Both Germany and Austria will celebrate their food, drink, music and culture from mid-Sept to mid-October with two big festivals: Oktoberfest in Munich and Wiener Wiesn Fest in Vienna.
What a good opportunity, we thought, to showcase some of our lovely wines from this neck of the woods. Why not have your own Octoberfest and try out some winning food and drink combinations from these neighbouring countries.
Weissburgunder Trocken Weingut Hanewald-Schwerdt 2021 £14.50
Based around the town of Leistadt, South West of Frankfurt, the Hanewald vineyards sit on a limestone reef within a beautiful national park in the shadows of the Haardt mountains.
This wine has a lovely stony, mineral character, which combined with apricot flowers and ripe citrus fruits makes for a moreish combination. It is light in body, albeit with a textured mouthfeel and a lovely clean, lingering finish.
A wine to drink on its own as an aperitif, or with foods that are hard to pair with, particularly asparagus dishes. White asparagus is a favorite of both Germans and Austrians. Simply prepared, served with Hollandaise or a simply baked or cured fish, this would make an ideal pairing.
Fio Jo jo Orange, £25.75
Phillip Kettern is representative of a new generation of German winemakers, he is a member of ‘Generation Riesling’, a collective of young wine professionals, dedicated to the production and promotion of German wines.
Fio Jo Jo is skin contact wine made from 100% Riesling grapes from the Mosel. Here the team have created an orange wine with an approachable style. Only half of the wine goes through a soft skin maceration.
It is clean and elegant, with racy acidity and a hint of apricot Tarte Tatin!
An unusually satisfying combination when served with a cheeky Frankfurter!
Fio Teppo Riesling, £23.50
Here, Kettern collaborates with Portuguese partner, Dirk Niepoort, they have created another superb minimal intervention wine under the 'Fio' name.
Riesling grapes grown on steep slopes in the Mosel Valley are harvested and spontaneously fermented in the old moselfuder, before a long storage on the yeast. The wine is matured in 1000-liter barrels for 1 1/2 years, in peace. There is no filtration, minimal sulphurization; it is a wine without any fining and with plenty of time.
Try this wine with a seasonal and traditional Pumpkin Soup.
Fred Loimer has around 80 hectares in the Kamptal region of Lower Austria. Fred gained valuable experience in Germany and Napa valley before taking over the family winery in the late 90's. Fred has also worked hard in the vineyard to become certified organic and biodynamic.
This is complex wine, with a short maceration before being pressed before fermentation and it also spends 4 months on its lees.
It has notes of bright, fresh apples on the nose, with a juicy crisp acidity, with flavours of dried apples, candied ginger and spice with a long mineral finish.
This has to be the perfect accompaniment to the classic Wiener Schnitzel!
Pittnauer Heideboden £17.99
This delightful wine is made by Gerhard Pittnauer and his wife Brigitte in Austria. They are based in Gols, which is part of the Burgenland in eastern Austria.
Pittnauer considers his role as a guiding hand, using minimal intervention to let each wine express its terroir. They farm biodynamically, they do not use any chemicals in the vineyard and favour the character wild yeasts bring to the wine.
This is light bodied, it almost floats out of the glass, it is juicy and full of life, a tantalising combination of plum and blackberry fruit, with tar and earthy notes. A quirky, fun, naturally made wine with a true sense of place.
Delicious with a meaty goulash!
Leave a comment (all fields required)