AUSTRIAN WINES(2)

AUSTRIAN WHITES:

Grüner Veltliner

This spice girl with a hefty name pops up all over Austria’s vineyards. The Grüner Veltliner grape makes a medium- to full-bodied bright white that echoes the essence of citrus and pear.

Riesling

The Riesling wine series swings between refreshing and sweetly acidic to dry and citrusy. Look for incredible ageing quality in the sweet noble versions.

HOW TO ORDER/BUY

Since Austrian wines are unique to Austria or at least the names of them are, even seasoned wine drinkers have a hard time choosing from its wine lists. So aspiring Austrian wine lovers ought to get familiar with the Austrian terminology and label information, crazy as it may seem. See the “Legal Quality Code” section below for the labeling requirements, but start here to get to know some of the terminology.

Where to start:

When in Austria, start in a Heurigen. That’s a wine tavern!

• Red lovers: Try a Blaufränkisch, St.Laurent, or Zweigelt
• Pinot Noir lovers: Try a Spätburgunder
• White lovers: Try a Grüner Veltliner
• Pinot Blanc lovers: Try a Weissburgunder
• Pinot Gris lovers: Try a Grauburgunder
• Chardonnay lovers: Try a Morillon
• Dessert wine lovers: Try a Bouvier, Riesling, Strohwein, or Ausbruch

CHOOSING AN AUSTRIAN WINE

Various Mittelburgenland Producers

Various Niederösterreich Producers

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