At most press conferences, there’s a moment where you wonder what you’ve gotten yourself into.
A few come to mind:
On a cold winter’s night on a dock in Cape Town, a local in jeans and a jumper balanced precariously on a paddleboard, unable to control the direction of the board, dreaming of this activity. You could even see a grin on the winemaker’s face. After a night of schnapps and oompah music, we tobogganed down a pitch-black Alpine mountainside at 11 p.m. We were dangerously close to the edge of the cliff and traveling too fast for comfort or safety. We fought in boxer shorts in the pouring snow. On the wooden deck of a luxury chalet in Val d’Isere with my Ski Sunday co-host.
Calm before the storm: Chris is in a happy place
This moment of doubt came on the first evening of a three-day trip to Austria to explore the Neusiedlersee wine region. We set sail on Lake Neusiedl, the largest inner lake in Central Europe, for what we called a “sunset cruise” and all was well. As we ran happily and chatting to the center of the lake with beer in hand, the atmosphere suddenly changed as the clouds thickened and a cold wind blew.
Chris in a not-so-happy place….”Sunset Cruise” by Neusiedlersee
In the distance across the lake, the town of Rust was shrouded in brooding darkness, and menacing rain clouds began to drift across the lake in our direction. Thankfully, Seegut Lentsch’s captain, Markus Lentsch, made a quick turnaround and we arrived at the village of Poddersdorf just before the rain hit, straight from the oncoming storm.
The day started at a vineyard overlooking Lake Neusiedl and fresh from the airport we were poured our first wine of the trip. It was a pet-nat made by producer Georg Preisinger using Pinot Noir, Blaufränkisch, and Saint Laurent grapes. Fresh, punchy and attractively off-dry, this wine is a perfect example of what followed Neusiedlersee, a DAC (Austrian District, Austrian classification for typical high-quality wines of the region) that challenges perceptions of Austrian wines every time. I set it to .
Offering an alternative style and fresh vision of Austria, this place ranges from hipster wet-wet combinations of pet nuts and orange wine to exciting flavors made with lesser-known grapes like Welschriesling and Saint Laurent. It’s an exciting place where anything goes, from style to style. A red with structure and real charm.
“Lakes have a very strong influence on the climate,” says Georg Preisinger.
Just when you think you know Austrian wine, think again.
DAC itself is relatively new (released for the 2012 vintage) and has just under 6,000 hectares of vineyard area. Austria’s most important DAC for Zweigelt and sweet wines, with 49% of red wines compared to 32% for Austria as a whole.
Geographically, the lakes here have a huge influence on the wines and styles produced, so much so that boat trips are taken and a new terminology to describe the influence of saline lakes is “cerroir” (“sea” means lake). ) was born. German.
“Lakes have a very strong influence on the climate,” says Georg Preisinger. “The lake moderates the temperature and weather.”
Mr. Preisinger explained the concept of “Serroir” while leading a tasting at the winery with Mr. Torsten Aumuller, Managing Director of Neusiedlersee DAC, and Mr. Dirseu Viana Jr. MW, an ambassador for the region. It was given to me.
Neusiedlersee Masterclass Wines
This in-depth tasting highlighted the diversity within DAC and explored the region’s forming varietals and wines. There is a lot to learn and during the session we will be looking at examples of the region’s ‘classic’ white varietals such as Grüner Feldreiner and Welschriesling, as well as international examples such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay. We tasted examples of white varieties.
Grüner’s style is fresh and bright with herbal notes, rather than the richer, spicier style that many of us are familiar with from other parts of Austria. The Welschriesling was an absolute revelation. This is a really promising grape, with real style differences depending on how it’s made. Fresh and mineral, with high acidity, green fruit and steel, there are also richer, honeyed styles with hints of oak. It’s certainly a noteworthy piece.
alternative austria
But the most interesting part of the masterclass were the four wines that made up the “White Alternatives” section. This quartet of wines goes a long way in illustrating what is interesting about this region and modern Austrian winemaking as a whole.
First up was Splitterfasernackt by producer Markus IRO, which translates to “naked naked.” Made from Neuburger, a relatively neutral grape variety, it is fermented in its skins and then aged in stainless steel for six months. Rich and viscous, it is characterized by tannic flavors and aromas of nectarine and burnt honeycomb.
The other orange wine on board was Nestor Wines’ tropical and mineral Gelber Muscateller. By leaving the yellow Muscat grapes with their skins on for 20 days and aging them in old barrels, a wine with a herbal aroma and a salty taste is produced, with less hints of tangerine and passion fruit.
The other two wines, Artisan Wines’ Experimental, a co-fermented wine of Welschriesling and Sauvignon Blanc (clean, linear, floral) and Georg Preisinger’s Tapa Muscateller (floral with aromas of biltong and coriander seeds) ) showed how diverse winemaking here is.
