Wolfgang & Bettina took us to the tavern/winebau during our stay in Muggendorf & we tried:
1. Buschenschank Dunst Heckenklescher "Bam-Kraxler" (Isabella/Aramon/Clinton) 2014: Med.light red color; rather earthy/loamy somewhat grapey/foxy quite rustic nose; off-dry rather foxy/grapey slightly tart/rustic/earthy/loamy/coarse flavor w/ no tannins; short rough/coarse/earthy/loamy very grapey/foxy finish w/ no tannins; clearly has Labrusca origins; not a very attractive wine.
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2. Buschenschank sowieGungerl's Schaumwein of Austrie mit zugesetzter Kohlensaure (11.5%; halbtrocken; 100% Isabella) 2013: Rather dark color; strong grapey/labrusca/foxy rustic/earthy/loamy nose; slightly sweet slightly frizzante/tart loamy/earthy/coarse grapey/foxy flavor w/ very little tannins; short bit gassy/frizzante coarse/earthy/loamy some grapey/foxy finish; closer to soda pop than anything; clearly Labrusca based.
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And a wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Bettina & Wolfgang live in Obersulz just North of Vienna. But Bettina is from Styria and has lots of friends in the area and returns frequently. Knowing of my wine proclivities, she wanted to show me the area and some of the wines it produces. We don't see a whole lot of Steiermark wines in the USofA. The first night, we stayed in Graz and I had my introduction to Schilcher Sturm wines. I kept trying the Schilchers, but couldn't grow to like them...way too sour.
The next day, we took the Weinstrausse in a big loop thru Styria, including part in which half the road was in Austria, half in Slovenia. During the ColdWar, there were fences and guard towers along this border, but no traces of them remain. We ended up in Muggendorf and went to the Buschenschank Dunst, one of their favorite places to eat. The food there was traditional and outstanding. The owner, GunterDunst, was a very voluble and gregarious host. Highly recommended. Knowing that I was a wine lover, he wanted me to try his two house wines, having no idea what they were. On first taste, I thought I was picking up a Labrusca character, but couldn't believe it here in Styria. When Gunter informed me that it contained Clinton & Isabella, then I knew I was correct, totally impressing the Suisse couple at the next table. Gunter was very proud of these two "traditional" wines he'd made and I responded that I found them "interesting and compelling and the best of that genre I'd yet in Styria". He beamed mightly that a "wine connoisseur" approved of his efforts.
The next day, after staying in a B&B that was owned by Bettina's friends, we toured the area more in dreary/drizzling weather. A beautiful old church nearby atop a hill, a "junk yard" run by an eccentric guy that collects old cars, motorcycles, farm implements, gravestones, kitchen gear....all sorts of weird stuff. We then stopped at a roasted pumpkin seed oil plant to observe the process and buy oil. The stuff is amazingly good and can be used as a condiment a lot like balsamic. Many of the Austrian pumpkin seed oil you buy in this country are often rancid, in my experience. The are rather fragile and have a short half-life. I've long wondered why there was not a movement in the USofA to produce "artisinal" roasted pumpkin seed oil. I gather there is now one producer, HayRiver, up in Wisconsin.
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2. Isabella is classified as a Labrusca grape but is, in fact a cross between an American labrusca and an unknown vinifera variety. Discovered in SouthCarolina in 1816. Clinton is a random crossing between labrusca and riparia varieties. First discovered in NYState in 1935. One of the well-known progenys of the Clinton grape is the MonicaLewenski grape, unrelated to the vinifera Monica grape, that makes a particularly lush, full-bodied, well-endowed, buxomy kind of wine.
The examples of these two I've tried have a very distinctive Labrusca character. Both grapes have a very darkly-colored skin and make very dark wines.
These American grapes were imported into Europe in the early 1800's and were undoubtedly the source of the phylloxera scourge in the 1860's. Because of their cold-climate character they found much popularity in Switzerland and made their way into Austria.
Because of their long presence in Styria, these grapes are regarded as "traditional" by the Styrian grapegrowers, dating back to the mid-1800's. Some Styrian vnyds contain only Labrusca varieties. The EuropeanUnion has recently proposed banning these grapes as being "non-traditional". Friggin' Brussels bureaucrats. The Styrians are protesting the ban and the issue has not yet been resolved.
Tom