WTN: Gruner, Gruner, Gruner!

We might have been in Walla Walla, and it might have been politically correct to start with a Walla Walla wine---but, hey, I'm sorry, you put some Gruner Veltliner in front of me, and Gruner Veltliner will be tasted.

And I've seen what happens when you put the Szigeti Sekt in front of people: they get all frenzied and start hogging the table, and won't let anyone else in, and then they run out. You know, standard for this bubbly.

So I got in line to be one of the first. After delicately elbowing two women who just wouldn't move out of my way quickly enough---did you know wine tasting can be a full-body contact sport?---I got my sample of Szigeti.

These guys do a great job with sparkling GV. It's full on bubbly, (fermented in the bottle) yet it maintains that true, precise nature of Gruner, with its mineral, celery salt, green pepper, citrus fruit and black pepper. Does that sound good to you? Who cares: it tastes good to me! (And I heard they ran out of Szigeti not long afterwards. Coulda told them that would happen. hmph)

But by then I had moved on to Weingut Stadt Krems Gruner Veltliner Kremstadt 2008. This winery is actually owned by the city of Krems ('Kremstadt') and holds separate parcels, from which they make classic Gruner (look up to above paragraph for the description of taste elements). Fine, fine stuff, a little creamier and softer, perhaps, than Wachau Gruner; maybe a little lighter, but still nicely focused, with lovely clarity of aroma and flavor.

Then on to the Loimer Kamptal Gruner Veltliner 2008. Fred Loimer's "Lois", his 'basic' GV, was one of my earliest introductions of Austrian GV, so I've always been fond of it. But this Kamptal bottling has significantly greater intensity, greater weight, and more presence in the mouth. (Kamptal ladies sing this song, doo dah, doo dah. Sorry, I get a little silly sometimes when the wine is this readily intoxicating---and I'm not talking alcohol.) Tightly structured, with loads of citrus fruit, pepper, and off-the-charts acidity, it's satisfying on every level possible.

Winebow Imports is now bringing in these lovely brands...and I just got news that they will be available in Oregon (Lemma Wines), so I am one happy Kremstadt/Kamptal Kamper.

Okay, now that my palate is sufficiently primed, I can move on to....Wait. What?...Oooh, look, a bus tub full of Austrian Rieslings!

[David M. Bueker]

Veltliner, Veltliner, Veltliner!

Glad to see you have availability. On the Theise portfolio front, be on the lookout for the 2009s from Hiedler; they are great across the board.

Veltliner, Veltliner, Veltliner!

Glad to see you have availability. On the Theise portfolio front, be on the lookout for the 2009s from Hiedler; they are great across the board.

From what I was told, David, Winebow got the majority of the "fallout" from the latest export/import shakeout vis a vis the Austrians. I tasted these at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla.

Serendipity, but Lemma Wines just this morning e-mailed me with the news that they had picked these up---and many more. Now all I have to do is wangle some more tastings.

Oh, and they have Weininger Wien Geschmichter Classic!!!!! (little icon of guy dancing)

I tasted these at the Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla.

What is it about wine bloggers that makes everyone start the jet engines, open the kitchens, and start pouring wine!

From what I was told, David, Winebow got the majority of the "fallout" from the latest export/import shakeout vis a vis the Austrians.

Yes, the Winebow portfolio used to be at Vin Divino. They were lucky to get Erin Grace to go along with the wines.

[David M. Bueker]

So the whole vin Divino portfolio went to Winebow? If so there are a whole lot of major players in that group (e.g. Knoll, Hirtzberger).

So the whole vin Divino portfolio went to Winebow? If so there are a whole lot of major players in that group (e.g. Knoll, Hirtzberger).

Not the whole thing, but the vast majority. Besides the producers that Hoke mentions, there is Prager, Wieninger, Paul Achs, Rudi Pichler, Heinrich and a few others. Hirtzberger is still with VD but I´m not so sure about E.Knoll. That certainly is a lot of players to jump ship on an importer.

So the whole vin Divino portfolio went to Winebow? If so there are a whole lot of major players in that group (e.g. Knoll, Hirtzberger).

Not the whole thing, but the vast majority. Besides the producers that Hoke mentions, there is Prager, Wieninger, Paul Achs, Rudi Pichler, Heinrich and a few others. Hirtzberger is still with VD but I´m not so sure about E.Knoll. That certainly is a lot of players to jump ship on an importer.

They had the Knoll, the Prager, the Wieninger Gemischter Satz (!!!), and Rudy Pichler there too, Bill.

I haven't had the Lois, but am very fond of the Kamptal, Terrassen and Spiegel GV's of Loimer. His Rieslings are very nice as well. But I seem to have noticed a change in style from the '90s to this millennium: the '90s I've had were powerful, massive, enormous, over-sized; this millennium has been structured, focused and elegant. Have you also found this to be the case? (My experience pre-2002 is very limited so I might have just had uncommon examples from before.)

I've never heard of Szigeti (the wine, that is; the violinist of course I am familiar with).

Otto, I'd say you got the better end of the deal. The Lois is perfectly fine, mind you, and I've enjoyed more than a few bottles of it, but the others have more definition, more heft, more precision.

Hope you have a chance to try the Sektkellerei Szigeti. Pretty impressive stuff, and I think you'd like it. (And you can listen to the violinist while drinking it!)

So the whole vin Divino portfolio went to Winebow? If so there are a whole lot of major players in that group (e.g. Knoll, Hirtzberger).

Not the whole thing, but the vast majority. Besides the producers that Hoke mentions, there is Prager, Wieninger, Paul Achs, Rudi Pichler, Heinrich and a few others. Hirtzberger is still with VD but I´m not so sure about E.Knoll. That certainly is a lot of players to jump ship on an importer.

They had the Knoll, the Prager, the Wieninger Gemischter Satz (!!!), and Rudy Pichler there too, Bill.

It was always a great book. I would say that the producers are in good hands now too.

Wieninger rocks.