Austrian red wines

For a while I will be writing my Monday articles in English, at the non-restrictive suggestion of Hervé Lalau whose eagle eye has spotted a sudden surge in our readership figures from English-speaking countries. You may call this cynical marketing opportunism if you wish. I call it good intelligence. We shall see how it goes anyway. By the way, I am so used to writing in my imperfect French now that I had got half-way through the first paragraph of this article in French before realizing that I had not returned to my mother tongue, despite having previously written my title in English!

This map shows clearly how the mass of Austrian wines regions lie on the eastern perimeters. Elsewhere they ski or climb mountains!

Most people see white when they think of Austrian wines (case of snow-blindness perhaps?), yet a third of them are in fact red. As to the the flag of Austria, these proportions are reversed. You may well take that for a prediction of things to come, especially as the share of red in the vinous production has doubled over the past 20 years in this country which is now, sadly, governed once again by a coalition that includes an extremist right wing party. As Willi Klinger, the excellent head man at the Austrian Wine Marketing Board says, « We Austrians are very smart: we have managed to make the world believe that Beethoven was Austrian, and that Hitler was German ». What is certain is that they are very good at making wine, and just as good at explaining what they do: I will repeat myself by saying once again that the Austrian Wine Marketing Board is the best collective wine promotional body in the world at the moment. Just a glance at the information package available to all visitors at this Paris tasting on January 22nd, all of which was in perfect French, should convince any doubters. Naturally the tasting was also perfectly organized. And for those who were not fortunate enough to attend, I suggest that you check out their web site: https://www.austrianwine.com/

Now for the wines.

The first Austrian reds that I tasted was back in 2003 when I was working, with my co-author Sébastien Durand-Viel, on the first buyer’s guide book published in France (as far as I know) to be devoted exclusively to non-French wines. Entitled « Le Guide Fleurus des Vins d’Ailleurs », this was not exactly a best-seller, despite all the hard work that we put into it, and so it has not been repeated since. But it opened my eyes to the high quality of Austrian wines, including the reds. I would say that, at that time, some of these had gone in the then-fashionable direction of heavy extraction and over-enthusiastic use of oak. Nothing like this was apparent in the wines I tasted last Monday. Looking through the pages of our Austrian selection of that time, which involved essentially the 1999 and 2000 vintages, plus an occasional 1997, I notice just one of my favourite producers at that time whose wines I also tasted and liked again this year: Umathum. But this is essentially because others whose red wines I had much liked 15 years ago, such as Feiler-Artinger, Krutzler, Hans Nittnaus and Ernst Triebaumer were not here in Paris this time. Never mind, this was also the occasion to taste some wines from producers that I did not previously know, although some I had tasted on various occasions in Austria.

So here are some comments on the producers of red wines from this tasting, which, as I said, included 34 brands, but only a few of them with red wines at their table. The region of origin is in brackets. There is no particular order.

Schiefer (Burgenland)

A remarkable series of 6 wines from the Blaufränkisch grape, either from the 2014 or the 2015 vintages and all of which I rated at between 15 and 16,5/20. Some were lively and elegant, others more intense and/or tannic, but all were balanced and fragrant. Quite a performance!

Nadler (Carnuntum)

I liked just one of the 4 red wines presented: Carnuntum Reserve 2005, which still showed very good clear fruit and plenty of power behind that. This is a Merlot/Zweigelt blend. The younger wines from the 2015 vintage I found a bit on the harsh side.

Johanneshof Reinisch (Thermenregion)

Not very impressed here. A Pinot Noir well rounded-out by oak and one St. Laurent thick in texture and high on acidity, the other just ok.

R&A Pfaffl (Weinwertel)

I admit to not being able to get to their table to taste more than one of the three reds they were showing. It was a Zweigelt « vom Haus » 2016, that was reduced on the nose and then rather over-extracted for my taste, so did not return for more, which is unfair, I know.

Clemens Strobl (Wagram)

Wagram is a region that specializes in white wine but I tasted here a very fine Pinot Noir « Hengtstberg » 2015 that seems to perfectly combine a traditional with a modern touch. Lovely PN nose and combining reasonable power with great finesse on the palate (16/20).

