I’ve been meaning to write up this review for several weeks as I actually tasted these wines two months ago, but other things kept coming up.  Shame on me.  But getting this posted late is better than not at all.

These are all grüner veltliner from Austria, a wine I acquired an appreciation for when I visited Austria in 2010.  For those who haven’t had grüner (as it’s called for short), it’s food-friendly white wine known for it’s high acidity and mineral characteristics.  The aroma of pepper is also a common “tell” for a grüner.

It’s actually a really good salad wine.  Grüner has a reputation for going well with vegetables, including the ever-problematic-pairing-vegetable asparagus.  I love asparagus, so it’s good to know that I can always trust a grüner to go well with it.  I’m also an advocate of multiple wine pairings with a meal.  For example, have a grüner veltliner with your salad and a red Cotes du Rhone with your entree.  I know it can get expensive to open a couple bottles, but give it a try for a special occasion when you have friends over.

All of these wines are at the upper end of our typical $20 price limit — and a couple are over that limit.  But they’re all good.  There’s not one in this batch that I’d turn down.

Leth Steinagrund Grüner Veltliner 2010

This gruner comes from Wagram, which is a good region to find value-based grüner veltliner.  There are some tasty wines to come from this region, but it’s not considered a top tier region — in other words, it doesn’t have “DAC” status.  However it borders some of the top DAC regions and takes advantage of microclimates from the Danube river, which runs through the middle of the region.

The nose is a little tight on this wine, but it does show some lime aromas.  The palate is also somewhat subtle, but it does have a nice peach flavor to it, as well as some citrus notes.  The acidity is sufficient.  And the finish is medium in length.  It’s a decent, although somewhat simple Gruner.

Wine: Leth Steinagrund
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $18.00
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Huber Traisental Grüner Veltliner 2010

This one comes from a little further upriver in the Traisental DAC.  Actually, the Danube only hits the top edge of this region, with the majority of it residing south of the river.

The nose on this wine is lovely, with pepper and lime aromatics.  It smells refreshing.  Although some might argue that is smells more like a sauvignon blanc than a gruner veltliner. The palate has excellent acidity, with pear, apple and light citrus flavors.  It has a touch of sweetness, which is most noticeable on the finish.  Speaking of the finish, it’s plenty long and very enjoyable.  This is a nice wine for the price.

Wine: Huber Traisental
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $18.00
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Pfaffl Haidviertel Grüner Veltliner 2010

Now we venture further north in Austria to the Weinviertal DAC, which is the largest wine region in Austria running from the north of the Danube river up to the Czech border in the north and the Slovakian border to the east.

There is definitely some of the classic pepper aromas on the nose, along with other floral notes and a hint of tropical fruit.  The palate has sufficient acidity with crisp apple and mineral flavors with a touch of spice on the mid palate.  The finish brings in a bit more mineral and a bit of peach.

Wine: Pfaffl Haidviertel
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $22.00
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Türk Kremser Weinberge Grüner Veltliner 2009

Türk is from the Kremstal DAC, which is a relatively small region, just west of Traisental with the Danube dividing the region in half.  In addition to creating some awesome gruner here, the town of Krems, at the center of the region, is just lovely.

This wine shows spice and herbs on the nose, with pepper (of course) being among those.  The palate has good concentration, with apple, lemon and lime flavors.  The acidity is good.  It shows some good mineral characteristics on the finish.

Wine: Türk Kremser Weinberge
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 87
Price: $20.00
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Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009

Now we’re getting into what I consider top notch territory for gruner.  And this wine gives you just a hint of what’s possible from this region.

The nose on this wine has a strikingly nice balance of spice and fruit, presenting a bouquet of peppered apples and melon.  The palate brings out apple flavors up front, evolving into peach and honeydew melon on the mid-palate and into the finish. The finish also brings a salty mineral characteristic.  The acidity on the palate is good, as is the concentration of flavors.  It also does offer a touch of spice on the palate.  This is a really nice Gruner.

