Basic Juice - the wine blog for my generation

Mondeuse!

You say, I should drink some sans souffre wine?  Well my VdP Mondeuse may not be a beaujo Cru, but it was au naturel, intensely zippy and tasted like a basket-full-o-forest berries.

And of course, one must accompany such a low maintenance wine with some natural, simply prepared lamb + mashed potatoes & roasted garlic or roasted duck and potatoes au gratin.

The wine: Cote Pelee Mondeuse Vin de Pays d'Allobrogie 2004 by Jean-Yves Peron.

The food:
Autour d’ un Verre

Organic, delicious and inexpensive. A must stop for any wine lover curious about natural wines.
21, rue de Trévise, Paris 9
Tel: 01 48 24 43 74
Metro Stop: Cadet
Lunch: 12:30 to 15:00 Dinner: 20:00 to 22:30 (except Monday). Closed Sunday.
-- Thanks Steve for the recommendation!
More information en Francais here.

Additional, random gay Paree photos

Folies Bergere

Drive-by Eiffel

Mmmm AOKI.

Things to do in Paris when you're in Louvre

Attend a show.

Discover slightly shocking facts about French cuisine

Admire mundane details in an urban park

Visit the man with the original complex

Ponder Le Penseur

Sip wine, eat

Sip wine, eat tartare

Drink a little more

Brave a crowd, meet some old folks

Drink, eat more

BC | CB

For the wine-imbiber who travels, there often seems to be 'that one bottle', which surprises - not only for how tasty it is, but also for the grape varietal used.  During my recent trip to lovely Vancouver, BC, I discovered something new and very tasty from the Okanagan Valley.  I might add this discovery was pure luck - as it involves the Chenin Blanc grape, which only occupies ~20 hectares in Okanagan vineyardom.

Golden Mile Cellars Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2006 ($15-$20) - This CB is textbook CB - a la Vouvray.  It possesses intense floral-fruity scents underscored by an aroma that can only be described as, "slightly earthy" and perhaps a little bit naughty (picture naked grapes frolicking in the mud after a rainstorm).  This wine's body is notably more stout than old world Chenin-based wines.  A big-boned structure, coupled with the high-volume scents translates to an initial impression of Golden Mile Chenin Blanc being sweet.  But wait!  This wine is in fact dry with enough zippy acidity to balance out its high-ish alcohol content and seemingly sugar-full nose. 

I fell in love with this wine for the fact that it's fairly rare (I doubt it's available in any US retail ship) and entirely unique.  That's the bad news - you won't be able to find it.  The good news is that this calls for an air/road-trip to BC!

Sip GM C.Blanc solo, or with, naa, sip it solo - no need for food to muck up this wonderfully tasty wine.

Read another review on this BC CB from App. America's John Schreiner.

Question:  What big wine surprise have you discovered on a recent trip?

Northwest Oasis

Seldom does a Sherry lover run across such an Oasis:

Imagine, a Sherry flight in an innovative little spot called, "Salt".  Salt Tasting Room is the place for those who enjoy exploring a little flavor alchemy involving wine, cheese and cured meat.  Needless to say, the emphasis on Sherry in the tasting experience rubbed me the right way.

If you ever find yourself in beautiful Vancouver, BC, make your way to Gastown and sit, sip & sample to your heart's content at Salt.

Naturally, my favorite pairing was an Oloroso with Stilton and a dab of honey.  A rich flavor package of funk, salt and sweet.  It made me feel just little bit decadent, and just a bit nasty (but in a very pleasant way).

More Salt pix

Sparse & chic decor in the tasting room

Meat slicer and golden oinker - what's not to like?

Cheese, meat and condiment specials o'the day on the blackboard.

The Bekaa Beckons

Say you're a war correspondent for a major newspaper.  You've been witnessing the chaos of occupation in and around Baghdad for several years.  You need a break.

Where to go?

How about slightly-less-war torn region?  How about one with great wine?  If you wish to stay in the Middle East, one idyllic-yet-occasionally-war-torn spot beckons - Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

Find out what the LA Times former Baghdad bureau chief and current Middle East bureau chief discovered in this unique wine-producing corner of an extraordinarily complicated part of the world:

"The summer war last year between Israel and Hezbollah didn't directly affect the vineyards. Shipments were turned back before reaching their destinations. The vineyards also could not produce an increasingly popular Beaujolais-type wine. But fortunately, the war ended two days before the harvest began.

