01/11 PETIT WEEK IN WINE - An Austrian Escape!

Posted on 12 January 2023

PETIT WEEK IN WINE | January 11 - January 15 2023

This Week's Flight Showcase:

A Closer Look at Austria

Unique Whites & Reds that

Deliver Quality & Plenty of Pairing Options

This week we bring you a wine region that is often missed by today's wine lover: Austria!

No better time than the present to continue on your wine Journey with us here at Petit Philippe... and with that spirit we will be featuring two crisp & delicious whites and two less-obvious reds that score highly in the quality to price scale.

We have always been big supporters of Austrian wine and this is an easy opportunity to experience a varied line-up that includes:

A Sauvignon Blanc from the high-altitude vineyards of Südsteiermark
The flagship varietal of Austria, Grüner Veltliner
A Pinot Noir from a pioneer of the New Vienna wine movement
A red Blaufränkisch that boasts rich black-fruit & earthy notes

The tasting flight starts today at both locations- we hope you visit with us and experience these delightful Wines of Austria!

Finally, thanks to all that participated in the fun Blind Flight Challenge last week, we had a great response and lots of positive feedback. If you missed out, not to worry, be on the lookout for our next blind tasting challenge early March, and we'll earmark them for every other month this year!

Please read on for this week's wine line-up, along with a quick primer on Austria, and some easy food pairings to consider for you foodies out there.

See you soon as we take you this week to Österreich... I'm so passionate about these wines that I'm personally manning the tasting bar in at the Myers Park store Friday and Sat! I look forward to hearing your best German dialect!

Prosit-

Mark

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AUSTRIAN WINE REGIONS

The eastern half of Austria is the winemaking center for this country whose history proves a passion for winemaking dating back thousands of years. Austrian wines are mostly dry white wines (often made from the Grüner Veltliner grape), as well as some dense sweet dessert wines (made from the ancient Welschriesling). About 30% of Austria’s wines are red, made from the Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir and locally bred varieties such as Zweigelt, which is used in nearly half of the country’s red wine.

Despite a winemaking history that dates back to the Roman Empire, Austria’s wine industry suffered a tremendous blow during the ‘antifreeze scandal’ of 1985, when it was revealed that some wine brokers had been adulterating their wines with diethylene glycol. The scandal destroyed the market for Austrian wine, but in the long term has been a force for good, compelling Austria to tackle low standards of bulk wine production and shift its wine culture towards an emphasis quality.

Today Austria lies 17th in the list of wine producing countries by volume, but the wines are now of a quality that can take on – and beat – the best in the world. Nearly three quarters of Austria’s wines are purchased domestically, however its export market has improved significantly as its wines have achieved worldwide respect and recognition

Austria’s wine producing country is divided into 3 main wine growing areas, and 16 smaller wine regions within the all 3 areas. We will focus on Wachau, Südsteiermark, Leithaberg, and Wien.

Wachau

Wachau’s striking viticultural landscape is shaped by its geological terrain of the Danube river and its stone terrace walls, which were constructed in the Middle Ages under the governance of Bavarian monasteries that set aside the most favorable hillsides for wine
This wonderfully scenic part of the Austrian landscape has been declared a World Cultural Heritage site
Specialties include Grüner Veltliner, and Riesling

Südsteiermark

This region is a remarkable source for fragrant and refreshing wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc.
One of the most charming viticultural landscapes in all of Europe, growing grapes is hard work, since most of the vineyards are laid out on extremely steep slopes.
By law, all DAC wines from Steiermark must be harvested by hand

Leithaberg

This DAC region on the western bank of Lake Neusiedl was the first in Austria to permit both white and red regionally typical wines.
The limestone and slate soils produce great white wines (from Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Neuburger and Grüner Veltliner), as well as top-flight, mineral-driven Blaufränkisch wines.
On the west bank of Lake Neusiedl, the free city of Rust is one of Austria's wine communities richest in tradition.

Wien

The city’s 575 hectares of vineyards play a key role in the local economy and help preserve the green belt that surrounds the city of Vienna
Famous for a special type of wine called: the Wiener Gemischter Satz (field blend)
In order to preserve the vineyards as natural and cultural landscapes for generations to enjoy, a state law stipulates that all existing vineyards must continue to be cultivated as such, thereby protecting valuable vitacultural land from real estate speculation.

Join us this week as we feature two whites & two reds from Austria that are sure to delight!

Sattlerhof Sauvignon Blanc 2021 - $24 btl/retail

Südsteiermark, Austria

Rudi Pichler Gruner Veltliner Federspiel 2021 - $31 btl/retail

Wachau, Austria

Wieninger Pinot Noir Select 2018 - $38 btl/retail

Wien, Austria

Heinrich Blaufrankisch ‘Leithaberg’ 2018 - $34 btl/retail

Leithaberg, Austria

Full Tasting Flight of 4 Wines - $20 (2.5oz pours)

MYERS PARK:

5:00 - 7:00pm Wednesday

5:00 - 8:00pm Thurs & Friday

1:00 - 7:30pm Saturday

SOUTH END:

5:30 - 9:00pm Wed, Thurs, Friday

1:00 - 9:00pm Saturday

1:00 - 5:30pm Sunday

>> TASTING FLIGHT OFFERINGS:

Sattlerhof Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Südsteiermark, Austria

$24 btl/retail

Sattlerhof is a leading producer of high-quality dry white wines in Austria’s South Styria, which is one of the world’s great Sauvignon Blanc terroirs. The variety benefits from complex soils, a long growing season & dramatic shifts in temps from day/night

Varietal: 100% Sauvignon Blanc that is hand-harvested from very steep hillside vineyards near Gamlitz and vinification occurred in stainless-steel tanks with 3-4 months of aging on its lees before bottling.

