There’s also an appealing bitter quality-the overall effect is a sort of vinous equivalent to a gin and tonic. Muskateller is universally fermented to dryness and combines heady, intoxicating floral aromatics with zippy acid. Austria’s Gelber Muskateller (also known as Muscat Blanc à Petit Grains) and Sauvignon Blanc should definitely be in your rotation. If you like more floral-and-fruit driven aromatic wines (think dry Riesling, Albariño, or Viognier), Austria has an answer for you, as well. Austria produces much well-made Chardonnay (called Morillon) and Pinot Gris ( Grauburgunder) as well, but these grapes aren’t quite as distinctive as Austria’s Pinot Blancs.Īromatic Power: Dry Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc No one region specializes in Pinot Blanc, but certain producers are partisans. The best examples maintain a winning balance: incredibly flavorful, but retaining refreshing drinkability. Structurally, Pinot Blanc is a different animal.Įxcept for when very ripe, Pinot Blanc keeps a svelte, lighter-than-Chardonnay texture and also possesses plenty of the acid that’s generally lacking in Pinot Gris. The grape is directly related to Pinot Gris and Chardonnay, and hews to similar aromatic themes: apple-y fruits, delicate yellow-white florals.
Known in Austria by the German-language synonym Weißburgunder, Pinot Blanc reaches a special level of quality in Austria. I’ll also recommend great producers of these wines, so you can start exploring amazing wines. Here I’ll introduce you to Austria’s particular expressions of well-known international grapes and to some of the more obscure native varieties. But Austrian winemakers apply their considerable expertise to other varieties, too.
Internationally, Austrian whites are largely represented by world-class dry Rieslings and the calling-card white variety, Grüner Veltliner. Not cheap, but go compare Austrian prices with top-flight white Burgundy. You can grab bottles with filigreed intensity from Austria’s greatest vineyards and producers for around $50-$75 US. $15 liter bottles of Grüner are almost universally great patio-pounders, but that’s not the whole story. The quality floor is incredibly high, and the price ceiling (with some very few exceptions) is generally quite low. The quality on display raised the bar for white wine globally. While in Vienna for VieVinum, Austria’s annual wine trade fair, I tasted a huge number of producers and vintages dating back to the middle ‘80s.
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