Austrian Wine Tasting Lineup

Everybody knows that Austria produces outstanding Rieslings just as its neighboring Germany. That's why we decided to introduce our friends to something that they might taste for the first time. even more fun, we decided to have an evening of Waltzing with Austrian Wines in flip-flops on a lawn.

We started with a very compelling white blend of 2017 Weingut OTT Gemischter Satz..

This blend comes from the only geographical wine region in the world located within the city limits of the major large metropolitan city. The region called Wiener Gemischter Satz DAC and located in Vienna. Any wines from this region must be a blend of at least three or more grape varietals.
Weingut OTT is a blend of seven grapes, with Welshcriesling and Neuberger co-picked from the vine and co-fermented following carbonic maceration.
As a result, we got to taste one of a kind blend with an elegant and sophisticated character. What makes this blend even rarer that it's different every year.
Our glasses were filled with wild white flowers, peaches, apple skin, and juicy ripe yellow pear.

The second Wine was the 2011 Hirsch Lamm Grüner Veltliner Kamptal Reserve. As you can see, it had a very long name, and most of our friends tasted such Wine for the first time. Let's break it down for you.
The most important part it's made with Grüner Veltliner, the signature Austrian grape believed to be indigenous to Austria. This grape varietal is among a shortlist of white grapes that can be aged and develop complexity worthy of world-class Wine.

Hirsch is the name of the winery and the last name of winemaker Hannes. Kamptal is the winegrowing region of Austria, and Lamm is a vineyard where the grapes came from. Now that we know what's in the name, let's talk about what's in a bottle.

In the 1970s, Hannes's father started organic farming, and he was one of the founding members of Respekt – a biodynamic certification in 2006. Respekt now covers both Austria and Germany. In the footsteps of his father, Hannes uses biodynamic preparations and follows the lunar cycle for vineyard work. All grapes are hand-harvested, carefully sorted, and gently whole-cluster pressed. Fermentations are done with ambient yeasts and always without temperature control. "One of the plagues of modern Wine is uniformity. Cooling is one of the worst things you can do, in this regard." says 'Hannes. With his wines, Hannes aims to maintain as much authenticity of the grape and its terroir as possible.

So how was it in a glass?

As we expected, 2011 Hirsch Lamm started with a distinct minerality followed by honeyed peach, lime, and ripe yellow plum. On the palate, it has integrated acidity, flavors of peach, and apricot complemented by herbal and smokey notes. It's a versatile food wine, but you can enjoy it on its own as well.

Austria is known for its world-class white wines. But what about reds? As with whites, we decided to take the road less traveled by and taste the wines from the varietals only Austrians would know.
The first two wines came from Erich Sattler, the new generation of Austrian winemakers. In 2000, Erich took over the fourth-generation family winery and developed it further. He combined what he learned in the vineyard since childhood with the knowledge he gained at the Winemaking School in Krems, Austria, and the University of Agriculture in Vienna. Eric's sums up his winemaking philosophy, in one short phrase, "We make wine as my grandfather did, only with better machines."

The first red wine we tasted was 2015 Sattler St. Laurent. The name of the label is a blend of winery name and grape variety.

Sankt Laurent is a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety indigenous to Austria. It is an offspring of the Pinot Noir with a somewhat similar structure and silkiness. Yet, it has a distinct spiciness, floral aromas, and a hint of dark fruit when fully ripe.

The grapes for 2015 St. Laurent went through over a week of maceration and fermentation and were gently pressed. The Wine matured on the lees for six months and was bottled with minimal filtration.

In a glass, it has a dark purple color. The aromas and flavors were dominated by the ripe Morello and black cherry with hints of white pepper. The structure of the wine is backed by a pleasant acidity and densely woven but fine tannins. We could say that it had a lot in common with juicy and fruity Pinot Noir but with more pronounced tannin, and we loved that about this Wine.

It is a seductive wine with a good finish that can be enjoyed on its own or paired with a fancy duck breast dish or a simple grilled burger.

We followed St. Laurent with 2015 Sattler Zweigelt. If you guessed that label is a combination of winery name and grape variety, you were right.

Charmingly light and fruity, slightly tart and spicy, Zweigelt is Austria's most widely planted red variety. While native to Austria, it is actually a relatively recent cross, bred by Dr. Zweigelt in 1922. He crossed two native grapes, St.Laurent and Blaufränkisch. He picked Blaufränkisch to add peppery bite and structure, and Zweigelt to complement it with aromatics and elegance.

As with previous Wine, 2015 Sattler Zweigelt went through over a week of maceration and fermentation and matured on the lees for six months.

Both St.Laurent and Blaufränkisch contribute to this Wine dense purple color. On the nose, we could sense the ripe strawberry from St. Laurent and herbs and green pepper from Blaufränkisch.
On the palate, we could detect both grapes as well. Plum, cherry, pepper, and touch of spice were pulling our taste buds in both fruity and savory directions.

Balanced finish, fruity nature with a little zest makes it quintessential barbeque wine. No wonder it's the most famous Wine in Austria and the best-kept secret no more!