Water into Wino

Sattler St. Laurent 2006

Sattler St. Laurent 2006
Burgenland, Austria ($18)

The St. Laurent grape is probably best know for being a proud parent of Zweigelt, if known at all. The other parent, Blaufrankisch has made quite a go by its alternate name, Lemberger, in the new world. St. Laurent hasn’t quite done the same and I suspect that even the most diehard wine geeks still haven’t tasted a wine made from this grape native to Austria.

I was one of the unconfirmed until I found a report on the promising nature of the grape in cooler climates including Prince Edward County, Ontario. A compilation of endorsements from wine importers and growers, this paper makes the case for planting the grape based on its potential for overall quality and its relatively short growing season (at least ten days earlier than pinot noir). Therry Theise called it “Pinot Noir with a savage touch” and author John Schriner has said “It comes across as Pinot Noir wearing hiking boots.”

With that my quest began. After scoping out the major wine stores of Buffalo I found one tiny suburban store that carries a Stattler 2006 St. Laurent from Burgenland. With a sleek steely label and an $18 price tag I couldn’t resist taking this one with me.

In the glass it appears deep purple with aromas of blueberry jam and blackberries with a slight gaminess. It’s lush on the palate with soft tannins and round feel but it’s noticeably lacking the acidity I associate with cool climate reds. The fruit is slightly lifted and I suspect that the grapes for this wine were slightly overripe.

This particular St. Laurent was fun and easy drinking yet I am not sold on it being such a hot grape to plant in areas where you can actually ripen pinot noir. With less ripeness and more acid it would have been something I’d pick up again. It’s a grape that every self declared wine geek should try and I’m satisfied that I added it to my palate portfolio.

Revived by the New York Times and Austria

Zweigelt in the nude.

When I think of exciting grapes currently being experimented with in the Finger Lakes and Niagara Wine countries, there are three or four that get my blood flowing. The first is Syrah. Not those jammified Syrahs that you can find anywhere. I'm talking about cool climate ones that combine good acidity with pepper and light tannins.

The other two grapes are the Austrian grapes Gruner Veltliner, Blaufrankisch, and Zweigelt. Spelling them is tough enough let alone pronouncing them. I know Hermann Wiemer is growing Blaufrankisch and Gruner Veltliner, funny enough cause I picked up a couple of each last time I visited the winery. Currently I believe they are just blending grapes in his arsenal. I've tried Lemberger, our not much friendlier name for Blaufrankisch, from Fox Run Vineyards, Goosewatch, and Seneca Shore Vineyards in the Finger Lakes. The latter of the three was surprisingly my favorite. As for Zweigelt, a cross of St. Laurent and Blaufrankisch, I know Konzelmann Winery in Ontario makes it as well as a few others wineries in Canada.

All this wine geek banter takes me to my point and the reason I got excited enough to update my site while I run around in circles of sh*t to do in my new country home. The New York Times done did an article and an interactive feature on Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch the other day. Cheers to that. The reviews were obviously Austria intensive as they should have been, while fascinating at the same time. Too bad I'm not in NYC anymore cause I don't think I'll find these wines in my area. So if you can, try some of them for me.

WBW #29 Biodynamic Wines

I'm not a regular participant in the now infamous WBW (wine blogging wednesday). My tendency to procrastinate in combination with my impulsive wine consumption makes it hard to plan and execute such a time coordinated review. I find myself reading the other WBW blogs though and thinking that there's always next month. This month's topic, Biodynamic wines, hosted by The Fork and Bottle, is an interesting one because it seems that it's definitely a buzz word in the industry these days. One can walk into most wine boutiques here in NYC and find an ever expanding selection of organic, sustainable, or biodynamic farmed wines. I'm all for it unless it doubles the cost of a bottle.

This week I got lucky. Yesterday I was reading the master list of certified biodynamic producers and found one that I was already planning on mentioning this week. I did not even know it was a biodynamic wine. Once again I must give a hat tip to Jay over at the Wine Chicks for the recommendation. I was going to give you some background on the winery and winemaker but it's easier just to point you to Vinography's recent article on one of Nigl's Rieslings.

Nigl Gruner Veltliner Kremser Freiheit 2005
Kremstal, Austria ($15)

Pale straw color. Faint aromas of citrus and green vegetables. The palate is fairly neutral with that textbook minerality of a gruner veltliner. The flavor isn't too citrus based as it lacks the acidity I would expect from a dry white wine. Apricots and peaches come to mind but in a diluted fashion that takes a back seat to the stoniness. The finish is pleasant and extremely food friendly. It is the "cleanest" wine I've ever tasted. I can only assume that the practice of biodynamic or organic farming only contributed to the fresh and natural flavors here. For around $15, this is a total bargain. My grade: A-

So far my experience with environmentally friendly wines has been positive. I wrote about an organic Cab Franc from Loire last year that was like no other I've had. The sustainable Shinn Estates on Long Island has become one of my favorite wineries to visit when I'm out east. My trip to the only certified organic winery in Ontario, Frogpond Farm Winery, was an epiphany in which I realized how well a small 10 acre farm could produce wine up in the Niagara area. I'm pretty much sold on the sustainable farming theory and someday I hope I can be a part of the movement.