Wine: Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner 2009
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 90
Price: $25.00
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Disclosure: These wines were received as a sample.

One of the highlights of my trip to Austria this past fall was the grüner veltliner (pronounced GROO-nah velt-LEE-nah, with your best Germanic accent).  We traveled up the Danube river one day and tasted grüner veltliner from the Wachau and Wagram regions, which are beautiful areas with terraced vineyards along the shores of the Danube.  There wasn’t a single wine on that trip that I would turn down, they were all quite nice — of course, some were more enjoyable than others.  But one thing that disappoints me is that many of those wines don’t have distribution in the US.  So, rather than write about a bunch of wines you can’t find here, I’m glad to be reviewing a couple you can.

Both of these wines are produced by Laurenz V. and the grapes come primarily from the Kamptal and Kremstal regions, which lie between Wachau and Wagram.  The wines from these regions are influence by both the warm air from the Danube and cooler airs from the north, creating full ripeness from the warmth and crisp acidity from the cooler airs.  The wines of this region are also strongly influenced by the minerals in the soils, which add subtle nuances to the characteristics of the wine.

Laurenz und Sophie Singing Grüner Veltliner

The grapes in the Singing Grüner Veltliner come mostly from Kremstal, with some coming from Weinviertel to the northeast of Kremstal.  It is 100% grüner veltliner.

Mineral is the most prominent feature on the nose of this wine.  It also shows some melon, some lemon and a hint of yeast.  The palate has an outstanding, crisp acidity with delicate citrus and melon flavors.  And did I mention the acidity? Well, it’s worth mentioning again.  It’s just right — intense enough to give the wine a crisp characteristic, but not so much that it makes you pucker.  It finishes with mineral and lemon.  This is a simple and elegant wine.

It’s not only a reasonably priced introduction to grüner veltliner but it’s also good enough to make a regular appearance at the dinner table.  It’s a very nice wine.

Wine: Laurenz und Sophie Singing Grüner Veltliner
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 12%
Rating:  89
Price: $15.00

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Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner

The Charming Grüner Veltliner is 100% grüner veltliner from the Kamptal region.  It’s a more expensive than the Singing Grüner Veltliner, and quite honestly more expensive than what we typically cover at Cheap Wine Ratings.  But I thought it would make a good comparison, so here goes.

This is a really interesting grüner veltliner to me.  The nose shows honey, melon and some herbal / floral characteristics that really give it character.  The intensity of the aromas is good too.  A lot of grüner veltliner that I’ve tasted is very subtle on the nose, but this has good intensity without losing elegance.  The palate begins with ripe apple flavors, followed crisp acidity with herbal and spicy notes on the mid-palate.  It finishes with a salted apple flavor.  Although it may be a little pricey for the budget-minded, this is an excellent wine.

Wine: Laurenz V. Charming Grüner Veltliner
Variety: Grüner veltliner
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 13%
Rating:  91
Price: $27.00

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Disclosure: These wines were received as samples.

We recently returned from the European Wine Bloggers Conference (EWBC) in Vienna, Austria and over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some insights and discoveries from that conference.  The EWBC is an event where wine writers from around the world converge to discuss their craft, share ideas, improve their wine knowledge and discover some new wines.

The conference was, as they always are, very insightful and I have several discoveries I want to share with our readers.  So many, that I’ve struggled to decide where to start.  But I have to start somewhere, and so it’s going to be by introducing you, my friends, to a beautiful gem from Austria called blaufränkisch.

Blaufränkisch is a red wine variety found in central Europe and is particularly important in Austria, where it’s the second most-planted red grape variety.  Zweigelt is more planted in Austria, but to many vintners blaufränkisch is more important.  It can be found throughout Burgenland, where this variety is flourishing.  Some call it the pinot noir of Central Europe.  I expect that over the next few years the demand for blaufränkisch will continue to grow, spreading to the United states — and Burgenland will be the prized region for this wine.

