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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2009 > April > 14 > Entry
The ‘Hills Were Alive’ at this Austrian wine luncheon
The Winds Cafe has an Austrian weekend dinner menu scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, and while the menu isn’t posted yet as of this writing, I can tell you one thing: an Austrian wine luncheon the restaurant hosted on March 14 was fabulous, and it was also a bargain for $40.
The Winds invited David Schildknecht, of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate fame, to lead a tasting of Austrian wines, which The Winds paired with Austrian dishes. The event was held at the Winds Wine Cellar next door to the restaurant.
Strap on your drool cup and take a look at the menu for the March 14 event:
— Austrian egg, served with Nigl 2005 Sekt and Brundlmayer 2002 Sekt sparkling wines;
— Monkfish with Apple, Rose Essence and Parsley Oil, served with Alzinger 2007 Gruner Beltliner Steinertal Smaragd and Nikolaihof 2007 Gruner Veltliner Im Weingebirge Federspiel;
— Oyster Pot Pie, served with Prieler 2006 Pinot Blanc Seeberg and Heidi Schrock 2007 Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc);
— Smoked Trout Cake with Beet Vinaigrette, served with Alzinger 2007 Loibenberg Riesling Smaragd and Hirsch 2003 Gaisberg Riesling;
— Rabbit with Mushrooms and Tarragon, served with Prieler 2006 Blaufrankisch Johannishohe and Schiefer 2006 Blaufrankisch Eisenberg;
— Lemon Polenta Cake with Elderflower Syrup (made at the Nikolaihof winery) and fresh berries.
Some of these wines were among the very best examples of their varietals that exist in Austria, and the quality showed (and it also showed in their retail price tags — the wines ranged in price from $22.99 to $69.99). I’ve always been a bit lukewarm on Austrian wines, which struck me as overly lean and sometimes overly acidic — think a poorly made trocken German wine.
But the wines Schildknecht chose — in particular the gruner veltliners and rieslings — were a revelation. The GruVe’s and rieslings were ripe, but not fruit-driven in any sense of the term. They had ample minerality, bracing acidity and a beautiful balance. Schildknecht predicts they’ll age beautifully, and since he knows the wines in this part of the world like the back of his hand, and has tasted through multiple vintages, I think I’ll take his word for it.
Schildknecht was clearly excited by the two Blaufrankischs, the only red wines in the tasting, which offered some similarities to pinot noir in a lean, taut frame. My revelation with this grape will have to wait for another day, but the wines were interesting to try, and paired well with the rabbit dish.
Toward the end of the luncheon, I could almost hear the faint echo from the Von Trapp Family singers. For a few hours, the hills were alive — and so was The Winds. Maybe a touch of that Austrian magic will return this weekend.
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