Arrayed on a glass-topped table in the reception room of Austria’s embassy (vintage: 19th century) is a small but representative selection of the wines of the country, brought up from the ambassador’s cellar for our conversation.
Ambassador Karl Diem, 35 years a diplomat and whose stint as a protocol expert gave him ample opportunity to polish his wine knowledge, is joined for the occasion by Johannes Bohm, an Austrian who has lived in Bulgaria for six years and is managing director of Wineforum, a company that runs a specialist wine shop and organises seminars on wine.
Austria has a vineyard area of about 48 500 hectares, of which about 36 140 hectares are dedicated to white wines. The country has four wine-growing regions, producing wines of a diversity so large as to be possibly surprising to some.
Perhaps uniquely among capital cities, Vienna is a wine-growing city, with about 450 ha under the vine.
While Austria is perhaps best known for its white wines, Diem points out that the country offers reds, white, sweet wines, a niche amount of rose, and sparkling wines: “We are equipped for all needs”.
When it comes to sparkling wines, there is a tradition of bottle fermenting that dates back as far as that in France, where it is known as Methode Champenoise. In Austria, Riesling Sekt and Pinot Noir are used as bases for sparkling wine.
Certainly, Austria has among the strictest wine production laws in the world. This is in part a legacy of a scandal more than 20 years ago when some producers were caught out using a chemical closely related to that used as anti-freeze in cars, to prolong the life of their wines. Now, natural methods and improved technology rule the day.
Currently, Austrian wines are continuing to gain respect and popularity. One that is especially well-liked is the Gruener Veltliner (the Ambassador had a bottle of Gruener Veltliner Sandgrube to show). Gruener Veltliner is the most abundant grape variety in Austria, and is used for white wines that boast a distinctive character, along with the capacity to age well, and which serves as a good accompaniment to many dishes.
Other leading wines in Austria include the Rieslings, the Weissburgunder (a Pinot Blanc), the Welschriesling - a foundation of sweet wines, while the top red grape varieties are Zwiegelt, Blaufrankish, and Blauer Portugieser.
Diem and Bohm pointed out that, as Austria has a tradition of wine-making, it also has a venerable tradition of glass-making. Among other initiatives planned by Bohm’s business was a seminar on “the right glass for the right wine”.
Naturally, there is a healthy export market for Austrian wine. Main clients at the moment include Germany, the United States, and Russia, while Austria also exports a kosher wine, …to Israel.
Asked about his tastes in Bulgarian wine, Diem said that the country had a good variety of quality red wines. As to the whites, he said that Targovishte Chardonnay and Sungulare Chardonnay appealed to his Austrian tastes. Back to the reds, he had praise for Todoroff Therese, and Telish.
As to bilateral trade in wine, Austrian wines are on offer at leading hotels, including the Radisson, Sheraton, Kempinski and the Hilton, in all top restaurants, in wine specialist shop Cheers, as well as large retail supermarkets such as Billa and at OMV shops.
For more information on Austrian wine, visit www.austrian.wine.co.at
