I've been nursing a bottle of Austrian red wine (yes, I said Austrian red wine) from a producer called Umathum in Burgenland. Austrian wines have been on my radar big time for the last several months, and I'm shocked shocked to discover how little most people (including myself) know about the wines from this awesome region.
If you've heard of, tasted, and can name a couple of Grüner Veltliners (Austria's most populous grape variety, accounting for nearly 40% of its wine production) give yourself a pat on the back. Maybe you've even tasting an Austrian Riesling or two (see a great Austrian Riesling I recently tasted). But Austrian red wines? Bah!
Hold your horses, Nelly. I was skeptical, too, but I have to say - this bottle is kind of growing on me. I'm drinking the 2006 Umathum Zweigelt, Burgenland (Zweigelt is the grape - just in case you were wondering) and a few thoughts are forming:
- This is a very minerally wine. Clean and sort of steely on the nose, like standing in a creek.
- It's very light, but in an appealing way. Though it's pretty grim outside (bleh, November) it makes me think of spring picnics and breezes and sipping by the lake.
- This is a wine I would reach for (and have been) when I can't decide if I want to drink a red or a white. It fulfills my red cravings with its berry notes and light spice, but it's so clean and light that it lays easy on my palate.
On the subject of Austrian whites, I recently shared a bottle of 2005 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner, Kammerner Renner with a colleague while we dined at Ella, a brand spanking new restaurant in Sacramento. Dinner was great, but the wine really stuck with me - yum! The next day I was still tasting these beautiful floral notes and gorgeous mouth-filling fruit, all balanced with a food-friendly acidity. This was a delicious Grüner Veltliner, if you can trust my somewhat inexperienced palate.
These last three dabbles into Austrian wine have definitely left me curious and eager to learn more. Stay tuned for more Austrian wine tasting in future posts...
For now, here are a few Los Angeles wine shops with a decent selection of Austrian wines:
