A Taste of Culture

The biennial VieVinum is Austria’s biggest wine fair and one of the most important in Central Europe: Austria is revered not only for its fine wine, but also as being the wine hub of the region. From June 14 to 16, 15,000 professional visitors and 900 guest-experts from around the world attended VieVinum 2014, where 400 Austrian estates, along with 120 international producers and distributors, showcased more than 2,500 wines.

 

On invitation from the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (AWMB), Macau CLOSER attended this first-rate event held at the magnificent Hofburg Palace in Vienna, former winter residence of the Habsburg Monarchy and now official residence of the President of Austria. 

 

The event was not merely about Austrian wine, but also Austrian wine culture. The AWMB organised a range of add-on events, including in-depth seminars, comprehensive tastings, a Heuriger (traditional Austrian wine tavern) evening at Ludwig van Beethoven’s house and a gala dinner at the Kursalon, where the Strauss brothers performed their timeless waltzes.

 

“Our team did an excellent job again this year, and I am proud to be leading such a proficient team”, concluded Managing Director of AWMB Mr Willi Klinger. “As a first-class trade event, VieVinum offers Austria’s conscientious estates with new opportunities from around the world”.

 

In an interview with CLOSER, Mr Christian Dworan, Head of Export East, shared his thoughts on VieVinum 2014 and Austrian wine. Having organised tastings in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, London, Moscow, St Petersburg, New York and Chicago, his team are very much globetrotters.

 

VieVinum is becoming increasingly global: previous editions were well attended by 400 to 500 foreign guest-experts, but the figure this year is close to 1,000. The international market is clearly showing an interest in Austrian wine.

 

Recent vintages are small in quantity but big in quality. Export by value is hitting record highs, and quality is yet again on the ascendant, fetching even better prices. Austrian wine does not suffer from any over-supply problem: in fact, we consume around 70 percent of the wine we produce. The international market is important, and we want to maintain – indeed strengthen – the reputation of Austrian wine.

 

The volume of Austrian wine is not big, and it will never be as big as France or Italy. However, Austria has many quality-driven, family-owned estates with rich traditions. Wine exports aside, oenotourism is very important: this is a country with such profound heritage, not least the unique Heuriger culture. Connoisseurs worldwide know about the quality of Austrian wine, which is now de rigueur in many high-end restaurants.

 

 

 

Austria is traditionally known for its whites, notably Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, but reds are now growing in both quantity – a third of total wine production – and quality. At the Hofburg Palace’s Großer Redoutensaal, where Emperor Franz Joseph I hosted lavish events, the AWMB organised an exclusive tasting of Austrian reds from the excellent 2011 and 2012 vintages. Nearly 200 wines were grouped into 37 “flights” in an all-day session, served by young sommeliers exuding Viennese elegance.

 

Three of Austria’s idiosyncratic reds were prominently featured – Blaufränkisch, Sankt Laurent and Zweigelt. Oozing black fruits and peppery spice, the intensely coloured Blaufränkisch is often subtle and terroir-expressive. With smoky spice in tandem, the silky and cherry-packed Sankt Laurent is remarkably ageworthy – both in barrel and bottle. 

 

The berry-rich Zweigelt, a crossing of the previous two, is truly seductive and can produce excellent Strohwein (raisin wine, not unlike French Vin de Paille) and even Eiswein. 

 

Last but not least, with its Benedictine and Cistercian heritage, Austria could well be the only place on earth capable of interpreting the intricacy of Pinot Noir as Burgundy.

 

 

 

www.austrianwine.com

 

Established in 1986, the Vienna-based AWMB is the national service body for Austrian wine. In addition to strategic support for quality improvement and sales initiatives in Austria, the AWMB maintains a portfolio of marketing and advertising activities tailored to each export market. 

