Tag Archives: Austrian wine

Expensive wine 158: Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut NV

Bottle of Sektkellerei Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut NV
Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut NV/$18-$28

Yes, Austrian sparkling wine, and well made and tasty

The Wine Curmudgeon may be one of the few people who gets paid to drink wine who doesn’t shout hosannas every time Austrian wine comes around. This is not to denigrate Austrian wine, which can be delightful. Rather, it’s to note that Austrian wine has long been a favorite of sommeliers and the Winestream Media, and you can imagine how that wears me out.

So what is the Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut doing here? Because, as cranky as I can be, remember the WC’s first rule of wine criticism: “Taste the wine before you write about it.” And, upon tasting, the Sektkellerei Szigeti Brut ($22, sample, 12.5%) is worth writing about.

Know that it’s made with gruner vetliner, the much respected Austrian white grape, but doesn’t seem to be very gruner-ish. Know, also, that that isn’t necessarily a problem, since gruner can get a bt bland if the winemaker isn’t paying attention.

Finally, know that it’s a quality, professional sparkler, much better than I thought it would be (see, thinking before tasting again). There is lots and lots of acidity that somehow isn’t a problem, as well as quality bubbles and almost a sort of creaminess. The fruit flavors are some sort of unripe pear and almost green apple thing, which again is not what I expected. Some tasting notes get a spiciness, which I didn’t, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was there.

Drink this, well chilled, on its own – porch wine, in fact – or pair it with richer seafood.

Imported by Winebow

Wine of the week: Vision Gruner Veltliner 2019

Vision Gruner Veltliner
Vision Gruner Veltliner 2019/$12-$15

The Vision Gruner Veltliner offers a quality Austrian white wine at a fair price

Doug Caskey, one of the finest people in the wine business, is always giving me a hard time about my aversion to gruner veltliner, the Austrian white wine. So this wine of the week is for you, Doug.

The Vision Gruner Veltliner 2019 ($13, purchased, 12.5%) doesn’t suffer from the things that make me wince when the subject of gruner comes up. It hasn’t been overhyped, it’s not overpriced, and and it tastes like gruner and not a riesling knockoff.

Would I prefer that it was a couple of bucks less? Of course. But it’s still worth buying at $13, because it’s a fine example of gruner. There’s a little riesling oiliness (though it’s not a sweet wine); there’s lots of fresh tart fruit (one tasting note says barely ripe pear, though I get more lime zest); an almost spicy quality; and a clean, minerally finish.

So something for Doug and I to drink the next time we get together – which, given the optimism in the news these days, might be sooner rather than later. We can sit on the porch, sip the wine, and be glad about the optimism in the news.

Imported by Broadbent Selections

Wine of the week: Pratsch Gruner Veltliner 2012

Wine of the week: Pratsch Gruner Veltliner 2012Periodically, the Winestream Media will embrace gruner veltiner, an Austrian grape, as the next big thing. The Wine Curmudgeon always thought this was silly for two reasons: First, it has not been easy to find quality gruner (as it’s called); most of what I’ve tasted is a riesling knockoff and not as well done. Second, because there isn’t very much gruner, and you can’t have the next big thing unless there are tanker loads of it to sell. Otherwise, it’s just an odd grape.

This frustrates many gruner advocates, including my pal Doug Caskey, who can only shake his head at what he sees at my intransigence. Gruner, as Doug has noted more than once, can make great wine, and can even make great cheap wine.

So this one’s for you, Doug: The Pratsch ($10, purchased, 12.5%) is not only one of the best gruners I’ve tasted in a long time, but the first candidate for the 2015 $10 Hall of Fame. For one thing, it tastes like gruner — some apple and citrus fruit but not too much, a spiciness (white pepper?) and not a trace of sweetness, either in the fruit or the wine itself. This is a crisp wine (but not as zingy as a sauvignon blanc) that will pair with almost any kind of food — I drank it with pork jambalaya, and it worked well with the dish’s spiciness.

It probably won’t make the Hall — I am the Wine Curmudgeon, after all — but it will be nice to be able to say I considered it.