The war was nothing compared with the larger challenges of producing wine in the Muslim Middle East, where some grape growers refuse to sell to vineyards for religious regions."

Read the full article here.

Too Many Notes

editor's note: This is an article I wrote for the fine Volks at the Austria Tourism Office.  You'll be able to see it in all its glory in finer travel bureaus and airlines everywhere.  Download a PDF preview of it here.

Discover ‘Too Many Notes’ in Austria’s Wine Regions

Upon hearing one of Mozart’s operas, 18th Century Austrian Emperor Joseph II famously remarked, “Too many notes, my dear Mozart.”  While Joseph II may have initially overlooked the genius of Mozart, fortunately, he understood the artistry of Austrian wine.  This enlightened monarch decreed that wine growers were permitted to sell wine directly to consumers.  Modern Austrian winemakers honor the country’s storied wine history by producing quality wines that will strike a chord with any culinary adventurer.

The miracle of Austria is that all of its wine regions are incredibly easy to visit.  In fact, once you step off the plane in Vienna, you have already arrived in one of the world’s most unique wine regions. No other country can boast of so much viticulture and wine-culture in its capitol city. During the Middle Ages, each district of Vienna (called Bezirk in German) worked its own vineyards.  As the city grew and modernized, many vineyards were lost to concrete, asphalt, etc.  Recently, there has been a trend towards replanting vines in the city.  There are 630 wineries (that's one winery per 2,500 Viennese - my kind of town) in Vienna.  White grapes dominate these urban vineyards.  Grüner Veltliner, the quintessential Austrian grape, is common, along with Riesling and Chardonnay.  These crisp white wines are the perfect accompaniment to Wiener Schnitzel, potato salad or any manner of wurst. For those who enjoy tasting in style, visit the Hotel Rathaus Wein & Design – a hotel made just for wine lovers.  Alternatively, if you prefer surfing and sipping, take your laptop to Wein & Co., where you’ll find hundreds of Austrian wines alongside free Wi-Fi! Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind cosmopolitan wine experience.

The Live Austrian Wine Adventure

In partnership with the good folks at Austria Tourism, Winemonger and Wines from Austria, Basic Juice broadcasted live from Austria's wine country during May and June.  And when I say broadcast, I mean broaaad-cast:  I published over 50 of my experiences with the unique & diverse wines of Austria.  I also served up the dish on Austrian cuisine, and posted dozens of snapshots from the countryside.  But wait, there's more.  I also interviewed a number of the unique personalities on the Austrian wine scene, such as Michael Moosbrugger, Johannes Hirsch and Eva & Guenther Mueller.  These interviews were podcast in part through the audio wizardry of Winecast.  My goal was to make you feel as if you sat in the passenger seat with me while we explored the Austrian countryside.  Read some of the highlights of the Adventure.  Oh, and visit a few of the gracious LAWA sponsors by clicking through their ads on the right.

Styria - southern Austria
Wohlmuth: Simply Elegant
Harkamp Has It
The Disciples of Glass
Manfred is Out of the Office

Burgenland - eastern Austria
Birgit's Burgund-land
Kollwentz: Full Throttle
They Call Themselves the Rusters
Seewinkel Wild
Martin's Mantras

Wachau - central Austria, along the Danube
Smaragd Samplings
Special F.X.
Behind 2 Stars

Kremstal - central Austria, along the Danube
Wine City/Wine People
Nigl's Sonoma

Kamptal - central Austria, along the Danube
Temple of Wine
Hirsch-y Kiss

Thermenregion - just south of Vienna
Baths of the Rich & Famous

Random Austrian Fun
G'spritzter: The Hi Temp Solution
It's Spanish to Me
The Flea Cooks
Melk Abbey
Kaffee Bitte!

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

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

Monterey Foray

Editor's note: This is part of the weekend series of posts by guest authors, who are fellow bloggers, wine industry folk and/or Basic Juice readers. If you are interested in being a guest author, contact me with a proposal, and we'll see if we can't introduce the world to your handiwork.

Guest Author: Elsbeth Wetherill, co-owner of Escafeld Vineyards, a small family operated winery located in the San Antonio Valley. E-mail her at info@escafeld.com.

Already legendary for world class restaurants, romantic hotels and breathtaking scenery, Monterey County has another compelling reason to visit—the wines.

Monterey County is home to nine appellations: Arroyo Seco, Santa Lucia Highlands, San Lucas, Chalone, Monterey, San Bernabe, Hames Valley, and our newest AVA, San Antonio Valley. A wide range of microclimates, with cooler regions in the north and warm, dry appellations in the south, provide local growers and winemakers with the perfect conditions for practically every grape variety and style.

