Austria and German wine tasting at the Edge Steak and Bar

Wine and cheese are ageless companions, like aspirin and aches, or June and moon, or good people and noble ventures.

M.F.K. FISHER, introduction, Vin et Fromage

I am fresh back from my trip to Germany so I have a few good stories to tell about the German estates on the table tonight.  I would have to say that I came back a bit confused with all the new nomenclature and the new laws that been implemented the last few decades to make German wine law easier to understand.  I would recommend waiting until they have everything worked out before you start studying German wine law.

Four thousand years of winemaking history counted for little after the "antifreeze scandal" of 1985, when it was revealed that some wine brokers had been adulterating their wines with diethylene glycol. The scandal destroyed the market for Austrian bulk wine and compelled Austria to reposition itself as a producer of quality wines.  This scandal also affected the German wines that were consumed within Germany as most of the locals now wanted "Trocken" or dry wines to ensure that they were not being served tainted wines.

Still to this day there are some that think of German wines as Blue Nun and Black Tower.  When today they are making a good amount of dry wines and some of the reds are very impressive.  One of the biggest wine epiphanies last year was the Pinot Noir from the Baden Region of Germany, which is only 3 hours as the crow flies from the Cotes de Nuits and they have been making Pinot Noir here for 600 years!

I am doing this tasting just as much to learn about these wines personally and this could be the first time that you will have tasted Silvaner.  Join me as I experience these wines from Germany and Austria first hand at one of Miami's hottest restaurants The Edge Steak and Bar in the Four Seasons Hotel on Brickell. 

Chef Aaron Brooks will be sending out a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this event is $35 + tax. For reservations call 954-523-9463.

Valet Service at the hotel is $10 for three hours.

Austria and German Tasting at the Edge Steak and bar
Tuesday, May 21st
7pm

Castell Silvaner Trocken 2010    
Price: $14.75       Sale $12.98          Case $151

(89 points) “dry, crisp, medium bodied, unoaked white wine. Its aroma is fresh and penetrating, with suggestions of green apple, stony minerality, a bit of flower and a squirt of lime zest. The tart citrus and green apple of the aroma endure, and a vague note of peach skin enters the picture.
The texture is viscous slightly “oily” but cut through with high acidity. The fruit character shows concentration, and it persists across the whole length of the palate, ending in a long, flavorful finish.”   Mary Ewing Mulligan:

Saarstein Pinot Blanc Mosel 2011                            
Price: $15.75       Sale $13.86          Case $161

A good bit of slatey mineral quality to the pear and melon fruit lemon lime citrus. ice fresh apple and pear fruit on the tongue with chalky mineral notes, very fresh finish. Finish 35 Very Good

Two Princes Riesling Nahe 2010
Price: $13.75       Sale: $12.10        Case $141

This shows quiet flavors of apple, citrus peel and peach skins supported by a softly stony earthiness. That earthy character gives it an unusually subtle flavor complexity for the category. It's persistent, harmonious and finely expressive.

2008 Tement Sauvignon Blanc Steirische Klassik 2008 Austria
Price: $23.75       Sale $20.90          Case $243

A touch candied, with tropical and canned fruit flavors. Herbal finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported. - Wine Spectator

2010 F X Pichler Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg (375ml)
Price: $43.50       Sale $38.28          Case $444

(93 Points) Lime and grapefruit; white peach, yellow plum, and gooseberry are mingled with salt and crushed stone in a lushly-textured Pichler 2010 Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg whose sense of finishing vivacity is accompanied by a very slight sense of sweet-tart bifurcation. (At 13.5% potential alcohol, Pichlers were inclined to pick for the sake of levity.) That said, with only a bit less focus and energy than the corresponding Steinertal, this certainly enervates the entire palate in a superbly tenacious finish. Look for ten or a dozen years of stimulation – and perhaps further complexity – here. Wine Advocate #197, Oct 2011

2010 F X Pichler Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg (375ml)
Price: $43.50       Sale $38.28          Case $444

(92 Points) Lovely high-toned, almost distillate-like herbal emanations – combined with green tea, sugar snap pea, and blond tobacco – lend the Pichlers’ 2010 Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Loibenberg fascinating allure, while its sense of ripe peach and litchi is so sweetly obvious it could have been borrowed from a Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer. Lush and succulently-fruited though its palate impression is, this Loibenberg retains striking clarity and delightful refreshment, introducing an intense, protracted finishing interaction of fruit and herb with contrasting smoky, saline, peppery, crystalline, and stony mineral elements. While 14% in alcohol, it evinces a real sense of levity not to mention polish, and with just a hint of heat. Look for at least 12-15 years of delight. (Beginning this year the Pichler’s have printed “Loibner Loibenberg” rather than the one name “Loibnerberg” on the label, to conform to official nomenclature – or at least to the labeling practices of their fellow Vinea Wachau members.)  Wine Advocate #197, Oct 2011

2009 Leth Pinot Noir Reserve Wagram Austria
Price: $42.75       Sale $37.62          Case $436

The Leth winery, one of the leading wineries in the Wagram region is located in Fels. 40 hectares are run by family Leth, directly on the terraces of the Wagram hillside. The deep loess soils are excellently suited for Grüner Veltliner, half of the area under vine is planted with this variety. Wines are offered in two ranges: the "KlassiK" range made in typical Austrian style with crisp fruit and piquancy and the "Lagenreserven" that stand out for their intense aromas and flavors with a focus on individual terroir character.

2009 Bernhard Huber Baden Pinot Noir
Price: $35.75       Sale $31.46          Case $365

A nice smoky character to the nose with complex all-spice and cinnamon to compliment the cherry berry fruit very complex bouquet. Lovely balance and texture on the tongue silky and wonderful freshness and all-spice on the finish very balanced and Burgundian in Nature. Finish 40 This wine is a selection of younger vines 4-12 years Excellent