WTN: Treasures of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

WTN: TREASURES OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE with Paul Mapplebeck (21 April 2007)

In view of the request for more tasting notes, here are my notes from my wine tasting group tutored tasting last Saturday.

• 2005 Danubiana B.T. Margaret Island - Hungary
  A really cheap wine at £2.99, pale straw colour, there's some pear fruit, some acids on a medium finish. OK as a party wine. (80 pts.)
• 2005 Franz Haas Pinot Bianco - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige
  Pale gold colour -- I'm not sure about this wine, there's some odd flavours, plasticine(?) seems lacking acidity, one dimensional. (79 pts.)
• 2005 Dinstlgut Loiben Grüner Veltliner Trocken Pfaffenberg - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
  Pale gold colour with greensih tinge. Good acidity but not much else --pleasant with a tangy finish. (82 pts.)
• 2005 Radgonske Gorice Traminer - Slovenia, Podravje, Radgona
  Pale gold colour. Rose petal , caramel and marmalade flavours. Quite a lot going on here. There's honey and turkish delight. Let down a little by a short finish. (89 pts.)
• 2005 Vinakoper Refosco - Slovenia, Primorje
  INky red/black colour. Minerally and sooty texture, quite thin and acidic, not a pleasant wine. (77 pts.)
• 2004 Feiler-Artinger Blaufränkisch - Austria, Burgenland
  Dark red, good tangy fresh fruit flavours, softbody with uplift of acids on finish. (89 pts.)
• 1999 Tenuta San Leonardo Vallagarina IGT - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Vallagarina IGT
  Dense dark black, good balance of fruit/tannins/acids -- nice Bordeaux blend coming unbalanced on finish as acids come to fore and become sour (84 pts.)
• 2002 Feiler-Artinger Welschriesling Ruster Ausbruch - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee Hügelland, Rust
  Place gold with green highlights. Thi sis intensely sweet - syrupy almost. Very full bodied, unctuous, but good balance, lovely stuff...... (92 pts.)
• 2000 Hilltop Neszmély Tokaji 5 puttonoyus - Hungary, Hegyalja, Tokaji
  Inexpensive Tokaj (£9.99 50cl) Gold colour, Suffers in comparison with preceding wine in tasting. Much less body and more caid. There's rose petals and caramel, honey & butterscotch. (89 pts.)

I'be been trying to find out more about Austrian wines - very much a rarity in NZ. So thanks for the notes.
We do get some of the wonderful Tokaji's here, though. I bought Neil a cute little bottle of a 6 putt for a birthday but he hasn't opened it yet. Other that that style, Hungarian wines are also rare. I've been trying to find some Bulls Blood, and when I asked a retailer he said, "Someone also asked me the other day". But he didn't have any.
Have you tried any of Austria's sauvignon blanc from the south (Sudsteiermark)?

1999 Tenuta San Leonardo Vallagarina IGT - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Vallagarina IGT
Dense dark black, good balance of fruit/tannins/acids -- nice Bordeaux blend coming unbalanced on finish as acids come to fore and become sour (84 pts.)

What a shame on the San Leonardo finish. I hope the wine isn't falling apart? I was hoping to set aside a 2000 San Leonardo Dolomiti for another year or three . . .

I'be been trying to find out more about Austrian wines - very much a rarity in NZ. So thanks for the notes.
We do get some of the wonderful Tokaji's here, though. I bought Neil a cute little bottle of a 6 putt for a birthday but he hasn't opened it yet. Other that that style, Hungarian wines are also rare. I've been trying to find some Bulls Blood, and when I asked a retailer he said, "Someone also asked me the other day". But he didn't have any.
Have you tried any of Austria's sauvignon blanc from the south (Sudsteiermark)?

What most of the US (and European) WLDGers have come to take for granted (I think) is the ridiculous array of international wines available to us. It certainly is the case with Austria (where we have something like 40 different importers of Austrian wine despite the relatively small national production), and only to a lesser extent Hungary, where Europeans have a huge edge in availability (even if some of it is indeed supermarket plonk). While France and Italy may enjoy blanket coverage for most of the globe, Austria and Hungary don't have that luxury. The problem with the former being smallish production and the latter having only recently embarked on both renaissance of world-class wine production and an ambitious export program (outside of Europe). I hope that time will come when these extraordinary wines are available in New Zealand.

And Sue, being from the Isle of Sauvignon, you would certainly appreciate the Sauvignon from Styria (some of which indeed gives NZ a run for the money IMO). Tement is the most available here, but Gross and Domaene Mueller are also favorites.

Have you tried any of Austria's sauvignon blanc from the south (Sudsteiermark)?

No, not as I recall. Indeed Austrian wine has only recently been reappearing in mass market outlets. Its market here collapsed completely as a result of the additives scare more then a decade ago.