I call blaufränkisch a gem, because it is truly beautiful.  It’s not just the deep red color that makes it beautiful, but the complex spiciness, luscious fruit flavors, outstanding structure and earthy mineral notes.  While younger blaufränkisch is certainly approachable, nearly every one I tasted had the structure for at least a few years of aging — and the few aged examples I was able to taste were phenomenal.  This isn’t a wine I’ll be tucking away for 25 years, but a few years will be good.

If you’re someone who likes to bring a different wine to a party to wow your friends, this is one type of wine you may want to check out.  Unfortunately, blaufränkisch is a wine that I haven’t come across at very many US wine shops, but I hope that changes—and I expect it will.  If fact, if any US importers are interested in recommendations of some blaufränkisch producers to pursue, then read on… and feel free to contact me for more details.

DAC Classifications

The most impressive blaufränkisch I tasted came from three different DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) regions: Eisenberg, Mittelburgenland and Leithaberg.  Each of these regions have a DAC system to classify those wines that best represent the fruit and spice qualities that winemakers in the area have agreed to be varietally correct.

For Eisenberg DAC and Mittelburgenland DAC there is both a “classic” and a “reserve” DAC classification.  Classic wines from both DACs are available to consumers in the fall the year following the harvest and have little-to-no noticeable oak and an alcohol level between 12.5 – 13%.  Classic wines tend to be a little less expensive—although, arguably, less elegant—than those with the Reserve classification.  Reserve wines are available in March the second year following the harvest, are aged in large oak casks or small oak barrels and have a minimum alcohol level of 13%.

Mittelburgenland also has a DAC Riede classification, which are sourced from a single vineyard, and labeled with that vineyard.  Mittleburgenland DAC Riede is must have an alcohol level between 13 -13.5% and must be matured in large oak casks or used barriques — but may only exhibit light oak characteristics.  These wines may be released to consumers October 1 following the year of harvest.

For Leithaberg DAC there is only one level to the DAC classification and these wines are released to consumers in the fall of the second year following the harvest, but they have little or no use of oak.

I did notice what I perceived as an apprehension to use oak throughout Burgenland.  But as I explored this a little further I learned that this is really a correction from an overzealous use of oak in years past.  The pendulum is currently swinging away from oak in Austria as winemakers are seeking to produce more elegant wines.  At the same time there are some producers who were being more adventurous—yet thoughtful—with their use of oak and getting phenomenal results.  I was particularly impressed with Hans Igler in this vein.

My Recommendations

Even though our readers in the US may have a hard time finding these wines, I want to share some of my top picks from this trip to Austria.  Those readers located in Europe will probably have better luck finding these wines.  Due to limited time at these tastings, I did not do my typical ratings but rather captured tasting notes of those that stood out.  Here are the highlights of what I tasted.

Eisenberg DAC

The Eisenberg DAC is the southernmost DAC region in Burgenland, or more specifically, in Südburgenland (South Burgenland).  The best value will be found from wines with the classic DAC designation.  These are younger, more fruit-forward wines but still have the mineral and spice characteristics for which blaufränkisch is known.  A couple wines with this classification that stood out for me were:

• Weinbau Jalits 2009 Blaufränkisch Eisenberg – The nose is very spicy and floral.  On the palate it’s all about red berry flavors and tannins that are almost chewy.  The finish is long and filled with fruit and spice.
• Weingut Poller 2009 Blaufränkisch Eisenberg – The color is a deep, deep purple.  Lively fruit aromas erupt from this wine.  The fruit is a little more restrained on the palate, but nice.  Strawberry and apple peel flavors stand out.  The acidity and tannins are both spot on.

The Eisenberg DAC Reserve wines are aged for at least two years in oak.  These wines are generally more expensive than their classic brethren, but I found a couple value-priced examples worth noting.

• Weingut Rennhofer 2008 Blaufränkisch Eisenberg Reserve – This is a very well balanced and approachable wine with cherry and iron notes.  The finish is nice and spicy.
• Weingut Poller “Kokomandl” 2008 Blaufränkisch Eisenberg Reserve – With fresh blueberry and cinnamon aromas, this made me think of a blueberry muffin.  The intensity of the nose is outstanding too.  The flavors are tart blackberry and blueberry with gripping tannins and outstanding acidity.

