grape press.  Thankfully no actual pressing occurs - rather visitors exit the press-elevator, and are greeted in Bacchus's vat to watch the fermentation process.  Fermentation is represented by a fantasia-like light & water show.  It's a trip, man.  Perhaps there was some Absinthe in the press-elevator.  Once out of the vat, the tour continues through a restored country winery - complete with granny's bed and old-timey fly trap.  Visitors return to the present with a tour through Weingut Steininger's (one of the Loisium partners) cellar.  Karl Steininger is one of the major sparkling wine producers in Austria.  Part of the tour includes a waltz through hundreds of bottles of bubbly in the process of being riddled.  The tour concludes with the 'basilica' - an exhibit of wine/religious/mythical symbols wrought in iron, shadow and glass.  It is a wine-centered sensory experience. 

Loisium Hotel
The Loisium Wine &  Spa hotel echos some of the cubist architectural elements of the Loisium.  However, the hotel's focus appears to be the surrounding vineyards.  From the foyer, to the restaurant, to the spa & pool, guests feel as if they are sitting in, and connected to the vineyards.  The hotel is accented with modern furniture pieces also designed by the architect.  The pieces appear incredibly modern, yet some hearken back to the modernist movement of the 1920s.  Naturally, the focus of the hotel is wine.  There are cork & vineyard motifs to be found throughout the interior. 

The devotion to wine extends even to the spa.  The spa offers a number of wine-themed treatments, including the 'barrique bath,' which consists of an extended soak in a bath designed to look like a wine barrel, followed by a light massage with grape seed oil.  How could I say no to this vinotherapy?  My skin still smells faintly vineyard-like - perhaps the spa should develop a line of cologne & perfume  from the humble grape seed..I'd buy it.

Of course, the hotel restaurant revolves around wine.  In fact, the first thing to greet diners as they enter is the glass encased wine cooler.  The concept seems to be that diners can window shop for the perfect dinner wine, rather than reading it off the list.  At dinner I was able to interact with the young Sommelier-in-training, who is one of the most enthusiastic wine people I've ever run across.  He did an A+ job of pairing locally produced (Kamptal) wine to the tasting menu.

I must sat my favorite part of the Loisium is the enthusiasm shown by the staff, and owners for the wine attraction and hotel.  I could see that the work environment was positive, and as a result, everyone was happy and more than willing to do whatever it took to please visitors & guests.  I would rank the Loisium near the top of my "must-see" Austrian list - along with Vienna & Graz.  It's only one hour outside of Vienna, so this temple to wine is easily includable in any travel itinerary.  See the Loisium photo gallery here.

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, hotel, live austrian wine adventure, loisium, photos, architecture, travel, wine

Hirsch-y Kiss

Remember the first time you kissed that special someone and felt the kerwang! of twitterpation?  That's how I feel about Hirsch wines from Austria's Kamptal.

Perhaps I am waxing a bit poetic (what?  me poetic?), however I would describe the Hirsch wine style as "compellingly light & juicy."  There is just enough juicy flavor in these wines to make your palate blush, but the alcohol content is low enough to entice second, third and fourth sips.  These wines all chime in at 13% alcohol or lower.  However, they offer ripe flavors, instead of nearly-ripe flavors often present in light white wine (think a granny smith apple vs. a ripe Gala apple).   These wines are imported in the US by Skurnik.  Two to try:

2005 Riesling 'Gaisberg' - Scents and flavors of juicy, perfectly ripe peach, with crisp minerality on the finish.  This wine is produced through spontaneous (natural) fermentation and matured in large wooden casks.  I also sampled the 2004 version, which seemed to have developed some honey notes - yet it still retains its fresh-n-juicy character.

2005 Riesling 'Heigligenstein' - Probably the most unique wine of Hirsch's collection.  This wine is all about texture with a more subtle, balanced rich & tangy mouthfeel.  This Riesling also possesses flavors of 'sea salt,' which are slowly revealed throughout the long finish.

How does the Hirsch family work their wine magic?  Have a look:

Listen to my conversation with Johannes Hirsch.  We talk about the family's exploration of Biodynamic viticulture, its philosophy on lower alcohol wine, and its commitment to Screwcaps in all its wine. (download here - mp3).  PS excuse the painfully awkward phrased first question (my brain doesn't switch between German and English terribly quick)  More photos here.

