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So that was indeed the storm that was. It arrived billed as Frankenstorm, and we did fortify ourselves with Frankenwein in anticipation, but when the hurricane approached and made landfall, it became clear that we were faced with no laughing matter. And the wine biz — our end of it, at least — sort of ground to a halt for a while; slowly coming back to life this week...

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During the night of Thursday May 17th, a late frost wrought massive damage upon widespread areas of Lower Austria. Regions north of the Danube, where temperatures down to 23°F were recorded, were particularly affected by the frost.

Returning from a week in Vienna I found that Wachauer Franz-Josef Gritsch had successfully laid siege to the NYC fine-wine scene in my absence…

One of the most important relationships is that between residual sugar and acidity and there is no formula for getting this right. Another issue which confronts red wines has to do with the balance between tannins and acid. Emile Peynaud points out that the less tannic a wine is, the more acidity it can support. For a familiar example, Barbera is not particularly tannic, so its comparatively elevated acid levels provide less of a distraction, particularly in food-matches involving protein. Another important issue, and a very tricky one, is whether the ...

Proprietor Kurt Feiler, of the Feiler-Artinger estate in Rust, Neusiedlersee Huegelland, Burgenland, has just launched a newsletter, BIO-TOP, wherein he documents his recent engagement with Biodynamic viticulture From Rust, Kurt writes: Honored Friends of Good Wine, You’ve got here in your hand the first edition of our new newsletter, BIO-TOP. We’d like to share with you the very latest about issues and topics that interest us. One major focus will be Biodynamic viticulture. In this first issue, I’ll tell you how we decided to make ...

In a series of videos Roland Velich of the famed Moric estate talks about his take on Blaufrankisch, the variety's place in Austria's Burgenland region and many other aspects of his wines and estate. Check back for new episodes to this series or subscribe via the subscribe button on the video player's menu bar. The Moric Vision Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg are villages in the Burgenland region. The Neckenmarkter is a Blaufrankisch that expresses wines of that appellation....

Christian Seiler, an Austrian journalist, interviewed Roland Velich in March of 2009 and with his kind permission we are publishing an English translation here on our blog. To read the interview in its original German version, follow this link to Christian Seiler's website. Translated from German by James Wright. You can shop for Moric wines by following this link. Christian Seiler: Robert Parker’s “Wine Advocate,” the most influential wine-publication in the world, has just published its scores of Austrian wines. Your ...

Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, the food and wine gurus over at The Wall Street Journal, gave us a shout out today. In their article What's Wrong With Wine on the Web, the Wall Street Journal named winemonger.com as one of 4 sites who are doing it right. They even said we're elegant! And check out the accompanying video where they taste one of our favorite Blaufrankisch reds (apologies for the commercial at the start - it doesn't last long):

Franz-Josef Gritsch of the Gritsch Mauritiushof winery will be making a whirlwind tour up and down California. We've organized lots of events such as winemaker dinners, tastings at bars, all kinds of fun things. Of his philosophy, Franz-Josef puts it plainly: "Terroir is for me more than a word: it is the harmonious symbiosis between man and nature, between tradition and a vision of the future. And tradition doesn't demand devotion to the ashes, but rather calls for carrying forth the flame. ...