A Pop-Up Tasting of Austrian Riesling

There are many activities that go on at the Wine Bloggers Conference. One of those activities is a "pop-up tasting".  In the courtyard between the two buildings I found the Constance and the Austrian Riesling tasting.

 First tasting was a 1993 Terrassengarten Lolben Riesling and WOW!  It still had a lot of acidity and could probably age for many more years.  It was fresh and bright.  One thing to note is that Austrian Riesling doesn't develop that petrol taste and notes you often find on Finger Lakes and Alsace Rieslings. Limestone soils definitely shine through on the wine.

Next was a 1995 Weingut Knoll Riesling.  It was bigger in flavor. Come to find out the grapes are picked later in the season.

The 2002 Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling was a bit more fruit forward.  The winery was originally a monastery and the Monks were granted their first vineyard in 1171. In 1996 Michael & Eva Moosbrugger took over the management of the vineyards together with Willi and Edwige Brundlmayer and made it to what it is today.

2005 Weingut Brundlmayer Zobinger Heiligenstein Riesling - This Rielsing is grown on one of the top vineyard sites in Austria. It showed some stone fruit, nice acidity and a bit of tangerine on the finish.

 2011 the same vineyard site as the 2005.  You can really tell the age of the wine as this is young and fresh with lots of acidity and nice expressions of young fruit.

 2012 Tegernseerhof was the baby of the bunch that we tasted.  Crisp and acidic with great fruit expressions of stone fruit, hint of apple and honey. What did I learn from this tasting?  I really need to purchase some Austrian Riesling and introduce it to my guests.  I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised on how much they will enjoy it.