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, kamptal, live austrian wine adventure, photos, podcast, wine

caption me

What is this?
(find out tomorrow)

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, live austrian wine adventure, photos

The Flea Cooks

Suppose I told you to try out a restaurant in which the chef is named "Flea" and the Sommelier is named "Rado."  Would you go?  Would you wonder if the restaurant's name were RedHotCP?

The Gastwirtschaft Floh, also known simply as, "Floh" (flea in German) is 45 minutes outside of Vienna along the Danube River (near the city of Tulln).  Eating here feels like eating at home - except for the yellow-pages-sized wine list.  The place is informal and unintimidating.  Der Floh and Rado have put together one of Austria's greatest wine list.  It focuses on 'neighborhood' wines, and gradually spreads out to include regional wines.  The food menu includes traditional Austrian dishes, as well as some seriously avant garde stuff that tastes great (fried elderberry blossoms for dessert, anyone?).

I was led through a tasting menu, which included:

• A dry Muscat Ottonel wine served as an aperitif.  This wine can out-gooseberry any New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
• Lox made from lake trout with asparagus mousse (+ Sauvignon Blanc from a small 6-ha winery)
• Wurst made from lean Siberian swine
• Bloodless "blood" sausage (+ Gruner Veltliner from a producer in the Wagram valley - right by the restaurant)
• Beef tongue - The Floh is famous for this dish.  And, as an American, I decided to just get over the heeby-jeebies already and enjoy the culinary creation.  It's incredible.  By the way, traditional Austrian cuisine contains a lot of "spare parts."  The philosophy was/is:  Don't waste anything
• A crazy, funky unsulphered white wine cuvee containing Chardonnay and Neuburger.  In my tasting note, I wrote: "holy $%@&, this wine is full of coffee, butterscotch  - with background notes of pear and apple."

Now that's what I call gastronomic voyaging & oeno-exploration.  Go Floh!  See my pics here.

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, food, live austrian wine adventure, photos, travel, vienna

Krems: Wine City/Wine People

Wine City
Krems is one of only two European cities, which owns and operates a municipal winery (Vienna is the other).  Is this a great country or what?  Weingut Stadt Krems (winery of the City of Krems) has been operated by the city since 1915.  This winery is neither joke nor simple tourist attraction.  It produces fine wine from several vineyard sites within the city.  The winery purchases no grapes from outside Krems' municipal boundaries.  I made a brief stop by the winery's tasting room and was duly impressed by the vino.  It is imported into the US by Vin DiVino.  How many people can say they've sampled, "municipal wine" - and liked it?.  Give it a try.

Wine People
Krems is more than just a winery-city, it is a city full of serious & hobby vine growers.  In fact, nearly 1,400 growers in the region form one of the largest, if not the largest, co-op wineries in the country.  Winzer Krems produces wine from these growers from a total area of approximately 990 hectares.  Many of the co-op members are simply hobbyists who work on a half hectare or so.

I had the opportunity to visit Winzer Krems and its "wine experience" called Wein & Sinn (wine & sense).  Wein & Sinn is something along the lines of It's a Small World for wine (minus the incessant singing).  Visitors can walk right into a small vineyard containing all of Austria's grape varieties.  I was greeted in this mini vine garden by the co-op's export manager, Ludwig Holzer.  He went right at the elephant in the room, by explaining that indeed, wine co-ops are a hiss and by-word to many wine lovers.  However, this aint just any winery co-operative.  It actually evolved out of a wine growers guild, which has its roots in the middle ages.  The Hauerinnung Krems und Stein was founded in Krems in 1442.  This guild won status equal to that of the feudal lords of the day.  This meant the Hauerinnung was able to keep its own vineyards and produce its own wine - without the interference/high taxes/all around oppression suffered by non-guild producers.  In short, this co-op is grounded in centuries' worth of fine wine production.

