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...so here is the little ditty that I wrote for the tasting book of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board’s presentation in New York last month... a sort of an introduction—the only guideline I was given by the AWMB was to concentrate on the themes of ageability and collectability.
...and I would certainly say that this collaborative effort between the AWMB and Wein Burgenland did a better than merely good job of putting a great number of noteworthy examples together, articulating what has truly been a significant achievement that’s taken place over the past couple decades.
—— Versatile, Ageable and Collectible...
One of wine’s greatest 20th-century
minds (and palates) wrote:
I know a
country where the beneficial effect of wine is well understood.
It is drunk as
a tonic, a stimulant, or simply because one is happy.
No, it’s not
France; it is Austria...
This observation from Émile Peynaud’s coffee-table tome Le Gout du Vin—written by a Frenchman in
1980, well before “modern” Austrian wine came onto the stage; before there was
a Vinea Wachau or a “Red Wine Wonder...”
Austria is a wine-culture. Not for naught does the name of her capital
city Wien come close to that of the native
beverage Wein. Rather, Austria has
several wine-cultures folded in upon one another, its individual components as
distinctive as Steiermark and Burgenland, Schilcher and Chardonnay (plus the 1500
acres of vines growing within Vienna’s city limits).
With this: every Austrian
wine is a food wine. The flavors of Austrian Red grew up in Burgenland (until
93 years ago German West Hungary), alongside the Mangalitza pig, spicy paprika
and Blaukraut. Austria’s contemporary
wine culture and her thriving culinary scene have crosspollinated one another as
if the very best and busiest of bees were at work in the garden. One
significant aspect of the nation’s great wealth lies in her three native red grape
varieties: Blaufränkisch, Sankt Laurent and the excellent crossing of those
two, Zweigelt. All three are distinctive, and each one is uniquely Austrian.
These wines are
to the table born. In the context of complex and complicated flavors,
matters of umami or savory,
Blaufränkisch will go fearlessly where other red wines fear to tread. The
utterly sublime way in which Blaufränkisch insinuates itself among intricate food-flavors
offers a challenge to the very finest wines of France, Italy and Spain. Of
course there’s also the traditional “red wine with red meat and game,” where
the Blaufränkisch also proves sauce for the wild goose as well as for the Gosht
Biryani.
Sankt Laurent will behave in many ways like its illustrious relative Pinot Noir,
except that the variety is also capable of soaking up a heroic amount of
hotpeppery spice—to an extreme where even Zinfandel or Teroldego Rotaliano would
beg for mercy—and offers a
magnificent outside perspective to the subtle flavors of the sushi bar.
Zweigelt has a wonderful way around the Tandoori spice-box, and is
extremely good with high-class Mexican preparations—Molé or Adobo, for example.
And then there’s the grill and the barbecue; this variety plays very well alongside
heat and zesty seasonings.
Austrian red wines are ready
to take their place alongside those of Burgundy, Piedmont & Bordeaux as
items to tuck away in the treasured depths of the cellar, awaiting the time
when elements of thirst, cuisine and conviviality align themselves to produce
that certain moment.
Currently: after having gone through an inevitable period of stylistic internationalism
as young winegrowers returned with new techniques from their travels in America
and Australia, New Zealand and France, Austria’s estates are now producing red wines
that can only be made in Austria, and only from Austria’s native vines. This is
a remarkable achievement in a relatively short period of time; what discriminating
collector would not wish to have these sophisticated and distinctive bottlings
in his/her cellar?
Tasting several dozen 2010
Zweigelts in Vienna two years ago, I realized that I would’ve happily drunk most
of them. (In this difficult vintage many growers had expended extra effort
getting the most out of their Blaufränkers and cuvées, letting the Zweigelt take
care of itself—with delicious results.) Would I cellar them? Good question. I
have typically thought Zweigelt more suited to the pantry, although certainly
good for a few years. Of course there have always been exceptions like Schwarz
Rot or Josef Umathum’s Ried Hallebühl, both from
Burgenland’s Neusiedlersee district, which certainly
repay patience.
Sankt Laurent lives by a learning
curve similar to Pinot Noir. A 2003er from Hannes Schuster drunk two years ago
in a swish downtown Vienna restaurant not only handled the great ripeness of
that hot vintage very well, but was also developing its secondaries with charm
and style. No longer dwindling in acreage, more growers—especially in Northern
Burgenland and the Thermenregion—have become convinced that this variety is
indeed worth the trouble (considerable) involved in its cultivation and
vinification.
Of course the star of the
show as far as ageability goes is Blaufränkisch and the cuvées based on it.
Wines from the 1999 vintage are becoming harder to find, but one taste of a 99er
Kollwentz Steinzeiler or Paul Achs Ungerberg will convince even the most
recalcitrant skeptic. Weingut Prieler’s Goldberg 2002 is just heavenly these
days. 2002 Moric Alte Reben Lutzmannburg (a significantly less aggressive
style) has developed equally well, with no sign of tiring. Perhaps in ageing
these wines one might think of them in the way we do Loire Valley reds—great
fun to drink while they are still young, but when we come across an old Chinon
“Les Picasses” from Olga Raffault, oh what a treat that is!
From the Spitzerberg in Carnuntum down the length of Burgenland southward,
from Gols to Leithaberg, Mittelburgenland and Eisenberg, excellent acidity and refined tannins recur
as common themes in the current batch of Blaufränkisch. These factors are sure to promote
ageability and prolonged development; the current trend away from new oak is a
positive influence. The deep and compelling flavors of this noble grape become
more readily apparent, now that the fruit is no longer so frequently lost in
the lumber. Growers who produce monovarietal Blaufränkisch often have their eye
on the Côte d’Or and Piemonte—and while the variety’s intrinsic characteristics
differ from those of Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo, Blaufränkisch shows a similar
propensity for transmitting the message of the soils in which it was grown to
the taster as do its venerable cousins from France and Italy. As those wines
grow more (and more) expensive for the collector, Austrian Blaufränkisch will
seem a very wise choice.
