Questions for M. Pronay about Gruner Veltliner

Actually, there is an english version. Go to

For the Allram, go here:

And some food pairing ideas for the Gruner: it's known for pairing with notoriously difficult foods, such as asparagus, artichoke, shrimp, etc. So it's always fun to try those. Dale Williams once suggested pan-seared scallops in a fresh pea puree, which I tried and found to be an excellent pairing. I have also paired it with lentil soups and salads and loved the result.

e.

Apparantly I am not smart enough to drink Austrian wines cause I cannot hardly tell the difference in Regions/Producers....this is just like learning Burgundy AOC and classifications the first time.

:-)

Yeah, I know what you mean.

Here's a quick primer: HOW TO READ THE LABEL ON A BOTTLE OF AUSTRIAN WINE (in general) First up is the name. This is almost always the last name of the family which owns/makes the wine. If it is a common last name, there will also be the first name. For your wines, that was F.X. (first initials) PICHLER (family name), and he is indeed the cellarmaster. Same with Allram and Hirsch. Those are the family names.

Second up is usually the name of the vineyard where the wine came from. Sometimes it's another name, such as is done in American wines- a kind of "ficitional" name. On the Pichler, the vineyard is the Loibner Klostersatz. There is a red wine from Austria called Gsellmann & Gsellmann Pannobile. In this case, Gsellmann & Gsellmann stands for the last name of the two brothers that run the winery together. Pannobile is the name they give their flagship wine in any given year.

Then on wines from the Wachau region, it gets another word: either STEINFEDER, FEDERSPIEL, or SMARAGD. Your Pichler was a Federspiel. These are roughly classifications which describe when the wine was picked and what sugar/acid levels they have. I know that the boards here have gone into this in greater length, describing the three classifications in detail.

And now here's a REALLY general way to define the regions. These ARE NOT THE BE ALL END ALL RULES and don't describe every winemaking region or every kind of wine made. I'm just covering what is being talked about most here in the States right now. For much greater detail, go to

But to continue: When you are looking to buy Austrian Gruner Veltliner, you are looking to buy wines from the Wachau region (that's the most well known), or Krems or Kamptal. Great dry Rieslings also come from these areas.

If you are looking for Austrian dessert wines, you are looking for wines from the Burgenland region. There is a lake in this region called the Neusidlersee. Towns surround this lake. In the case of Ruster Ausbruch wines, the name of the town comes into play: sweet wines made in a certain method from the town of Rust are Ruster Ausbruch wines.

If you are looking for the Austrian Sauvignon Blancs that everyone is talking about, you are looking for wines from the Styrian region. Southern Styria in particular.

Here are a couple more examples:

1. Wenzel Am Fusse des Berges Ruster Ausbruch 2001 ok, so WENZEL is the family last name. "Am Fusse Des Berges" translates to mean "at the foot of the mountains", which is were the vineyard is. "Ruster Ausbruch" is as I described above.

1. Johann Donabaum Spitzer Point Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 2002. "Johann Donabaum" is the winemakers name (actually, in this case, it is the name of both the father and the son who is now taking over) Because there are a few Donabaums in the area, the wine will carry the first name. "Spitzer Point" is the name of the vineyard. "Gruner Veltliner", well, you know that. "Smaragd" is the classification.

2. Jaunegg Muri Chardonnay 2002 Jaunegg is the family name. Muri is the name of the vineyard. Then grape & year. This wine is from the Styrian region, so it doesn't have those Wachau classifications.

I'm sure others will pick this primer apart, because it really does make some grand generalizations. But I hope you find it helpful nonetheless! Best, e.

Where "Spitz" is the name of the village, "Point" the vineyard. "Spitzer" is "from Spitz", just as Tokaj is the village and Tokaji means "from Tokaj".

M.

Hi all,

has anyone any insight about Weingut Setzer wines? I have google-found a post by M. Pronay dated 03-03-2003 in which he cited this producer as a good one from the WEINVIERTEL region but no much more information.

their wines are about to appear at a local distributor that has praised them highly but, hey, which dealer does not praise their wines. Any recommendation or suggestion?

Thanks in advance,

S.

Hi- I have not tried their wines, but the Falstaff guide gives the 2003 vintage whites anywhere from 87 to 91 points: Riesling Hochstrass 2003: 89 Sauvignon Blanc Hochstrasse 2003: 87 Roter Veltliner Kreimelberg 2003: 89-91 Chardonnay Lyra 2003: 88-90 Weinviertel DAC 2003: 90

It's not much, but I hope it's a start! e.

I have known Hans Setzer and his beautiful wife Uli - take a look here

hey, there's annother one here

for quite a long time and would thoroughly recommend their wines. The English section of their homepage is limited to the above, but scrolling down here

gives you further info, albeit in German.

M.

Of course she is. Or is there a joke I don't get?

M.

Thanks E. and M.,

It seems like I will be trying their GV and, possibly, their RV in a near future.

Best,

S.