grauburgunder

Grüner Veltliner is usually the Austrian wine variety for "difficult" pairing, and a just-off-dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer are often the pick for Asian foods (when they're spicy) But if it's Austrian Blauburgunder you want, I would recommend these quite heartily:

Gsellmann & Gsellmann (2000 is a good year) Weingut Braunstein Weingut Heinrich (again, 2000 was very good)

Which dish or dishes exactly are you pairing to? e.winemonger ______________________

Grauburgunder = grauer Burgunder = Ruländer = Pinot gris.

Thus said, look for Josef Lentsch' wines from Podersdorf, Neusiedlersee, Burgenland.

M.

I was clearly a full bottle into some when I wrote my response. I was thinking BLAUburgunder, which is why the question seemed so odd to me. So OK! GRAUburgunder:

I suggest trying some from the Styrian region. One is Tscheppe: 2002 Possnitzberg and the 2001 Possnitzberg Reserve. I also like Jaunegg from the same region: the 2003 Knily is promising, and the 2002 Knily already delivers. Tschermonegg has a very good inexpensive Pinot Gris worth trying as well.

I'll try to keep off the stuff. At least until the afternoon. e.winemonger

Thank you! I knew three of them, Ruländer is new to me

I did a short search in "A la carte" page and found another Lentsch in the same village, this time Elisabeth & Franz: any comment would be very much appreciated

good for you :-)))

The Austrian Blau- that I find difficult to pair with Asian food is the Blaufränkisch. In my view, some spicy and meaty Chinese dishes can well stand a Blauburgunder. I have to take part of the blame: Asian food is quite a vague concept; to be more precise, I am having fun with hot and spicy Chinese food.

Thanks

And, while we're at it, pinot grigio (Italy) and szürkebarat (Hungary) are synonyms as well.

They are cousins; both highly recommended. Franz Lentsch might be the grower with the best values all over Austria.

M.

I love to pair a great Blaufränkisch with anything barbequed. I have not tried, but will boldly suggest, pairing the Wenzel Bandkraften Blaufrankisch with BBQ pork spareribs. Something about the plummy-ness of the chinese BBQ sauce in particular might work perfectly.

I'll try it myself the minute the weather here cools down and let you know what I think.

e. _________________

Germany also produces some wine from Pinot Gris. A lot of it is so-so, but some very good examples are made in Baden and the south of Pfalz. The wine may be calld Ruländer or Grauburunder, with the softer version often labeled Ruländer. It probably is at the best in a few select vineyards in the Kaiserstuhl area of Baden. Some of the better vineyards are in Achkarren and Ihringen. This region has volcanic soil and is much warmer than many of the regions more famous for Riesling. Thus it is well suited for growing Pinot Gris. The best of these wines can be very difficult to find in the US. I had to special order a case of a 1976 auslese from Germany many years ago through a friendly importer. If you are wanting a dry wine for food, it probably will be labeled Grauburgunder. A sweet late harvest auslese or higher is likely to be labeled Ruländer. In between you are likely to find wines, labeled with either name, that can range from very dry to a bit sweet. As usual, knowing the style of the wine producer is the key.

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