Taste: At first a lovely aroma that is representative of Sauvignon Blanc but the aromas of herbs and passion fruit slowly join in to create a layered bouquet that also includes some notes of flint mixed with stony spice. It tastes of ripe stone fruit flavors and is bone dry, super-crisp and quite linear yet not lean thanks to the texture derived from the yeast lees. It’s a winning combination of stony minerality, herbal/citrus fruit, and mouth-watering aftertaste.

Pairing Suggestion: Salad greens and other meals which incorporate fresh herbs. Does well with charcuterie and other light appetizers typically found in the region's wine taverns.

Rudi Pichler Grüner Veltliner Federspiel 2021

Wachau, Austria

$31 btl/retail

Rudi Pichler is one of the stars of Austria’s most famous region, the Wachau. He has also won the coveted Winery of the Year award from Falstaff—the Austrian equivalent of Wine Spectator—and is a member of the prestigious Vinea Wachau growers association. The 2021 bottling has superb balance between intensity, robust fruit and electric acidity.

Varietal: 100% Grüner Veltliner from 12–40-year-old vines growing in rock, gneiss, and löss soils. Grapes are crushed by foot and receive between three and 36 hours of maceration on the skins. Vinification is entirely in stainless-steel tanks and malolactic fermentation is avoided. The 2021 vintage is being compared to the fabled 1999 vintage which showed generous nuance and complexity from first sip.

Taste: Light straw in the glass with silver-green reflections at the rim. Green apple and lemon on the nose with savory aromas and a hint of radish, and arugula as well. This Grüner Veltliner Federspiel has a medium weight and is fresh in style with a mineral profile and good acidity to handle spicy cuisine. The 2021 is chiseled, crystalline, and fresh.

Pairing Suggestion: The bright acidity and savory character make it an ideal partner to mildly spiced Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese flavors. Fish and shellfish are accented by the citrus and mineral profile while its acidity cuts the richness of pork or ham. It can also work well with foods that are traditionally difficult to pair such as bitter greens and asparagus.

Wieninger Pinot Noir Select 2018

Wien, Austria

$38 btl/retail

Fritz Wieninger is considered a pioneer of the “New Vienna” wine movement, combining a sense of modernity and progress with the traditions of the region and of his family, who have been making wine for over 100 years. The high acidity, medium body, medium alcohol, and low tannins make the '18 Pinot Noir a very food-friendly wine.

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir grown according to organic and biodynamic certifications to keep the soil and surrounding habits free from chemicals. Juicy and medium-bodied, it boasts ripe cherry and orange aromas on the nose with a plummy, mineral palate.

Taste: In the nose are ripe cherry and orange aromas along with a delicate spice undertone. The palate expresses ripe plum notes, a mineral texture, finesse-laden acidity, and soft, playful tannins. Highly elegant, more than medium-bodied and very Burgundian with good potential for development. There is concentration and freshness and a lovely, brooding resonance. The finish is bright and lasting.

Pairing Suggestions: The wine’s high acidity, medium body/alcohol, and low tannins make it a pleasure to pair. A classic partner to roasted poultry, vegetarian dishes featuring mushrooms and even the traditional cedar-planked salmon.

Heinrich Blaufrankisch ‘Leithaberg’ 2018

Leithaberg, Austria

$34 btl/retail

Gernot and Heike Heinrich founded their winery in 1990 with just one hectare and have steadily grown to 90 hectares today. The fossil-rich limestone and mica schist that define the Leithaberg DAC lend a distinctive salinity to this Blaufrankisch.

Varietal: 100% Blaufränkisch. Fermentation occurs spontaneously and is often left with the skins for several weeks to encourage activity. The wines remain on their lees for an extended period and are vinified mainly in neutral oak casks. Aged for 20 months in used 500-liter oak barrels.

Taste: The wine’s minerality underscores aromas of black and red cherries, elderberries, and layers of earthy flavors like peat, black truffle, dried flowers, and black peppercorns. The wild herb aromas and wet stone freshness makes this an exciting Blaufrankisch red that tastes younger than 2018 and lighter than 13% alcohol. The fine tannins give the long, straight finish excellent structure- an attractive wine for the table.

Pairing Suggestion: It is the classic wine to pair with a Hungarian goulash of braised meat, and roasted vegetables served with egg noodles or potatoes. Would do well with meatloaf and other heartier fare like lentils.

>> Did you Know?

In Austria, wine taverns are a cultural icon, where people come to eat, drink and listen to live music. Called heurigers or buschenschanks, these establishments have been around since the late 1700s when growers were granted the right to sell their own wine and homemade food.

Wine taverns still have a presence in Austria’s viticultural zones—in fact, V ienna’s tavern customs were inscribed in the UNESCO index of intangible cultural heritage in 2019.

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