It's the Gruner Veltliner that has been successful in getting Austria back on the shelves. The Wine Society lists % Austrian whites (3 GV & 2 Riesling) and 3 red (2 Zweigelt, 1 Blaufrankish). Majestic don't list any. Oddbins has 4 whites (3 GV & 1 Riesling).

GV is a USP, but for Sauvignon Blanc they'd be competing on price with NZ, SA and others.

And Sue, being from the Isle of Sauvignon, you would certainly appreciate the Sauvignon from Styria (some of which indeed gives NZ a run for the money IMO). Tement is the most available here, but Gross and Domaene Mueller are also favorites.

Indeed, Bill, Manfred Tement's 1997 "Steiregg" Sauvignon was one of the most impressive I've ever had from anywhere... and I've certainly had more than my fair share of quality Sauvignon from NZ.

Mark Lipton

And Sue, being from the Isle of Sauvignon, you would certainly appreciate the Sauvignon from Styria (some of which indeed gives NZ a run for the money IMO). Tement is the most available here, but Gross and Domaene Mueller are also favorites.

Being from the Isle of Sauvignon means there is very little exposure to SB from other places. A little from the Loire, some South African in a specialist South African shop, some Chilean imported by a specialist Chilean wine importer and the occasional encounter with a Mondavi Fume Blanc.

The only Austrian wines I've ever tried are Riesling and GV - and one of those GV's was brought in by some overseas tutors especially for a course I went on - to give exposure to international wine styles.
Looking at some maps, is seems that Styria is the same as Steiermark, and it is Sudsteiermark (or South Styria) where the acclaimed SB's that I was reading about come from.

Interesting to hear your point of view.

Cheers,
Sue

Have you tried any of Austria's sauvignon blanc from the south (Sudsteiermark)?

No, not as I recall. Indeed Austrian wine has only recently been reappearing in mass market outlets. Its market here collapsed completely as a result of the additives scare more then a decade ago.

It's the Gruner Veltliner that has been successful in getting Austria back on the shelves. The Wine Society lists % Austrian whites (3 GV & 2 Riesling) and 3 red (2 Zweigelt, 1 Blaufrankish). Majestic don't list any. Oddbins has 4 whites (3 GV & 1 Riesling).

GV is a USP, but for Sauvignon Blanc they'd be competing on price with NZ, SA and others.

People always remember the bad things, like the anti freeze in wine fiasco.

What's a USP in this context?

[Robin Garr]

the additives scare more then a decade ago.

More like a generation ago, I believe. Wasn't it around 1984?

What's a USP in this context?

Unique Selling Point

the additives scare more then a decade ago.

More like a generation ago, I believe. Wasn't it around 1984?

I was too lazy to check, I was however correct that it was more than a decade ago Two decades plus - 1985



Time is going by so fast. 1 third through 2007 already? Hard to believe!

Indeed, Bill, Manfred Tement's 1997 "Steiregg" Sauvignon was one of the most impressive I've ever had from anywhere...

Are you sure it's not "Zieregg"?

What's a USP in this context?

Unique Selling Point

My marketing studies (which go back over three decades compared to the AT wine scandal which dates back over two decades) had it as "Unique Selling Proposition".

Have you tried any of Austria's sauvignon blanc from the south (Sudsteiermark)?

No, not as I recall. Indeed Austrian wine has only recently been reappearing in mass market outlets. Its market here collapsed completely as a result of the additives scare more then a decade ago.

It's the Gruner Veltliner that has been successful in getting Austria back on the shelves. The Wine Society lists % Austrian whites (3 GV & 2 Riesling) and 3 red (2 Zweigelt, 1 Blaufrankish). Majestic don't list any. Oddbins has 4 whites (3 GV & 1 Riesling).

GV is a USP, but for Sauvignon Blanc they'd be competing on price with NZ, SA and others.

People always remember the bad things, like the anti freeze in wine fiasco.

It's strange that no one recalls that Italy was also involved in the 1985 scandal. The Italians actually adding methylene alcohol and subsequently killing two dozen people (where in Austria it was diethylene glycol with zero reported deaths). But fraud is fraud and the silver lining in this case was a complete overhaul of Austrian wine law. Now Austria boasts the most strict wine laws on earth (even more so than Germany). Any concerns about quality are completely unfounded.

I have some 1998 Feiler-Artinger Ruster Ausbruch Pinot Cuvee downstairs. F-A is an absolutely amazing producer. With all of the attention that Kracher gets in the U.S., I feel Americans are really missing out on one of the world's premier producers of sweet wines. Or perhaps I should keep quiet...

Let me add Hans Tschida from Weingut Angerhof in Illmitz to Hans & Kurt Feiler (Rust) and Alois & Gerhard Kracher (Illmitz).

Indeed, Bill, Manfred Tement's 1997 "Steiregg" Sauvignon was one of the most impressive I've ever had from anywhere...

Are you sure it's not "Zieregg"?

Ack!! Of course you're right, Michael. We've spoken of this wine before.

Mark Lipton