WTN: Off the beaten path:Roter Veltliner & Slovene Sauvignon

2011 Weingut Familie Schuster Roter Veltliner Grossriedenthaler Altweingarten - Austria, Niederösterreich, Donauland, Wagram
23,90€; 13,5% abv. Wagram, some 15km N-East from Vienna, makes some whites from the Roter Veltliner grape. It is grown in a few other parts of Austria, also, but it seems to be a major grape only in Wagram. Despite the name it isn't a relative of GV. The skins of the grape are light red, but still Wagram makes whites from them. Quite a Muscatty aroma: perfumed and floral, abundantly fruity but also with some nice minerality. Sweet and ripe fruit, quite grippy though the acidity isn't very high. A fruit-forward, highly aromatic wine. Nice!

2011 Ptujska Klet Sauvignon Pullus G - Slovenia, Štajerska
23€; 13,5% abv. A very ripe aroma, lots of grapefruit and grass. Quite broad and fat for a Sauvignon, but also high in acidity and so ripe as to seem almost sweetish. It reminds me of Sattlerhof's Austrian SBs. It is a style of SB that is obviously made from the same grape as the Loire and NZ ones, but is still a very different take on the grape. Fascinating to try though it still doesn't make me a fan of the grape.

[David M. Bueker]

I've actually had 1973 Brundlmayer Roter Veltliner (a few years ago). White (well...bronze) wine there as well. I think he still grows the grape.

That's interesting that it had aged so long seemingly in condition! From this Schuster I would have imagined that max 5 years more. Was the Bründlmayer very Muscatty, too?

Does anyone then make a red Roter Veltliner? A quick google only turned up whites.

[David M. Bueker]

I don't think the skins are dark enough to make a truly red wine. I've certainly never seen or read of one.

I would say that the '73 was spicy but I don't recall much in the way of specifics.

Hi Otto -

Thank you for the notes. I rather like Roter Veltliner as a change-of-pace wine, and have had good ones from Setzer, Leth, and Mantlerhof (a moderately sweet Auslese). Never heard of a red (or a pink) version, though.