Herr Holzer showed me the Winzer Krems Co-op's most famous vineyard site - called, "Sandgrube."  This vineyard, known since the 1100s, sits atop the remains of a sandbar, which at one time was covered by the Danube River's dino-sized progenitor.  As we walked through the vineyard, Ludwig explained how the co-op pays for the producers' grapes.  Winzer Krems has rated all the sites on a scale of one to five; with one being the premier vineyard sites, and five corresponding to the "least premier" sites.  Additionally, the co-op tests each producer's grapes for ripeness.  Thus, the ripest grapes from the best sites command top Euro; and not-so-ripe grapes from average sites receive much less.

Melk Abbey

Melk Abbey, called "Stift Melk," in German, is one of the few continuously active Benedictine monasteries (PS, by the way, the monks were the ones doing the vinification during much of oeno-history).  It was founded in 1089, and since then, has hosted monks, pupils, royalty and even Mozart:

"In the abbey’s chronicle one can read about the two visits of Mozart’s family in Melk Abbey in September 1767 and December 1768, that Mozart had been received with great respect and his playing the organ in the Abbey Church had been highly admired.  Wolfgang Amadeus is referred to as “most famous musician”."

Melk Abbey sits just outside the Wachau valley, high above the Danube river.  It is truly stunning to view the abbey on its rocky vantage point.  The current building was constructed between 1702-1736.  I was most impressed with some of the modern art installations hosted by the monks as well as its massive library.

Have a look at my Stift Melk photo gallery here.

Technorati Tags: austria, melk, live austrian wine adventure, photos, travel, wachau

Nigl's Sonoma

damn rain

3Jun06
Yet another rainy Saturday morning.  I'm beginning to think that the space-time-continuum has been folded over and Austria is now somehow meteorlogically-comsically juxtaposed over a Seattle winter.  The last week has been nothing but gray & drizzle.  If not for tasty wine, great food, and the occasional Manner Neapolitan, I would have a mean case of SADS.

I asked Martin to tell a dirty funny joke in order to induce laughter

Upon entering the Nigl winery's tasting room, I was greeted by Josef Nigl, the father of winemaker Martin Nigl.  Josef greeted me, and promptly launched into a screed about the weather.  Herr Nigl has worked in the vineyards for more than 30 years, so he knows a little something about the weather.  I asked Papa Nigl if he was worried about all the rain.  He replied that, rain at this time of year, is a secondary worry to the unseasonabaly cold temperatures.  The recent overnight temperature of 6 C (43 F) is unheard of in June.  This is what has Josef slightly grumpy and fairly worried.

While I had the Sr. Nigl's ear, I asked him to tell me the difference between the Wachau and Kremstal.  He replied that there actually isn't any and that wines of the Wachau are better known throughout the world; thus commanding higher prices.  I immediately thought of Napa vs. Sonoma.

When I asked Martin Nigl this "Wachau vs. Kremsta"l question, he responded that there are some differences.  The Kremstal is further away from the Temperature-moderating Danube.  This results in both greater temperature fluctuations and slightly later ripening dates for grapes in this valley.  These differences are translated into Kremstal wines through higher acidity, and more distinct mineral flavors.  I would concur with Martin's observation.  As I tasted through the Nigl wine lineup, I noticed Wachau-like flavors in the Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners.  Overall, however, the wines seemed a bit more crisp, and slightly less fruity.  With respect to quality, Nigl wines are on par with the best of the Wachau. 

[Listen to Martin Nigl explain some of the differences between the Kremstal & Wachau, and relate his winemaking philosophy (download mp3)]

Martin invited me to eat lunch with him in the family's restaurant.  He brought along a bottle of 1997 Nigl Hochäcker Riesling.  I would say that the slightly higher acidity in the wine aided it in aging beautifully.  The wine was still alive and went splendidly with smoked salmon over creamy risotto and truffles.  In addition to fabulous food in the restaurant, the Nigls also offer a small hotel to Kremstal wanderers.  The hotel is built in an 800 (!) year old house.  The rooms are all decorated in a modern style - the contrast is quite stunning.

Two Nigl wine standouts:
2005 Riesling "Privat" - This wine is made from the ripest, final harvest grapes from two of Nigls top vineyard sites.  The wine is fermented dry, and thus packs a wallop.  It is full of floral and pear scents with subtle peachy notes hanging around in the background.  Privat is rich in the mouth, with crisp acidity to prevent any heaviness.

