The Wines of Austria

The wine list at Aureole restaurant in Las Vegas contains 150 different bottles of Gruner Veltliner, Austria’s best known wine. That should tell you how far Austrian wines have come in the last 10 years.  “Austrian wines basically started from scratch in this country in 1994,” says Terry Theise, of Terry Theise Estate Selections, an Austrian wine importer. “German wines at least had a history (albeit for cheap, sweet wines).”

Today, Austrian wines are notable for their consistent quality. “The proportion of producers working to high standards is exceptionally high,” Theise says. “There’s not a lot of room for dross.” No one knows that better than the Austrians themselves, who gobble up about 80 percent of domestically produced wine. That doesn’t leave a whole lot for the rest of the world, especially since Austria’s total acreage of vines puts it below such wine powerhouses as Egypt and Brazil in size. With a relatively small production and greater demand, prices are often above wines from more budget conscious countries like Chile.

Still, one can find many reasonably priced Austrian wines, particularly Gruner Veltliner. Bryce McNamee’s Boutique Wine Collection imports the hip-looking Huber Hugo Gruner Veltliner for $10. Nancy’s Wines for Food, a retailer in Manhattan, sells Sommer Gruner Veltliner for $11. Other good Gruner Veltliners under $15  include: Allram, Bauer, Berger, Glatzer, Hiedler, Hopler, Loimer, and Pfaffl. For just a few dollars more you’ll be rewarded with wines from Hirsch, Wieninger, and Nigl.

Even more expensive Gruner Veltliners are often a bargain. “The more you spend, the greater the value,” Theise says. “So wines costing $30 or $40 are more of a value than those at $10.” More expensive Gruner Veltliners will age beautifully for 20 years or more, much like fine white Burgundies, which cost twice as much, or more. In fact, high-quality Gruner Veltliners less than three years old should be decanted, according to Thiese. “Restaurants do it routinely in Austria. They don’t even ask,” he says. Prestigious Gruner Veltliner producers include: Nigl, Brundlmayer, Hiedler, Hirsch, F.X. Pichler, Rudolph Pichler, Prager, Schloss Gobelsburg, and Sonnhof.

For people who are not familiar with Gruner Veltliner, Austria’s most widely planted grape, Nancy Maniscalco, owner of Nancy’s, likens it to Sauvignon Blanc. “They’re not always the same. Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t have the white pepper note that Gruner Veltliner does, for example. But I tell people that if they like Sauvignon Blanc, they’ll like Gruner Veltliner,” Maniscalco says.

Another thing Gruner Veltliner has in common with Sauvignon Blanc is an affinity for food. “I can’t think of a food it can’t pair with when you need a (dry) white wine,” says Jodi Stern of Austrian wine importer Vin Divino.  Lighter styles make good aperitifs and excellent partners for vegetables, seafood, even caviar. Richer versions, which Theise likens to Condrieu, the sensuous Rhone white, can go with white meats. 

Many people assume that Austrian wines taste like German wines. However, Thiese and Stern both suggest that Austria has more in common with two regions in France. “It’s almost like Alsace meets the Loire,” Stern says, adding that Austrian Rieslings “have better acid and are more focused without the oiliness of Alsatian Rieslings.”

Riesling is the second most important grape in Austria. Unlike German Rieslings, which are frequently off dry or sweet, Austrian Rieslings are almost always dry. And because they are invariably grown on volcanic soil called primary rock “there’s no minerality on the same planet as these wines,” writes Thiese in his catalogue.  Top producers include: Alzinger, Berger, Brundlmayer, Freie Weingartner Wachau, Schloss Gobelsburg, Hirsch, Karl Lagler, Loimer, Mantlerhof, Nigl, Nikolaihof, F.X. Pichler, Rudolf Pichler, Prager, Josef Schmid, Sonnhof, Wieninger and Zull.

Among Austria’s other white wine varietals, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc are the most promising. Pinot Blanc, says Thiese, is a “lovely grape that has never gotten the credit it deserves. Even middling Pinot Blancs are pretty tasty. The best are world class.” Producers to seek out are Schrock, Prieler, and Hiedler.

Stern says Austrian Sauvignon Blancs are “pure expressions of the varietal, very unmanipulated. They remind me of Sancerre.” Polz, Tement, Gross, and Sattlerhof are producers of note.

One cannot leave Austrian white wines without mentioning the superb dessert wines of Alois Kracher. In his April 30, 2004 roundup of Austrian wines, Wine Spectator’s Bruce Sanderson listed four Kracher dessert wines - two Chardonnay, one Scheurebe, and one Welschriesling (no relation to Riesling) - as his top four Austrian wines, period.

Despite being known for white wines, Austria is making a conscious effort to increase production of red wines from the current 25 percent of total production to 30 percent in the next year. Many may think it too cold for red wines, but Austria’s climate is more like Burgundy than Germany. Though some producers are experimenting with Super Tuscan style reds, Thiese believes Austria’s red wine future lies with medium body, fruit-driven wines primarily from Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent or Sankt Laurent. “At the top end, these wines can be great, but at medium weight, they find their soul,” he says. “They can stand alongside Barbera, Dolcetto, Crianza Rioja, and Cru Beaujolais.” 

In his catalogue, Theise puts Blaufrankisch in the “Malbec-y school (where as Zweigelt is Syrah-y and the Sankt Laurent is Pinot-y).” Stern describes Zweigelt as tasting the way people think Merlot should taste - voluptuous, warm and velvety. Krutzler, Heinrich, Kollwentz, Anton Iby, Pockl, Umathum, Glatzer, Prieler, and Lehrner are red wine producers to check out.

For Austrian red wines, the 2003 vintage may be the best ever because of that summer’s infamous heat wave. Rieslings fared better than Gruner Veltliners in the heat, though the latter should still be good.
Austria has four wine regions - Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria, and Vienna - and 16 areas within these regions. Lower Austria is the largest region and includes Austria’s most famous area, Wachau. Wachau’s production is small, and many wines are priced accordingly. Better values are to be had in nearby Kremstal and Kamptal. Even lesser known areas such as Traisental (where Huber is produced) provide not only reasonable prices but greater availability.

Burgenland is red wine territory and Styria is home to Sauvignon Blanc. Stern is also seeing great success with wines from within the city of Vienna. And you thought all the Viennese did was waltz and eat pastries.

This article first appeared in the September 2004 issue of Specialty Food Magazine.

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