[Sorry it took me a week to post these notes, Emily]
>
> Last Tuesday, two young Austrian winemakers (imported by afw's own
> winemonger) Johann Donnabaum and Franz-Josef Gritsch stopped in at a wine
> bar in SF (VinoVenue) for a tasting of their wines. They both make wine
> in the lovely town of Spitz in the Wachau. By design or coincidence,
> Johann tasted 3 Grüner Veltliners of differing concentration and age,
> whereas Franz-Josef tasted three wines from the 2003 vintage, each made
> from a different grape. The two young men were great spokesmen for their
> country and industry and just happened to have some very nice wine, too! > ;-)
>
> 2004 Kalmuck
> color: pale yellow, almost colorless
> nose: floral entry, followed by pepper and minerals
> palate: light-to-medium body, moderately fruity with a slightly tart > finish
>
> This wine is a collaboration of the two and was described by Johann as
> being an attempt to demonstrate the potential of Grüner Veltliner from the
> Wachau. It has not yet been released, so I don't know the price, but I
> expect that it'll be priced in the $10-15 range and intended for early > consumption.
>
> 2002 Donnabaum Loibnergarten Grüner Veltliner Smaragd
> c: golden yellow
> n: pepper, apricot and honey
> p: rich, deep, honey, clean finish
>
> What a contrast to the Kalmuck! I am continually amazed at the number of
> Austrian winemakers who managed to produce first-class wine during the
> deluge of 2002. This is yet another example and a very impressive wine.
> I asked Johann how long he thought one should keep this wine, and he
> replied that it could keep easily for 10 years, though I doubt that we
> will have the self-control to keep any that long. This is a wine that
> would go splendidly with spicy Asian fare.
>
> 2001 Donnabaum Grüner Veltliner Spitzer Point Reserve ($25)
> c: deep gold
> n: toasty, pepper, slightly hot
> p: rich entry, apricot, melon, honey, crisp finish
>
> Wow! As much as I liked the Smaragd, this wine was even more impressive.
> It had complexity, balance and length with potential for improvement with
> age. Jean, OTOH, detected a hint of oxidation in this wine which she
> finds very offputting (reason#1 in why most white wines aren't aged very
> long in our household).
>
> 2003 Gritsch Grüner Veltliner Axpoint Federspiel ($10)
> c: greenish yellow
> n: minerals, flowers and apple
> p: medium body, creamy, light apple fruit
>
> A very light example of GV (which is what Federspiel is all about), but
> also a bit atypical based on our previous experiences with Grüner
> Veltliner. A pleasant wine that showed no flabbiness from the heat of > '03.
>
> 2003 Gritsch Riesling Eimerberg Smaragd ($25)
> c: pale yellow
> n: citrus, peaches, floral
> p: crisp entry, mineral and citrus notes
>
> Not likely to be confused with a German (or an Alsatian) Riesling, this
> wine has more in common with the Rieslings of NZ and Oregon. This was
> Jean's favorite wine of the evening. It exhibited lovely citrusy
> character and would make a great complement to a variety of fish dishes. >
> 2003 Gritsch Neuberger Select Eimerberg ($19)
> c: pale yellow
> n: floral, minerals
> p: off-dry, pineapple
>
> A simpler wine than the two preceeding it, and made from a grape I knew
> nothing about. Hilarious bilingual discussion with Franz-Josef ensued, in
> which I tried to ascertain what Neuberger's near relations might be. In
> the end, F-J (I think) said that it's a relative of Chardonnay. A little
> post-tasting research turns up that Neuberger = Sylvaner x Weissburgunder
> (Pinot Blanc), which may or may not mean the same thing ;-)
>
> All in all, a very enjoyable tasting with two delightful characters
> (three, if one includes their traveling companion Johannes Thiery of the
> Hotel Schloss Dürnstein, a well-reputed at an interesting venue (VinoVenue
> dispenses wine from argon-atmosphere cabinets -- you buy a card that you
> insert into the cabinet to get your wine) Many thanks to Emily
> (winemonger) for the tip.
>
> Mark Lipton