One of the best places to start a study of German-speaking wines isn’t Germany: it’s Austria.
Why? Because Austria’s compact size makes it easy to get a handle on geography (ski in the west, grow wine in the east, as the Austrians themselves say) and varieties (come for the Grüner Veltliner, stay for the Blaufränkisch). Although Austria’s wine history runs deep, tradition and a flair for elegance rub shoulders with dynamic experimentation and impressive stylistic diversity.
The world of sparkling wines is changing for the better. The number of producers approaching this beverage in serious, artisanal, and creative ways continues to…
Wine regions are threaded along the Danube, one after another, like a string of Chanel pearls. Wagram, Kamptal, Kremstal, Wachau. And Traisental — the only…
My first true Blaufränkisch moment came in 2013, at a now-shuttered restaurant in Hamburg. Thirty-six bottles from a swath of Austria’s appellations stood open for…
”In the past, nature held very little meaning for me,” Kremstal winegrower Markus Lang admits when asked to remember the first impressions of his vineyards….
The year is 1806. The date June 17th. Privy Councilor Goethe sits in Frankfurt — high and dry. He reaches for his quill and writes a…
12/17/2021 Swine Wines in the Steiermark By Sebastian Bordthäuser In mid-October, Koch.Campus invited guests to a first-class pig-out in Trautmannsdorf, in Steiermark. “Going Whole…
It is Friday night and I’m terrified. In 24 hours, a top sommelier is coming to our house for dinner. A sommelier who puts together…
12/17/2021 Wines with a View at Winkler-Hermaden By Jill Barth The story of Weingut Winkler-Hermaden and its home in a striking 11th-century castle starts…
12/17/2021 Eat & TRINK | Go Austrian for Your Holiday Feast By Emily Campeau Tomato season rolled right into the root vegetable months, and…
In 2013, I moved to Austria and spent most of a year living in the small town of Eisenstadt. There were several cultural difficulties to…
This article is an excerpted chapter from We Don’t Want Any Crap in Our Wine (2019). After the book went to print, the Rennersistas informed…
I reach down to the baggage carousel and slip the strap over my shoulder, the weight of a month’s traveling slowly spreading through my frame,…
