Michael Vaughan's Weekly National Post Feature

Dust off your Lederhosen
Austrian Wines Finally Unleashed in Vintages
© Michael Vaughan 2007
National Post Weekly Wine & Spirits Columnist
Saturday, September 1, 2007

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It's depressing, the way Vintages works. All summer I have been thirsting for some refreshing Austrian whites; but only one has appeared in the past three months. Stadt Krems 2006 Grüner Veltliner Sandgrube (687913) made its Vintages debut on July 21st at $14.95. It's dry and fairly light bodied with spicy, lemony, melon flavours and a lively unoaked finish. This easy drinking summery quaffer works best with seafood.

Ditto for the alternative less expensive Sal'mon Groovey 2006 Grüner Veltliner (669606) at $12.95, which is still available from last May. Crisp and very dry, the zesty, ripe lemon-yellow grapefruit flavours are great for a hot summer day. This hip rendition comes in a screwcap bottle and is ready to be consumed anywhere and perfect for the younger crowd.

I had hoped to see it reappear soon. Sadly, next week's Vintages "Product Needs" letter specifies that only Austrian wines in the $14-$30 range can apply. It seems that Sal'mon Groovey is too cheap for Vintages buyers, who are definitely forcing us to choose from higher priced wines. If something doesn't sell because the price is too high, Vintages doesn't really care. The reason? If 75% is not sold within 90 days, the supplier is forced to pay the LCBO a 20% rebate. How sweet it is.

As for the current dearth of Austrian wines, the drought is over - well almost. Today's Vintages release features 9 Austrian wines. I was on the verge of dusting off my lederhosen until I previewed the LCBO selection. I wish I could be more enthusiastic. Most are ok, but few are worthy of a detour. And the prices? Well as they say: up, up and away.

My two recommendations are based on Muscat grapes: one fairly dry, the other very sweet. The first is Moorhof 2006 Muskat Ottonel (728667) at $15.95. It's loaded with spicy Muscat flavours with a bright, dryish, grapefruit peel finish. Too bad about the price - I was told by the agent that Vintages had agreed to a $13.95 price (it last appeared at $12.95). Nevertheless, it is still a tasty destination - especially with Thai or Indian cuisine.

The second is a terrific icewine-inspired winner from Burgenland, where the grapes don't have to freeze to become supremely rich and lush. Lenz Moser 2004 Prestige Trockenbeerenauslese (729657) at $19.95 per half bottle has intense, sweet but balanced, candied lemon-melon and Seville orange marmalade flavours with a long finish. Great for dessert or with fois gras.

As the "Pinot Pilgrim", I have saved the best for last or so it would seem. There are 25 Pinot Noir on offer, plus another 5 hidden, untasted, in-store discoveries. Most are uninspiring. The best buy is from Chile's cooler Bío Bío Valley - Viña Porta 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir (38836) at $15.95. It is very slightly earthy and complex with roasted plum and baked black cherry flavours and a lingering cedary finish. It is terrific - what a shame that it wasn't pre-tasted by the wine consultants.

The best Pinot Noir on show is Bouchard Pere & Fils 2005 Volnay Caillerets 1er Cru Ancienne Cuvée Carnot (43240) at $86.95. This class act shows good complexity and depth of flavours focusing on vibrant, plummy, gently juicy, ripe cherries. It is very drinkable today but will certainly evolve over the next five years.

In between these two is a roller coaster of quality - let the buyer beware. To see the Pinot Noir reviews, click here. Use the npreader password to login.

Finally, coming up on Tuesday, September 4 is the Spanish Wine Society's Marques de Riscal tasting with tapas at the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club. Details are posted on my website and tickets are $71 members / $78 guests. Call Barry Brown at 416-927-9464.

2001 - 2007 Tasting Note Database
Our tasting note database from December 31, 2000 to August 2007, covers every Vintages release product for the past 81 months. There are more than 15,000 notes in the database data. Just enter the name of the product, supplier name or CSPC number. Or you can search by type of wine, country of origin, even wine agent! Nothing could be easier. Also you can get information on the agent by clicking on the agent’s name, as well as current LCBO store inventory by clicking on "Check LCBO Availability", which will automatically tell you the number of bottles at LCBO as of last night.

To use our Tasting Notes Database: click here

** For All Visitors **
Vintages Releases
To see the complete list of upcoming products from the
September 1 release, including In-Store Discovery items,
click here (sorted by date of release).
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To see the complete list of upcoming products from the
September 15 release, including In-Store Discovery items,
click here (sorted by date of release).
You can also see it sorted by agent click here
To see the complete list of upcoming products from the
September 29 release, including In-Store Discovery items,
click here (sorted by date of release).
You can also see it sorted by agent click here

Copyright Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada 2007
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
(electronic or other wise) and or quotation.
Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net