Say hello to Larry…..

Many of you are familiar with the lovely wines we import directly from Weingut Muller who are based in the lovely Kremstal region of Austria. Now it’s mainly their whites that people chase after in here, but I gotta say I’m quite partial to their juicy fruit driven reds. Most of their reds are based on the indigenous Zweigelt, a red wine grape variety developed in 1922, at the Federal Institute for Viticulture and Pomology at Klosterneuburg, Austria, by Fritz Zweigelt. It was a crossing of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. Wines based on this grape have aromas of dark ripe cherries and dark berries, are spicy, have medium tannin levels and sometimes very good acidity.

Now with that out of the way I’d like to introduce you to the Muller ‘Laurenz’ St. Laurent Zweigelt 2012 a blend of the aforementioned Zweigelt with one of its parent varieties St. Laurent which is typically found in Austria and the Czech Republic. St. Laurent delivers dark, sturdy and fruity red wines with morello cherry notes, quite similar to Pinot Noir.

Now what is the Muller ‘Laurenz’ St. Laurent Zweigelt 2012 like? Well it’s a brilliant ruby red colour. The nose offers vibrant cherry and red fruit notes with just a hint of spice coming through. The
structure of the wine supports the fruit-driven style and soft supple tannins make it approachable and ideal for drinking while young. Pair this wine with most dishes, but it works really well with Chinese duck or
pork.

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Really From Austria

(First up sorry for the delay but the weather made it hard to sit down and type this up!!!) Last Thursday night we held our second last in shop tasting of the Summer, and it was the wonderful wines of Austria that we tasted. The wines from Weingut Muller in Krems have really been a revelation since we started importing them nearly two years ago. On the night we tasted 10 different wines including three Gruner Veltliners and two rieslings.

Müller ‘Göttweiger’ Riesling  2011                                                              €14.95

Fresh and fruit nose of citrus and apricot. Light spritz on the plate with crisp citrus fruit.

Müller ‘Kremser Kogl’ Grüner Veltliner  2012                                  €13.95

Pear, apple and spice nose gives way to fresh minerally pear and apple palate.

Tassilo ‘Alte Point’ Grüner Veltliner  2011                                           €16.95

Classic Wachau nose delicate flowers, apples, citrus and spice. Juicy crisp and textured palate. Fresh Finish.

 Müller ‘Neubergen’ Riesling  2012                                                             €18.95 

One of the nights real hits. Aromatic apricot, lime and yellow apple nose. Very fresh spritz on the palate and lots of apple, pear, peach and citrus fruits.

 Müller ‘Bergkristall’ Grüner Veltliner  2012                                      €17.95

Opens up in the nose with a wide range of different fruit aromas including grapefruit but also tones of garden herbs and excellent minerals. The palate is spoiled by a beautiful distinction and finesse, delicate nuances of apples and pears in the finish.

 Müller ‘Eichbühel’ Sauvignon Blanc 2012                                          €19.95

The other superstar of the night; bursting with delicate tropical fruit notes, passion fruit, lime and citrus. Crisp mineral driven fruit on the palate. A real interesting alternative to both New Zealand and Sancerre. 

 Tassilo ‘Süssenberg’ Weiss Burgunder 2011                                       €17.95

Delicate nut aromas in the nose, elegant and powerful on the palate; an excellent wine with a great balance and length. A full-bodied food wine.

Müller ‘Mugeln Reserve’ Chardonnay 2011                                         €19.95

Ripe stone fruit on the nose and on the palate. Complex and powerful, already very harmonious, lingering finish. Again great food wine with excellent cellaring potential.

 Müller Zweigelt Selection 2010                                                                  €12.95

Ruby red colours in the glass, beautiful scents of cherries and fine spices develop in the nose, nice berry notes on the palate, fruity, trendy and smooth.

 Müller ‘Reserve’ Zweigelt 2010                                                                   €17.95 

Beautiful scents of red berries, cherries and fine spices on the nose, along with nice barrique tones. Powerful and substantial on the palate with nice juicy red fruit and silky smooth tannins.

The Peaks of Austria

This Thursday evening we are hosting our penultimate in store wine tasting for the summer, and we are devoting it to one of our favourite wine-producing nations – Austria. Small is beautiful – that is what best describes Austrian wine, when put into international perspective. There are no run of the mill wines, but rather a rare speciality. Austrian wine is one of the most interesting phenomena happening in the world right now. The wines are found on every good wine list, are appreciated by wine experts and highly acclaimed by journalists. It is not uncommon to talk of an Austrian wine wonder. We will tasting everything from GruV ( Gruner Veltiner) to Zweigelt on the night.

Most of the wines we will taste will come from Weingut Muller who are based in the Kremstal DAC which is known for its excellent Gruner Veltliner and Rieslings, produced in the shadow of Stift Göttweig monastery. We will also have a pair of wines from the more well-known Wachau region which lies directly to the east of Kremstal.