Mittelburgenland

OK, this may be a little confusing but bear with me.  You can generally think of Mittelburgenland as a region (i.e. middle Burgenland), but technically it’s a classification.  Wines produced in this area have to be submitted (and approved) for DAC status in order to market them as “Mittelburgenland” wine.  But there are wines produced in this region, and sold without the Mittelburgenland name.  The first wine from this region I want to tell you about is one such wine.

• Hans Igler 2007 C4 Blaufränkisch – Hands down, this was my favorite blaufränkisch that I tasted throughout Burgenland, and ironically it doesn’t have a DAC classification.  The nose has incredible intensity, with aromas of licorice, tar, caramel, red currant and mineral.  The palate is equally outstanding, with herbal dark berry flavors and black licorice with exceptional concentration.  It has great structure and could easily age 10-12 years or more.  This is absolutely a superb wine!

There was one wine I tasted with the Mittelburgenland DAC Classic designation that caught my attention:

• Weinbau Reinfeld 2008 Mittelburgenland DAC Classic – Red is the theme with this wine.  Deep red color.  Red currant aromas on the nose.  Cherry and raspberry flavors with good concentration.  The tannins and acidity are spot on.  The finish brings spicy fruit and mineral.

In the Mittelburgenland DAC Riede classification, there were a number of wines that caught my fancy.  But this is where I wish I had time to photograph each bottle that I tasted because in my post-tasting research I’m having a hard time identifying these particular wines.  You see, the Mittelburgenland DAC Riede classification includes a specific vineyard in the name of the wine, and those locations weren’t listed on the tasting sheet I was provided.  As I look up the specific vineyards for the wine that I liked I’m finding that some of the producers have multiple wines with the DAC Riede classification and unfortunately I’m not sure which ones I tasted.  Therefore, I’m not listing those that are unclear and I’m left with only a couple recommendations.

• Hans Igler 2008 Blaufränkisch Hochberg Mittelburgenland DAC – Medium red in color, this blaufränkisch has spicy aromas with allspice, soft red fruit and a slightly smoky quality.  The palate is brought to life by a bright acidity and flavors of rhubarb and raspberry.  The tannins are perfect.  The finish is shows soft red fruit flavors and mineral.
• Weingut Hufnagel Blaufränkisch 2008 Mittelburgenland DAC Riede Neuberg - This wine has a deep purple color.  It’s lively on the nose with sharp spice and smoke aromas.  It’s very well balanced and has both red and darker fruit on the palate.  It’s slightly tannic on the finish, but still a very nice wine.

Leithaberg DAC

As I already mentioned, with the Leithaberg DAC there is not a classic or reserve designation but only one set of DAC standards for red wine.  There are a few white wine varieties that can have a Leithaberg DAC classification, but with red wine it’s only blaufränkisch.  The wines I tasted with this classification were all very good.  These wines are from the Neusiedlersee-Hügelland region in nothern Burgenland, west of Lake Neusiedl.  Here are a few of the blaufränkisch from this region that particularly stood out.

• Hofbauer 2008 Leithaberg DAC Blaufränkisch - The jewel-red color of this wine is beautiful in the glass.  The nose is filled with lively, fresh fruit aromas, mineral and nutmeg.  It tastes like a light raspberry sauce with a touch of nutmeg.  It’s very approachable up front and spicy on the finish, with a lingering ripe raspberry flavor.  This is an exceptional wine.
• Birgit Braunstein 2008 Leithaberg DAC Blaufränkisch - This light red wine is not one that I would tuck away in the cellar, but is perfect for enjoying immediately.  The nose is filled with fresh red berry and light spice, while the palate has black cherry and strawberry flavors.  The acidity makes it crisp.  And it has a nice, long and fruity finish.
• Wagentristl 2008 Leithaberg DAC Blaufränkisch -  The nose on this blaufränkisch is a little tight, but has an interesting herbal quality, it’s somewhat mint-like.  There’s also some plum on the nose.  In the mouth it has blueberry flavors with heavy tannins.  It finishes with iron and berry flavors.  I expect this would be a good bottle to age a few years and will be even more interesting then.
• Weingut Welkovits – 2008 Leithaberg DAC Blaufränkisch – This wine is bursting with nutmeg, cherry and floral black pepper aromas.  It has really nice fruit flavors, like raspberry and cherry.  Some nutmeg and mineral flavors add complexity to the palate.  It finishes with plenty of spicy black pepper and mineral.

