The Wines of Austria, Stephen Brook
Stephen Brook has long been working with Austrian wines and is a source of many an amusing anecdote, and artefactual aside. He is well placed to document the country’s status quo.
A Kamptal quintet
During a recent visit, a group of five growers hosted a tasting from their small corner of Kamptal, which is renowned for its grüner veltliners and rieslings.
Loess is more for grüner veltliner
In Lower Austria there is a divide between riesling and grüner veltliner which keeps riesling on primary rock and grüner veltliner on loess. Loess, it seems does remarkable things to grüner veltliner – the wines are creamier, fatter, richer, and more immediately fruity in youth.
Austria: vintage 2009 along the Danube
Vintage 2009 in the regions adjoining the river Danube in Austria was a turbulent time, with hard vineyard work emerging supreme.
Grüner veltliner
Grüner veltliner is Austria’s flagship white grape variety, the best of which have beaten Burgundian chardonnays in blind tasting assessments of quality.
Austria’s grüner veltliner ageing gracefully
Grüner veltliner (grooner velt-leaner) may not roll easily off an anglophone tongue, but wine made from this indigenous Austrian grape variety will liven up said tongue with some delicious flavours, both in youth, and, as explored here, in graceful age.
Lower Austria
Lower Austria – mainly the Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal – is home to some of the best, longest-lived white wines to be found on the planet.