Muhr-van der Niepoort (Carnuntum)

Dorli Muhr, alongside her activities as PR for producers in many places, also makes some very fine wines in the Carnuntum region, just to the east of Vienna, in association with her former husband, Dirk van der Niepoort. On a recent trip to Austria, I was not convinced at all by her white wine, but her reds from the hillside Spitzberg vineyard were glorious wines that just sung for me. Here they were again (not the white luckily!) and some of them were the stars of the tasting in my humble opinion. Unhappily she does not earn any money yet from these wines that are produced in tiny quantities, so the prices will be rising quite steeply over the next few years I fear, as they have earned themselves a justified reputation. All these wines are from the Blaufränkisch grape. I was unsure of the cleanliness however of the most recent vintage of her Ried Spitzberg and I did find what seemed to me to be a touch of volatile acidity in the 2014. But I rated the 2015 at 17,5/20, which was easily my highest note in this tasting, and I also gave the Blaufränkisch « Samt und Seide » 16/20. Just hope that she doesn’t fall too far into the so-called « natural » wine trap which also contains quite a few smelly beasties!

Fritsch (Wagram)

Two very good red wines here, a Zweigelt « Donnaulöss » 2014, easy to drink, elegant and fresh, and a Wagram Klassik Cuvée « Red Soil » with more intensity and length but still delicate in its bearing.

Schloss Gobelsburg (Kamptal)

Just one red, a pleasant, woodily-smooth Reserve Zweigelt 2015 with very good length, still a bit young.

Gernot und Heike Heinrich (Neusiedersee)

Two good and reasonably priced Blaufränkisch wines here. The Burgenland Klassik 2015 at around 10 euros, and the DAC Leithaberg at around 14 euros, both with good clean fruit flavours, lots of freshness and peps. Also a very pinot-like and soft Burgenland St. Laurent (the varieties are genetically connected) and an even better single vineyard St. Laurent, Ried Rosenberg Breitenbrumm, that was incisive, pure and very long (15,5/20)

Fred Loimer (Kamptal)

A fine and delicate Pinot Noir from this white wine specialist.

Gerhard und Brigitte Pittnauer (Neusiedersee)

I think that my preferred wine of the three reds I tasted here was the least expensive: a Burgenland Klassik Blaufränkisch 2016 curiously called « dogma ». Must be a fan of Lars van Trier. Simple, fresh and with delicious fruit flavours: the ideal « easy drinker ». I found the Ried Ungerberg 2010, also from Blaufränkisch, a bit bitter on the finish, but the St. Laurent Rosenberg « reserve » was very good.

Josef Umathum with the Neusiedersee, Europe’s largest inland lake, in the background

Umathum (Neusiedersee)

All of the three reds I tasted here (I missed one) were very good and I rated them on the spot from 15/20 to 16,5/20. My favourite was the Burgenland Klassik Blaufränkisch 2015, which had some of everything: freshness, good clean fruit, succulence and structure. Both the 2012 Ried Hallebühl Zweigelt and the 2011 St. Laurent « Vom Steine » were also excellent and still have a very good future ahead. Prices from 20 to 30 euros.

Zantho (Neusiedersee)

This estate is co-managed by Josef Umathum and Wolfgang Peck. I think that it aims to produce more accessible wines in terms of style and price than Umathum. Tasted three pleasant and well-made wines from the 2015 vintage

 

Some conclusions and remarks

What I most like about Austrian reds overall is their freshness. Yet this is never associated (at least in the wines I tasted) with any lack of ripeness. I am sure than this shows both the perfect suitability of the varieties to local climate, and also the mastery at all stage of the producers.

Almost all the producers here use either screwcaps (generally on the least expensive wines,) or glass stoppers. I saw very few corks at the tasting, which is good news as far is I am concerned.

It was noticeable that the emphasis here was placed on so-called « indigenous » varieties, although I did taste the odd Pinot Noir. I think that this is a good thing to differentiate Austrian wines.

Not all of these wines are currently imported in France, although a number are. I am fairly sure that these numbers will increase shortly, and justifiably so.

David Cobbold