Austrian wines are not for every day — but worth a try

Giovanni Morelli bemoans the move to fast food in France, but reports on some fine wines from Austria that are worthy of experimentation

Can you believe that the French are about to open a McDonalds in the Louvre!
Yes the country with the greatest gastronomic tradition, excluding Italy, has more McDonalds than any other country except the United States.
The Italians, of course, introduced civilised cooking to France in the 16th century via Catherine de Medici who married King Henry II of France. The French were apparently ignorant of the culinary arts, until Catherine, daughter of Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, arrived in France. There were many Florentine cooks in her entourage.
She brought with her also the expectation that ladies would be in regular attendance at feasts, and would dress in fashionable attire when doing so.
Perhaps now the French should be reminded of these events and hopefully stop the descent into fast food! With a President who doesn’t drink wine is there any hope? Incidentally three of Catherine de Medici’s sons became kings — one of Poland.
Even though the recession is beginning to bite in Ireland and we are paying the price of the bankers and Government’s profligacy, apparently some countries are doing quite well.
Fully trained sommelier
According to the International Herald Tribune there are a number of new services in Hong Kong. A company will allow you to have the personalised service of a fully trained sommelier for the small sum of $50,000 per year, with an additional callout fee.
You can have your cellar inspected and be told what dreadful purchases you made, or if you are starting from scratch he/she will advise you.
If you are in a restaurant and are not sure if you should order the Côtes Rotie from 1997 or 1998 you can text your sommelier and he/she will advise. I’m not sure even our best Obstetricians or Orthopaedic Surgeons could aspire to these heights!
Most people in Ireland have little knowledge of Austrian wines. Their popularity was severely dented by the antifreeze scandal in 1985 when wines were found to be adulterated with diethylene glycol.
The Secession building
A recent visit to Vienna, however, was a pleasant experience. The architecture of course is wonderful. A building not to be missed is the Secession building, designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich and built in 1898.
It was part of the ‘Vienna Secession’ and the building reflected modern life and was a symbol of protest against the pseudo-historical styles of the 19th century.
It contains a fresco by Klimt devoted to Beethoven, and is a stunning work of Art Nouveau.
We sampled many lovely white wines made from the Grüner Veltliner grape. This grape is virtually confined to Austria and the Czech Republic. It grows on the hills overlooking the Danube, west of Vienna. The wines can vary from the very young ones, drunk in the same year as they are made, to excellent wines to accompany food, to desert wines. The grape apparently is, in part, a descendent of the Traminer grape.
Seldom oaked
Riesling is a white grape which originates in the Rhine region of Germany. It can be used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are seldom oaked. Riesling is usually included in the ‘top three’ white wine varieties together with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
The pundits say that the aroma of Riesling is like cat’s urine and this can also be said of Sauvignon Blanc! Riesling is a variety which is highly influenced by the grape’s place of origin. We sampled some delicious reds made from grapes I did not know but these wines are rarely seen in Ireland. Although the wines were good I must say the food was, in general, very poor. It’s a pity Catherine de Medici did not call in to Austria on her way to France!
Glasses
One thing I should say is the famous Reidel glasses are made in Austria, and wherever we went the wine glasses were always good quality — something I cannot say for many Dublin restaurants.
What Austrian wines are available in Ireland? Two great examples, not cheap, but ideal for a change; Kellermeister 2007, Kremser Kremsleiten Riesling Trocken, 2007 is a beautiful example of modern Austrian Riesling available from The Corkscrew, Chatham St.; Gibneys, Malahide; Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Redmonds Ranelagh and Coolers, Ongar Village, Co Dublin. Prices vary between €18.95 and €19.95!
Heiligenstein Grüner Veltliner Kammern/Kaptal 2008 is a superb example of this grape (grüner Veltliner).
At €20.95 it is not for everyday drinking, but I strongly recommend it and at present it is only available from The Corkscrew, Chatham Street, Dublin and Gibney’s off -licence in Malahide.
Happy drinking.
Giovanni Morelli.