But it’s not all left field; in fact, most of the wines tasted during the trip were focused on varietal-typical Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays, ranging from dark to pale, delicious and refreshing. It was a classic style, such as rosé.
Hannes Reh’s fresh and fun Rebellion is a slightly sparkling Zweigelt.
Focused on Zweigelt
When it comes to red wines in Neusiedlersee DAC, Zweigelt is king. I tasted many bottles of Blaufränkisch and red wines from around the world (Cabernet Franc, Merlot), and they were all delicious, but Zweigelt was in a class of its own.
On the final morning of our trip, a masterclass with Dirceu Viana Junior MW took us deep into Zweigelt, introducing us to the different forms of the grape and demonstrating how versatile it is.
Of the 2,934 hectares of vineyards in Neusiedlersee, Zweigelt occupies 1,398 hectares, or approximately 23% of the total vineyards in the region. Across Austria, it is the most planted red grape, accounting for 13.5% of the grapes planted under vines.
“Since 1990, it has been the number one breed for many reasons,” Vianna Jr. says. “It is reliable, high-yielding, has aging potential and is very prolific in the vineyard.”
Christoph Salzl, winemaker at Weingut Salzl Seewinkelhof, tells us more about the importance of Zweigelt in the region.
“This is our most important grape. It’s the ‘red grape’ Gruner Veltreiner,” he says. “It works best in this region than anywhere else. It’s usually fruit-based, but can be very spicy. It works in many different ways.”
In the vineyard, Zweigelt flowers reliably and has yields suitable for mass production, but can also be thinned to produce high-quality red wines. The method here is to simply cut each bunch in half. This reduces the yield by 50% and opens up the remaining bunches to increase airflow and allow even ripening.
Zweigelt accounts for 23% of Neusiedlersee’s total vineyards.
“We are also very flexible when it comes to wineries,” says Vianna Jr. “We can produce different styles of wine. We have a large picking window that spans several weeks. If you pick early, the red fruit is fresh and you don’t risk the pyrazines and vegetal notes you get with Cabernet Sauvignon.” But if picked later, you’ll get darker fruit, richer aromas, and more structure.”
Among the many Zweigelts, there were only a handful that stood out. Hannes Reeh’s fresh and delightful Reehbellion is a lightly sparkling Zweigelt with aromas of beautiful red berry fruits, light mousse and a finish of red grape juice. Another wine on the light side that impressed me was Markus Illo’s Spillerei, a juicy and approachable light-bodied red wine that is best served slightly chilled.
For a more serious wine, and one with a more medium-full-bodied style, see the 2021 Zweigelt from Seegut Lentsch, elegantly structured with aromas of raspberry fruit and leather, as well as red fruit, vanilla and eucalyptus. This final wine demonstrated how well Zweigelt can age and during the masterclass we tasted some great wines dating back to 2013.
The final comment of the tasting was by Dirceu Viana Jr. who summed up the grape well. “You can put it in the fridge and drink it slightly chilled, like Beaujolais, but it can also remind you of Rioja, Chianti and Côtes du Rhône. It’s a very versatile variety, perfect for pairing with food. is.”
Inside the artisan wine cellar
sweet wine
No trip to Neusiedlersee would be complete without mentioning its sweet wines. After all, this is Austria’s most important sweet wine-producing region, with 80% of Austria’s sweet wines produced here.
To explain why sweet wines work so well here, we need to look back at Lake Neusiedl. This lake helps create ideal conditions for botrytis, also known as botrytis, in the vineyards each fall. The morning fog generated by the lake followed by warm sunshine is ideal for botrytis.
“This is definitely one of the best places in the world to make sweet wines. Noble rot is always ‘clean’,” says Vianna Junior.
The dessert wines we tasted generally had a purity and lightness, but some went beyond that into the realm of sticky toffee with lush, rich, tropical aromas. There were also things. A standout was Weigut Salzl’s 2022 Golden Finesse, a TBA made from Scheurebe, Muscat and Welschriesling grapes, bold and honeyed with notes of dried apricot and peach and a beautiful, long, graceful acidity. It had a flavor of
It’s the perfect finishing touch to a meal and pairs perfectly with the myriad wine styles of this fascinating region. There’s so much more to explore here and so much potential overall, so the next time you think about Austrian wine, look a little deeper and explore some of the well-known and well-known regions and grapes. It’s worth looking ahead.
Learn more about Austrian wine
If you want to learn more about Austrian wine, there are two exciting opportunities to do so, as Austria’s national wine organization is holding two industry-only events in early November. MW’s Ann Krebiel will guide you through the region and varietals that make Austrian wines so special as you taste 12 carefully selected wines. Then sample 14 more varieties and network over a light lunch.
The event will take place in Edinburgh on November 6th and Manchester on November 8th. Click here for more information and to register.
Austrian Wines is a commercial partner of The Buyer. Click here for more information.
