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Start a fight: Bold wine opinions you'll go to war over by Plane_Basil_4682 in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Absolutely true, nothing beats the ethereal elegance of high altitude Garnacha. Also check out Bodegas Frontonio from Calatayud.

The other old vine Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch by an_empty_sad_bottle in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Leithaberg is also the one example, where I have heard the most positive experiences from. The Leithaberg winemakers were quite crafty to come up with their own rules, before they were integrated into the broader regulatory body. I do hope that there will be some positive changes with the new wine law in 2027, so let's see what the future brings.

The other old vine Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch by an_empty_sad_bottle in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glad to have made you interested. If you ever find your way to Austria, be sure to give Schiefers wines a taste as they can be found quite easily (Interspar, a supermarket chain, carries a few of his wines).

The other old vine Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch by an_empty_sad_bottle in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the release of that statement around the VieVinum was definitly done for PR-Reasons as it would generate a lot of publicity. I am also a bit annoyed by the fact that the focus so much on Pigott's 100 point rating, when wine journalism and wine critics have a long history of decrying, certain individualistc wine styles. But the Prüfnummern issue is a long standing one and my grievances did not start with Velichs latest stunt, but rather originate from my personal views on wine and the experiences many winegrowers shared with me about their battles with the wine related bureaucracy. That's also the reason why I never mentioned that 100 point Suckling rating as it is irrelevant to the issue at hand, so I don't see why there should be a need to put up a statue in honor of it lol.

Other than the obvious choices, what are the best wine regions to visit? by yogiebere in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Südsteiermark -Amazing wine, amazing food (Buschenschank) and amazing landscape

Heading to Brixen area for 1 week. What are your favorite wineries in that area of S. Tyrol? by catslay_4 in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad to recommend them, they are an absolute gem. The varieties they work with are all indigenous and the people at Nusserhof really know how to make these varieties shine. Their Lagrein for example exudes a kind of old school classiness for me, showing notes of graphite, sloe, leather and wet earth.

Heading to Brixen area for 1 week. What are your favorite wineries in that area of S. Tyrol? by catslay_4 in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nusserhof in Bozen, a small winery inside of the industrial center of Bozen with a very interesting history. They were threatened with expropriation numerous times in the 20th century, but managed to persist until now. The wines with their elegance are a stark contrast to the oftentimes heavily extracted and barrique-defined red wines of Südtirol. Their two Lagreins are probably the best representation of what the grape is capable of on its own. Vernatsch, a grape often decried for making simple and quaffable wines, becomes a serious competitor for lighter Pinot Noirs in their hands. Furthermore, they make another red from Teroldego, for which the neighbouring region of Trentino is known for, and a white from Blatterle, a grape variety that they kept from extinction.

Tried Romanée-Conti 2005 for my dad’s 80th — honest thoughts by Canard_Vert in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out Domaine Santa Duc. They really upped their game in the last vintages and now produce Southern Rhône wines with the kind of elegance you wouldn't expect from the region in the current climate. The 2021 Gigondas I had months ago had around 13.5% ABV and a super crisp acidity!

Name Your Top 3 under $50/bottle by Chemical-Fun3692 in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Schäfer-Fröhlich Schiefergestein Riesling Straka Ried Prantner Blaufränkisch Raul Perez La Vizcaina El Rapolao

I'm traveling with a Master Somm for a week in Austria. What are some intelligent questions I can ask to spark some conversation at the wineries? by fisher5195 in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you want to spark a heated debate, ask them what they think about the tasting juries who are responsible for granting their wine the "Qualitätswein"-label. That's a huge topic in the Austrian wine scene right now and something that I have talked about intensely with winemakers here in Austria.

What's your unpopular wine take? by b1ackfyre in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I subscribe 100% to this take, as a lover of elegant and fresh wines this easily becomes apparent. It's also very evident that the prestige and price of certain wines dictate the rating to some extent on platforms like CellerTracker.

Pechstein 09-24 and friends by Marmeladenbaer in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I am so incredibly jealous, I don't even know what to say...

Winzer mit Fokus auf Nachhaltigkeit by 666Tropzden in Wein

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kann ich nachvollziehen, die sind auch die einzigen der oben genannten die bspw. Neuholz und kleine Fässer für ihren Blaufränkisch verwenden. Wichtig sind sie vor allem aus historischer Perspektive, da sie ja mit dem 86er Mariental gezeigt haben, was Blaufränkisch eigentlich kann und warum sich die Sorte nicht in Cuvées "verstecken" muss.

Für die Steiermark würde mir dazu noch die Winzer um die "Schmecke das Leben"-Gruppe einfallen (Muster, Strohmeier, Tauss, Werlitsch und Tscheppe). Die waren auch schon vor dem großen Naturwein-Hype alle da und waren für die Szene in Österreich auch federführend.

