Friday, December 12th 4:00 to 6:00

We will be tasting new releases of Austrian Grüner Veltliner, for inclusion on our list. Rafael Flores of Artisanal Cellars, will be on hand to discuss the wines and answer any questions. Grüner Veltliner is the most widely planted grape variety in Austria, accounting for 37 percent of the country's total vineyard area, about 50,875 acres. Most of these vines are in the large wine region known as Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), along the Danube River north of Vienna. It also grows in a few other Eastern European countries, such as Slovakia, Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic, but the variety is most closely associated with Austria, where it has been cultivated since Roman times. Simply put, Grüner Veltliner is the indigenous variety of Austria. Since the early 1980s, when the quality pendulum started swinging back toward the positive side in Austria, Austria's serious winemakers have discovered that, with lower yields and higher ripeness, Grüner Veltliner can produce stunningly intense and concentrated wines. Today's better wines, from top sites with lower yields, can be astonishingly complex, full of exotic tropical fruits, white pepper and lentils. They can also show aromas of green beans or asparagus, an engaging "vegetable" smell that is seldom "vegetal", especially when grown in mineral soil. Grüner Veltliner also matches Riesling's ability to capture the essential character of a particular vineyard through its crystalline clarity and purity of flavor (i.e. lack of oak treatment). In Austria, however, it is still very much the tradition to drink the wine as young as possible, which is somewhat regrettable; and to drink them with food, which is absolutely correct. Grüner Veltliner is perhaps the single most versatile food wine in the world, often surpassing even Riesling because of its ability to pair with "difficult" foods such as artichokes and asparagus. The format will be casual, walk around with cheese and bread. The wines featured will be:

Michlits, Burgenland 2007

Anton Bauer, “Rosenberg”, Wagram/Donauland 2006

Steininger, “Loisem”, Kamptal 2006

Tergernseerhof, “T26”, Wachau 2007

Tergernseerhof, “Bergdistel”, Wachau 2004

A sign-up sheet will be available at the front desk (253-5742 or 800-826-7000) and there will be a $15.00 fee per person.