Highlights: scratching the itschs in Vienna, drinking two nice wines, Jurtschitsch and Markowitsch
I’m excited to be back in Austria, for the ÖTW Single Vineyard Summit. This is a remarkable tasting of many of Austria’s top wines, plus a short visit to the Wienvertel wine region. Tonight, though, I’m alone in Vienna. I should have had time to check out some of the city’s wine spots, but my landing in Vienna was aborted (it’s amazing how much an aborted landing freaks the passengers), because of high winds. So we went to Linz, refuelled, and then headed back to Vienna. I caught the express train into the city then walked 20 minutes to my hotel, arriving late enough that dinner wasn’t an option. The One Lounge bar was open, though, so I settled in and worked on my laptop, ordering two wines by the glass. It’s nice to find decent wine at good prices in a non-fancy setting. These glasses were 6 Euros each for a 200 ml pour in decent glassware. I’m looking forward to some fancy wines over the next few days, but there’s joy to be had with affordable wines, too. With the extended flight, I’ve also come close to finishing my proof reading for The New Viticulture, which is the best book I’ve written yet!
Jurtschitsch Chardonnay Classic 2022 Langenlois, Austria
From a winery that does both natural and classic wines, this is a nice expression of Chardonnay, offering sweet pear, cherry and lemon fruit with a touch of spice and cream. Lovely purity, with drinkability and poise. Super value for money. Think Chablis in a warm year and you are pretty close. 91/100
Markowitsch Zwiegelt Rubin Carnuntum 2021 Carnuntum, Austria
A vibrant, bright expression of Zwiegelt with sweet cherries and plums as well as a hint of dusty cocoa and nice spicy tannins. It’s juicy and vibrant, but also has an appealing savoury twist. Modern and nicely weighted, with drinkability. Nice vibrant fruit here, and one to enjoy slightly chilled I reckon. 90/100
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