 

 

 

Relatively obscure until perhaps 20 years ago, Grüner Veltliner – Austria’s national grape variety – is now a must-have for any self-professed connoisseur, epicure and gastronome. Capable of producing wines from light- to full-bodied across the sweetness spectrum from still to petillant and sparkling, Austrian Erste Lage Grüner Veltliner is now challenging the might of German Großes Gewächs Riesling and Grand Cru White Burgundy.

 

Every bit as startling as Germany’s recent 7:1 hammering of Brazil at the World Cup, back in 2002 Austria thrashed France 8:1 – at a tasting table. A panel of leading wine critics, including prominent figures such as Tim Atkin, Jancis Robinson and Steven Spurrier, gathered in London for a blind tasting. The result could hardly be more astonishing: of the top 20 wines rated, 8 were Austrian Grüner Veltliner, beleaguering one lonely Grand Cru White Burgundy. It was a watershed moment of Grüner Veltliner’s meteoric rise.

 

Subsequent to VieVinum 2014, CLOSER had the opportunity to explore some of the finest vineyards in Austria. Established in 1135 by the nearby Stift Göttweig, a millennium-old Benedictine abbey, Weingut Geyerhof has been owned by the same family for 23 generations since the 16th century. Now at the helm are Ilse Maier and her son Josef Maier, who manage 20 hectares of prime vineyards, including four ÖTW Erste Lage, and a 12th century cellar.

 

Having previously worked in Mendoza (Argentina), Baden Kaiserstuhl (Germany) and Côte-de-Beaune (France), Ilse Maier took over the estate in 1986. An ardent advocate of organic viticulture, the estate went fully organic in 1988, and she has authored a book entitled Praxisbuch Bio-Weinbau (Manual on Organic Winemaking). “Environmental protection has always been something I attach importance to, and I find organic viticulture the most natural and responsible way forward,” says Maier.

 

Organic viticulture in Austria categorically prohibits synthetic agents and chemical control, and vineyards are inspected and certified yearly.

 

“From experience, organic viticulture is conducive to character and quality. As we pay utmost attention to their natural wellbeing, our vines have the freedom to develop their own character. Our wines are purist in style, displaying intriguing variations depending on sites and vintages, and have exceptional cellaring ability, often up to decades”, she explains. 

 

On the “Austrian Dilemma” of Grüner Veltliner vs Riesling, Maier concludes: “Grüner Veltliner is terroir-expressive, sensitive to harvest time and very ageworthy. Meanwhile, splendid as always, Riesling loves extreme locations and late harvest, but not so much sandy loamy soil. I find it impossible to choose one over the other, as I genuinely love them both!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grown on granolith soil. Rich lemon-yellow with bright golden reflex, the refreshing nose offers lime peel, Sicilian lemon, Tianjin pear and bouquet garni, adorned with orchard blossom. With spirited acidity and stony minerality, the intense palate delivers bergamot, yuzu, apricot and bell pepper, infused with Pekoe white tea. Medium-bodied at 13.5%, the fleshy entry evolves into a vivacious mid-palate, leading to a persistent finish.

 

 

 

 

Grown on loess soil. Bright lemon-yellow with soft golden reflex, the nuanced nose reveals lemon peel, lime, green apple and ume, embellished by citrus blossom. With animated acidity and steely minerality, the concentrated palate supplies grapefruit, pomelo, guava and asparagus, garnished with white pepper. Medium-full bodied at 13.5%, the composed entry continues through a herbal mid-palate, leading to a spicy finish.

 

 

 

 

Aged for 4 years in acacia barrel made to commemorate the Maiers’ marriage. Lustrous gold with shimmering jonquil reflex, the luxurious nose radiates apricot, nectarine, melon, almond and butterscotch, elaborated with acacia. With vibrant acidity, the voluptuous palate exudes lime peel, yuzu, fleur de sel, pistachio and fudge, enriched by Shoumei white tea. Full-bodied at 13%, the rounded entry develops into a buttery mid-palate, leading to a lingering finish.