Winemonger.com

My mouth is still bitter when I think of the trip to the winery of Giobatta Vio in beautiful Liguria, Italy. The birthplace of pesto-- the land of artichoke. I think of the salted breezes and fresh seafood that comes with that scent, and the incredible bottles of Pigato, Vermentino and Rossese that were tasted. And of course, the meal: a five course feast featuring the wines and local bounty. And yes, ...

And do we sometimes listen to great music with a glass in our mitt? ...‘deed we do: music to the palate and its attendant surfaces — so here let’s look at some exceptional trios: the 2011 Grosse Gewächse from Gut Hermannsberg: Bastei, Hermannsberg and Kupfergrube. Among white varieties, Riesling has no competition in its ability to transmit the message of the soils in which it was grown to the taster. And with these three wines, Gut Hermannsberg ...

Gruner Veltliner is a character wearing many faces, an actor with many masks.

Neuburger—in fact, the “new citizen,” is one of these extraordinary products of ampelographic promiscuity—Roter Veltliner mating with Señora Sylvaner

Join us for a special winemaker lunch with Michael Malat at 3 Square Cafe on Sunday May 1st. $22 gets you a seat at the table, lunch, as well as a glass of Malat's wine. Casual. Easy. A great way to spend part of your Sunday. Call the restaurant directly to reserve your seat! 310-399-6504 An RSVP to this invite will not save you a spot. About the Winemaker: The Malat family yield very mineral-toned and vibrant Riesling along with precisely articulated ...

One thing that various members of the Gruner Veltliner tribe have in common is their aromaticity and spice—the simpler versions attract attention by means of a peppery snap, while the more luxuriant expressions trade this for an entire orchard of tropical fruit-tones and a vibrant acidity that is not so obvious as that of the noble Riesling. My take on the vintage variability of some of these wines is...

Jancis Robinson, the doyenne of Britsh wine writers, just published her associate Tamlyn Currin's long and lovely tasting-list of extraordinary wines from Stift Goettweig, dating back to the 1980s—new releases as well as "ancient" bottlings that our friend Fritz Miesbauer found stashed away in a dark corner of the monks' private cellar. The 26 hectares of vines at Goettweig are planted mostly to Grüner Veltliner, with half as much Riesling, a small but important patch of Pinot Noir and some ...

Wine Spectator magazine's June 15th issue includes its annual Austria focus, and we are pleased to see that many of the wineries imported by Winemonger have come away with the highest scores and accolades. In fact, it's two years in a row now that Wine Spectator magazine has featured Johann Donabaum, which may officially signal that he is no longer an "up-and-comer", but has, in fact, arrived. Last year they named him as one of three vintners in the Wachau region leading the ...

Our latest vintages of Gruner Veltliner have arrived and are ready to land on your doorstep! We've picked out some real gems this year, not least because 2005 was a stand-out vintage (check out this vintage report for more details.) For those of you just getting hip to the whole Gruner Veltliner thing, check out our Introduction to Gruner Veltliner. It will give a great overview of what Gruner Veltliner is, what Gruner Veltliner does, how Gruner Veltliner tastes, and ...

Austrian wines performed brilliantly at a blind tasting of 50 of the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc. Not only with the younger vintages, but among the mature wines, the winners were Austrian. Austria, and in particular Styria, was able to secure its image as producer of elite world class Sauvignon Blanc. The German rare wine merchant Jan-Erik Paulson and Austria’s celebrity chef Reinhard Gerer hosted an exclusive tasting at the VieVinum 2006. “We would like to take advantage of the presence ...