The first stop on your itinerary should be A Taste of Monterey on Cannery Row, where you’ll sample wines from over 40 Monterey County Wineries, including a number of smaller boutique producers who do not yet have tasting rooms. Then pick up a copy of Monterey Bay Wine and Travel Magazine and hit the wine trail. Monterey County is home to over 25 tasting rooms, renowned as much for their hospitality as for their wines.

New to the wine corridor is the San Antonio Valley, recently granted appellation status. Almost a secret, this beautiful unspoiled valley, just 20 miles inland, is home to Mission San Antonio de Padua and William Randolph Hearst’s historic Milipitas Ranch House, which is now a guest lodge and restaurant. You’ll also find some of the most stunning drives on the central coast. 800+ acres of vines and over 20 varietals are planted here, where growers and winemakers work together crafting high-quality wines.

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

What I learned..

What I learned on my Live Austrian Wine Adventure

At the moment, I'm a bit too tuckered to wax all eloquent & philosophical about Austria's wines.  However, a few things that I plan to noodle over in the next few days are:

• Terroir is detectable in the vast majority of Austrian wine
• Austrian winemaking still seems to be evolving; with new technology & centuries' old traditions.  Sometimes the two approaches are compatible, sometimes not
• There is much to enjoy about wine with less than 13% alcohol
• There is much to enjoy about wine with less than 12.5% alcohol
• Don't sleep on Austria's red wine - particularly well-crafted St. Laurent & Blaufränksich
• Where in the world did the red grape, Blauer Portugieser come from?
• What percentage of 'average' US wine consumers will shell out $20+ for high quality Austrian wine?
• Grüner Veltliner has incredible aging potential - I was lucky enough to sample some dating back to 1944.  A few of these wines still tasted very, very young.  What's this grape's secret?

Additionally, there are still stories to tell about my time in the Thermenregion, visits to top wineries such as Schloss Gobelsburg & Willi Bründlmayer and sampling of several Viennese wines.  For now, have a look at a few of the LAWA photo galleries, read one of the 40+ posts I've written whilst tear-assing across the countryside in my BMW "1" series, or listen to the interviews mix'd up righteously by Winecast.

More soon.  I sure do love the 'old hotness' - but excuse me for a day or two while I enjoy the 'new hotness'!

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

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

Styria in Stere-eree-o

Mixmaster Tim of Winecast has worked up two of my interviews with a pair of Styria's most unique wineries: Domäne Müller of Southern Styria & Weingut Neumeister of SE Styria.  Have a listen and learn about Blauer Wildbacher, Styria's very own grape used to produce Schilcher - and an amazing, rare, red wine from Domäne Müller.  You'll also hear the tale of how a young Austrian winemaker travelled to Australia, met an Australian, who then returned with him to Austria.  Got it?  Download and ppppodcast the show here.

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, live austrian wine adventure, podcast, styria, 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

Asparagus Time

Asparagus - eat it every day!

One thing I've noticed during my time in Austria is this:  By and large, people are more connected/closer to the food supply.  Restaurants and markets feature produce that is in season.  For example, May-June is known throughout Austria as "Spargel Zeit" (asparagus time).  During this time, every restaurant & cafe proudly displays menu specials featuring asparagus.  So far I have sampled asparagus in a number of forms - raw, steamed, pureed, roasted, creamed and as a mousse.  I never knew A) asparagus was so flexible and B) I could eat so much of it.

Even the Austrian winemakers have jumped on the asparagus bandwagon.  Each year, the Austrian Wine Marketing Board sponsors a Spargelwein (asparagus wine) competition.  The winner is then able to display a special badge on his/her wine - and the stuff sells like hotcakes.

The winner of the asparagus wine competition

I was able to taste this year's winner at the Ursin Haus Vinothek in Langenlois (Lower Austria).  Ursin Haus is a great place - It features wines from all around Austria's Kamptal.  Manager Wolfgang Schwarz explained to me that the wine shop is a jointly owned by 52 winemakers.  Each wine is offered at winery-direct price (i.e much cheaper than in a typical retail shop).  And, on weekends and holidays, one of the partner winemakers mans the shop and is available to answer questions from customers.  A fabulous idea.  Excellent execution.

Technorati Tags: austria, austrian wine, food, photos, travel, wine

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.

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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.

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