2005 Grüner Veltliner "Alte Reben" - This wine is an old vines (40 years) expression of Grüner. It has dialed-down the citrus scents in favor of sweet nutmeg & clove spice notes.  While "Alte Reben" is rich and creamy on the palate, it still seems lively - Methinks this wine comes from still-active senior vines.

Nigl wines are imported in the US by Terry Theise (Skurnik Wines).  More photos here.

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, live austrian wine adventure, photos, podcast, kremstal, travel, wine

traditioKnoll

Like FX Pichler, Weingut Knoll is considered to be one of the Wachau's best wineries.  However, in terms of style & philosophy, Knoll is on the opposite end of the spectrum.  The Knoll family, which works as a team, both in the vineyard and in the cellar, adheres to "old timey" vinification techniques such as extended maceration with stems & skins, warmer fermentation temperatures, and extended aging in large inert wooden casks.

On yet another rainy morning in the Wachau, I spoke with Emmerich Knoll, Jr. about the Knoll winery's history, its philosophy and the distinctive Knoll label.  Listen/download the chat here.

Where FX Pichler wines are "juicy and animated," Knoll wines seem brooding & edgy.  I tasted a few of Knoll's 2005 offerings - some of which (the Smaragds) are still maturing in large wooden casks.  To my knowledge, Knoll is the only winery in the Wachau which keeps its Smaragd wines in cask well past the Vinea Wachau association's starting date of May.  Knoll's Smaragds will spend the summer in cask and be bottled in September.

Two Knoll wines to try:
Grüner Veltliner "Vinothekfüllung" Smaragd 2004 (or 2005 when it becomes available).  Emmerich, Jr. describes this wine as Knoll's most user friendly wine.  Indeed, this wine is much rounder, riper and smoother than any other Knoll offering I sampled.

Grüner Veltliner "Loibenberg" Smaragd 2004 (or 2005 when it becomes available).  This wine will introduce you to the Knoll style.  It offers slight, tangy Sherry notes, followed by subtle pear, peach and peppery scents.  In the mouth, Loibenberg is opulently texture, but still maintains the jagged "Knoll edge," which reminds the drinker that there is something a bit different going on in this wine.

Knoll wines are imported into the US by Vin DiVino.  More Knoll pics here.

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, gruner veltliner, live austrian wine adventure, photos, podcast, riesling, wachau, wine

Landhaus Bacher: Behind 2 Stars

Landhaus Bacher, one of Austria's few 2-star Michelin star restaurants, is an exercise in warmth.  The kind hostess, who undoubtedly could tell by my outoftown looks, who I was, greeted me by name as I walked through the door.  The kitchen was abuzz with activity yet one of the servers immediately appeared and offered to serve me something to drink.  After finishing my coffee, I began looking around the restaurant and noticed awards of all kinds, magazine covers decorated with the photo of chef Lisl Wagner-Bacher, and labels of Chateau Petrus from the 1920s.  I gulped and suddenly began to feel as if I was in way over my head.  Hey, I like fine dining, but I don't recall ever being in a 2-star restaurant; waiting for the Chef and owner to sit down for a chat.  However, once the Bachers introduced themselves, I was at ease.  Lisl, who is one of Austria's most famous chefs, was quite down to earth.  She talked about her philosophy of staying true to Austria's culinary heritage, while adding touches from the Mediterranean and Asia.  Lisl was tickled when I asked her if she knew the history of Der Wiener Schnnitzel.  She ran back to the office and xeroxed off an article for me (Turns out Schnitzel was the brainchild of one of Emperor Franz-Josef's field marshals).  Of course Chef Lisl could speak for only a short time before returning to the beehive-like kitchen. 

After Lisl dashed off, Klaus, offered to take me across the street to show me the family/restaurant wine cellar.  The cellar is multiple hundreds of years old and houses about 15,000 bottles of classy vino.  Klaus has a weakness for Bordeaux, so naturally every stellar Chateaux is well-represented in Landhaus Bacher's wine library.  Klaus also showed me his prized bottle of 1875 Chateau d'Yquem (which has now become coffee-brown in color).  As he handled the bottle, I took one giant step back so as not to endanger this old bottle with any potential klutzyness.  Klaus then asked me if I would be interested in seeing the kitchen in action.  Once in the kitchen, I felt as if I was in the middle of a production of Swan Lake.  Servers streamed in and out of the kitchen.  Sous-chefs whisked, chopped and sprinkled.  Everyone seemed to know exactly what they were doing - except for me.  After snapping a few photos, I excused myself and returned to the serenity of the dining room.

