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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The Wonderful Wines of Kremstal

There are 2,243 hectares of vineyards located around the town of Krems in Austria. The town and ints eponymous wine regionare located to the east of the Famous region of Wachau. As in Wachau the River Danube is very inmportant. Views of the region are dominated by the magnificent Stift Göttweig monastery. As a DAC Kremstal was only introduced in 2007 and applies only to two grape varieties the Austrian Gruner Veltliner, which is typical vibrant and spicy here and mineral rich Rieslings.Like the Wachau, Kremstal has its fair share of special climates: a cool, humid northern breeze flows from Waldviertel cooling the warm dry eastly winds from the steppes to the east. Along with the two varieties mentioned above Kremstal produces Chardonnay, Weissburgunder and supple, soft and expansive reds from grapes such as Zweigelt.

The wines of Weingut Muller need no introduction but below are 3 of our personal favs.

1) Muller ‘Bergkristall’ Gruner Veltliner 2012

Light green-yellow in the glass, 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 has a beautiful distinction and finesse, delicate nuances of apples and pears in the finish. A perfect companion to any hearty  white meat or pork dishes. Great with ‘Wiener Schnitzel’.

2) Muller Zeigelt Reserve 2011

Ruby and garnet colors in the glass, beautiful scents of cherries and fine spices develop in the nose, nice subtle oak tones, powerful and substantial on the palate; a wine with a good aging potential. This wine is well suited for a myriad of hearty meals such as beef, lamb, and game, or spicy pasta. It is also a fantastic wine to consume on its own by the glass.

3) Muller Chardonnay ‘Mugeln’ Reserve 2011

Medium yellow colour, ripe orchard and stone fruit on the nose. On the palate complex and powerful, already very harmonious, with lovely rounded stone fruit flavours complimented by fine toasted oak flavours on the finish. This wine is a match for the most hearty dishes especially those with butter and cream.

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.

Zwei Wunderbare Rotweine

Yesterday was International Zweigelt Day, again we missed the day they all appear to be on Sundays! A relative new arrival on the scene Zweigelt was developed by Fritz Zweigelt in 1922, It is a crossing of Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent, two grape varieties found in Austria, where Zweigelt is now the most planted red grape variety. It has a relatively short growing season as it buds late and ripens early making it suitable for growing in cooler climates, and mostly avoiding the bad weather. It produces high yields so is often treated with less respect than it deserves. But when treated with care it can produce wonderful wines capable of medium term cellaring.

The most common style of Zweigelt is a bright cherry fruit driven reds similar to Bardolino, which are great for sipping. But when a bit of oak attention is paid to it, it can produce deep concentrated richer reds with deep cherry and red berry fruit flavours and a lovely spicy/peppery note. We have two excellent Zweiglets in the shop, both from our good friends a Weingut Muller, the fresh and fruity Zweigelt selection and the bolder and more complex Zweigelt Reserve