Wine with Leslie: Austrian wines - including a €10 Riesling at Aldi
"At this time of year there is lots of Sturm to try — the half-fermented wine from the recent vintage which is cloudy, leesy and a little sweet — I love it." Leslie, a journalist and blogger from Austria, recently returned from a 10-day break in the Wachau Valley to spend time with friends in the stunning region. She and Leslie spent the majority of their time consuming wine rather than visiting producers, spending time in the village of Fürth and Vienna. They cycled around 50 km through the vineyards and spent time in various wineries, including the Domäne Wachaus Co-Op on a cycle ride through the stunning landscape. Leslie also enjoyed a €10 Riesling at Aldi and enjoyed a slice of Rascals in a local restaurant. She also enjoyed some of the best local wines from Weingut David Harm, including half-fermented Sturm and half-filled Weinguts David Harm. Finally, Leslie decided to make a wine trip to Austria herself and spent the rest of her time in Vienna.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 2 ปีที่แล้ว โดย ใน Lifestyle
I am just back from a 10-day break in Austria, the bulk of which was spent visiting friends in the stunning Wachau Valley.
We also spent time in Vienna which is indeed as beautiful as you have heard.
This was my first visit to Austria and was a family holiday rather than a wine trip so I spent my time consuming wine rather than visiting producers.
There have been several trips for journalists and bloggers to Austria, but for some reason, I have never made the list.
Our friends live in the village of Fürth just across the river from Krems which is an hour West of Vienna.
The village is literally surrounded by vineyards with the River Danube just metres away and I hadn’t realised quite how gorgeous the landscape was in this part of Austria — the photos do not do it justice.
We are not the most active of families but our friends convinced us we should join them on a bicycle ride through the vineyards which turned out to be the highlight of our holiday.
We cycled around 50 km, and it was remarkably easy thanks to the extensive cycle paths all along the river and through the vines.
The Wachau was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000 and is the portion of the Danube Valley between the towns of Melk and Krems in Niederösterich (the Province north of Vienna). Kremstal is right next to it and Kamptal is just to the north.
I did visit the Domäne Wachau Co-Op on the cycle but otherwise, my visits were to heuriger, pop-up restaurants attached to wineries serving simple tasty food.
Heuriger are open all year round but wineries take turns to ensure everyone stays busy.
My favourite was Weingut David Harm where we had air-dried wild boar and venison and excellent local cheeses and pickles all washed down with David’s wines which are not yet available here but will be soon.
At this time of year there is lots of Sturm to try — the half-fermented wine from the recent vintage which is cloudy, leesy and a little sweet — I love it.
In conclusion, Austria is warmly recommended as a holiday destination for wine (and beer) lovers.
This is one of Aldi’s seasonal specials and arrived in store in mid-September. It should still be around in the larger Aldi stores. Dried lime aromas with a touch of petrichor (rain on a warm day), rounded citrus-focused flavours on the palate with a zesty freshness, floral notes come through on the mid-palate, and with a bone-dry finish.
From a family-owned producer based in the foothills of Ödenburg mountains near the Hungarian border. I’ve recommended their Blaufränkisch before which I slightly prefer but this Zweigelt is reduced from €19. Bright red fruit aromas with spice notes, juicy and supple with balancing freshness and a touch of nutmeg and allspice. Serve cool for best effect.
This is also on special and reduced from €19 on the Wines Direct site. The Kamptal is north of the Danube to the West of Vienna and tends to focus on white varieties. This has crisp apple drop and white pepper aromas, and an elegant stony freshness with a lingering saline and citrus-driven finish.
Biodynamic and low sulphur, imported by WineMason.ie who have an extensive Austrian range. I drank this last week in the excellent Kutschker 44 wine bar in Vienna and adored its bitter cherry aromas and its ripe lively pomegranate and cranberry fruit flavours. It also has a leafy bitter fruit edge making it a perfect food wine.
I stopped into the Domäne Wachau Co-Op on a cycle ride through the stunning landscape of the Wachau. The co-op has 200 members and quality is high. Aromas of white pepper and ripe apples, pear, apple and tropical fruits with a saline spicy and characterful dry finish.
The terraced slopes of the Wachau suit Riesling just as well as Grüner Veltliner. Ripe green apple aromas with a touch of pineapple. Round and supple on the palate with green apple fruits transitioning to baked apple flavours and with zingy crisp acidity on the finish.
I haven’t mentioned Rascals in a while, I love their bright fruity IPAs and sense of fun. Their beers are always best enjoyed with a wood-fired pizza from their brewhouse restaurant in Inchicore. This IPA is hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Ekuanot and they have added wheat and oats to add haze and texture.
Pouring a hazy pale gold, this has aromas of creamy peaches and apricot. Stone fruits and pear hit first followed by tangerine and orange zest on the mid palate and lingering pithy, bitter orange flavours on the finish to make it properly refreshing. Perfect for a warm Indian Summer day or evening.
หัวข้อ: Food & Drink