In the dining room, I was cared for by no fewer than five servers & sommeliers.  I felt special - even though every other diner in the Landhaus was receiving the same treatment.  I was able to sample several courses-worth of Chef Lisl's creations, including roasted carrots wrapped in phyllo, an asparagus foam soup, seriously succulent beef and a redcurrant yogurt-sorbet hybrid thingy.  The wine, served by Klaus and head sommelier, Andreas, was astounding.  The highlight of my oeno-evening was a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon made by a winery only a few blocks from the restaurant.  I would bet a few bucks that no wine 'expert' would ever guess this wine was from Austria.  It drank like a traditional Bordeaux.  After having heard that only great white wine can be made in this part of Austria, I can say that the Malat winery is one great, big, tasty exception to the rule. 

The best part about this classy eatery is that the prices are sane.  No $100 burgers here.  Just excellent, reasonably-priced food served with warmth and aplomb.  Thank you, Lisl & Klaus.

More photos of the cellar, and in-kitchen action here.
Oh, and don't forget to wear the perfect shirt to the perfect retaurant.

Technorati Tags: austria, food, live austrian wine adventure, wine, wine and music

Special F.X.

To many acolytes of Riesling & Grüner Veltliner from Austria's Wachau, the letters, "FX" are synonymous with top quality.  The FX Pichler winery has received heavy-duty praise from some guy named, "Parker."

"F.X. Pichler is the Chateau LaTour, Domaine De La Romanee-Conti, Zind-Humbrecbt, Sandrone, and Helen Turley of the Wachau." - Robert. Parker, The Wine Advocate, 2002

Now, I'm predisposed to root for the underdog, so it was with a little apprehension, and perhaps a more critical palate, that I made a visit to the Wachau's "top dog," the F.X. Pichler winery.  I arrived just as F.X.'s son, Lucas, was beginning to bottle the 2005 Smaragd wines.  Not yet having learned that the trend in the Wachau is for pops to work in the vineyard and young whippersnapper son to act as winemaker, I stupidly asked, "So what do you do here at the winery?"  Thank the good lord that Lucas Pichler is a kind human being.  For, he could've replied, "I make the wine you idiot."  However, he politely responded by telling me that he had been making the wine for several years, while his father, Franz Xavier, spends most of his time in the vineyard. 

Knowing just how big F.X. Pichler wines are in the wine world, I was flattered that Lucas took a break from the bottling bonanza and sat down with me to chat & to taste.  Lucas explained the winery produces 14 different wines from 13 hectares of vines spanning just 2 kilometers along the Danube river.  Unsurprisingly, the focus is on dry wine made from Grüner Veltliner & Riesling. The Pichlers also experiment with a very small amount of Sauvignon Blanc.  While tasting the 2005 vintage, I consistently underestimated the alcohol content of many wines.  To be sure, the Pichlers go big when it comes to ripe Smaragd wines, with most being between 13.5-14.5% alcohol.  However, the wines are all refined and opulent without being rotund.  Lucas voiced the most apt description of Pichler's 2005 vintage.  He described these wines as, "juicy and animated."  All of Pichler wines are full of fruit character.  However, the wines also possess a near-perfect structure of acid-fruit-alcohol, which results in their 'animation' across the palate.  The entire tasting was a highlight.  Here are two of the highest highlights:

2005 Kellerberg Smaragd Grüner Veltliner - One of the most exotic G.V.s I've sampled in the Wachau.  The wine offers pineapple and lychee scents along with honeyed fruit flavors.  The texture is rich, to put it mildly.  The wine's acidity lifts the flavors slowly off the tongue - resulting in a lasting finish.  I imagine Kellerberg could easily age upwards of 15-20 years. 

2005 Riesling "Unendlich" - This wine is only made in the best vintages.  Over the past ten years it has only been produced in 1998, 2002 and 2005.  Lucas allowed me to taste a barrel sample of this, as yet unbottled, wine.  Unendlich is German for "neverending."  Indee