One other wine that I enjoyed from the Neusiedlersee-Hügelland region, but is not classified as Leithaberg DAC, also came from Welkovits.  This is a small, family winery with very limited distribution.  I highly doubt you’ll find this anywhere in the US at the time I’m writing this, but I hope that some ambitious importer seeks it out… and stocks it in my neighborhood.

• Weingut Welkovits 2008 Blaufränkisch Selektion “Johannes” – Deep red in color, this wine has a ton of complexity and loads of fruit.  On the nose it has soft blueberry, strawberry, cherry, black pepper and nutmeg.  A hint of oak is also detectable.  The palate is full and fruity with blueberry and wild cherry spiced with nutmeg.  It has crisp acidity and good overall structure.  It finishes with black pepper and cherry flavors.

Sources

Thanks to Julia Sevenich for clarifying the Mittelburgenland DAC specifications for me.  Be sure to read her stuff at julia7ich.com.

Disclosure

While I did pay to attend the conference and paid for my own travel expenses, there are sponsors to the event that add significant value to the event.  Some of those sponsors took me, and a number of other attendees, on a two-day press junket to Burgenland after the conference.  The reason I’m telling you that is because the FTC requires me to disclose any affiliation, compensation, gifts, etc that I receive related to writings here.  I have no issues with providing that transparency, but I don’t it to come off like I’m bragging, “hey, I’m cool… I went on a wine press junket.”  It’s not like that at all.  While it might sound like a big party, everyone who attended took it very seriously and was there to learn about and discover the wine.  I hope we’ve helped you discover a new wine too.

Sparkling wine is often a popular choice to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but let’s face it, Champagne can be quite pricy and not a good pick for the frugal.  Don’t let that stop you from enjoying a good sparkling wine though, as there are plenty of enjoyable sparklers other than Champagne.  You can check out many Champagne-style wines from California, or look for something unique like this one.

Punkt, from producer Weingut Ewald Gruber, is a sparkling Grüner Veltliner, which is something you probably don’t come across every day.  In fact, you might not even be familiar with Grüner Veltliner, much less a sparkling one.  Grüner Veltliner is the most widely planted grape variety in Austria.  It produces a dry, minerally, full-bodied, food-friendly wine that is usually best consumed young.  Sometimes it can have a peppery quality to it.  It’s usually produced as a still wine, but sometimes it’s produced as a sparkler.

One of the things I like about this wine is its uniqueness. It makes a good conversation starter as most people I know have never had a sparkling Grüner Veltliner.  You won’t get the ceremonial popping of the cork that you’re used to from other sparkling wine as this one has a screw cap.  But don’t let that stop you from giving it a try.  One nice thing about the screw cap is that it’s easy to recap the bottle if you’re not consuming it all in one evening.

Everything about this wine is soft—the nose, the palate and the bubbles.  You’ll find that it’s not quite as bubbly as Champagne-style wines you’ve had in the past.  But, it’s light and refreshing.   On the nose it has a combination of floral, mineral, apple and faint citrus aromas.  It’s light and mildly bubbly on the palate with a good amount of apple and pear flavor.  The finish brings a hint of citrus acidity, but it’s still fairly soft. It’s an interesting wine and something worth trying.

Not only is this an enjoyable and unique wine, but it’s a great price on a sparkling wine in general.

Wine: Punkt
Variety: Sparkling Grüner Veltliner
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 11%
Rating: 87
Price: $15.99

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