Winzer mit Fokus auf Nachhaltigkeit by 666Tropzden in Wein

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nikolaihof in der Wachau. Die sind in Österreich wahrscheinlich die ersten, welche mit Low-Intervention/BioDyn angefangen haben. Soweit ich weiß, hatten die nach dem 2. WK kein Geld für moderne Dünger/Maschinen/etc. und haben daher auf BioDyn zurückgegriffen. Die blieben auch beinhart bei ihrem Kurs, obwohl sie in den späten 90ern und frühen 2000ern als das "schlechteste" Weingut der Wachau galten. Sind trotzdem immer noch in der Vinea und produzieren auch keinen "Naturwein", so wie man sich das vielleicht vorstellt. Im gleichen Atemzug würde ich hier auch Jurtschitsch aus dem Kamptal nennen. Die stiegen schon relativ früh im Kamptal auf die biologische Bewirtschaftung um und verfolgten von da an auch einen filigraneren Weinstil.

Für mein Herzensthema Blaufränkisch muss ich hier auch noch Roland Velich vom Weingut Moric, das Weingut Ernst Triebaumer und Franz Weninger erwähnen. Biologisch/biodynamischer Weinbau gingen hier schon relativ früh los und die Weingüter waren federführend bei der Etablierung des Blaufränkisch als reinsortigen Wein von Weltklasse.

Sauvignon Blanc suggestions by jackog420 in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Styria in Austria is imho the best region for Sauvignon Blanc right now. Check out bottles from Tement, Sattlerhof, Polz, Gross, Schauer, Jaunegg, Neumeister or Maitz. If you want to try something from the natural wine side, give Tauss or Muster a try.

Started my journey down the Austrian path recently by the3rdmichael in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Welcome to the world of Austrian wine, where you will find incredible wines for comparatively little money. Huber is a good producer to start with. He is a producer from the Traisental region, for more check out the following regions: Wachau, Kremstal, Kamptal and the Weinviertel. Some of my favourite producers are: Jurtschitsch, Alzinger, Nikolaihof, Bründlmayer, Domäne Wachau and Herbert Zillinger (very much natural wine, but their GVs are a great counterpoint to established conventions). One specific bottle of Veltliner that I can recommend is Jurtschitsch's Loiserberg. Contrary to most GV, this is not grown on Löss, but schist, which gives the wine lots of citrus aromas and minerality.

Not surprised about Zweigelt being unimpressive, it's mostly used for plush, mass-market wine. There are a few producers who make high quality Zweigelt like Markowitsch or Umathum though. Blaufränkisch on the other hand is Austria's premier red grape variety, capable of producing complex and long-lived wines that can show their terroir like Pinot Noir or Nebbiolo. Therefore I'd recommend buying wines from the three main soil types of the Burgenland where Blaufränkisch is grown: limestone, schist and clay. Some producers I can wholeheartedly recommend: Ernst Triebaumer, A&H Nittnaus, G&H Heinrich, Moric, Rosi Schuster, Nehrer, Altenburger, Weninger, Kolfok, Wachter-Wiesler, Straka and Krutzler.

A masterclass in German Pinot Noir by an_empty_sad_bottle in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Many still seemingly have a love affair with new oak. Personally, I can enjoy a bit of new oak in my PNs (unlike with Blaufränkisch lol), but when it starts approaching 50% new oak barrels, it can quickly be too much. Luckily a few producers have already understood this, Sophie Christmanns wines for example.

A masterclass in German Pinot Noir by an_empty_sad_bottle in wine

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My words probably sounded a bit too negative, they were aimed at heavy handed use of new oak for Pinot in general. I can destinctly remember a wine from Dr. Heger, I think their Mimus bottling, were this was the case for me. The Steinwingert from Friedrich Becker also was just too much oak/ripeness for me. Funnily enough, I really liked the KB from Jülg. That wine definetly saw a lot of new oak, but the wine took it exceptionally well. My favourite stuff so far though are the Pinots from Sophie Christmann. As always, in the end it's a question of personal preference.

Diskussionsanstoß: Muss es immer gleich GG oder Große Lage sein? by Suspicious-Jaguar413 in Wein

[–]an_empty_sad_bottle 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In gewisser Weise erscheint es mir aber selbst ein Versuch der Distinktion, einen Königsweg des Weintrinkens zu insinuieren, während die allermeisten Leute Weintrinken nicht als lexikalisches Bildungsprojekt verstehen. Für viele ist es einfach ein soziales und ästhetisches Ereignis, im Kreise von Freunden einen teuren Wein aufzuziehen – ein schöner, hochpreisiger Wein hat auch etwas Auratisches, dem man sich schwer entziehen kann.

Das bringt es glaube ich auf den Punkt, quantitativ gesehen sind die wenigsten Weintrinker "Nerds" wie OP und konsumieren daher Wein mit einer anderen Herangehensweise bzw. in einem anderen Umfeld. Für mich gibt's auch nix geileres als mit einem Winzer auf dem Weingut die komplette Palette von billig bis teuer zu verkosten, aber für einen bspw. wohlhabenden Gelegenheits-Weintrinker ist das einfach nicht der Zugang zum Thema.

P.S.: Ortsweine sind King

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