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 Austria with Sauvingnon Blanc on top of the world 75 wines from all over the world in fair competition (ÖWM, February 2004) Just as exceptional as the setting was the tasting: In the Residence Heinz Winkler in Aschau in Bavaria - a true sanctuary for friends of exclusive food and wine - 75 top wines of the Sauvignon Blanc grape from all over the world were on the agenda on Tuesday, Februar 17, 2004. August Winkler invited an internationally experienced tasting panel for the comparison of the vine variety getting more and more popular. The Austrian winemakers wanted to make sure - and sent 25 variety representatives to the enthralling competition with France (14), Italy (12), Germany (6), Switzerland (5), Spain (1), USA (1), Chile (2), South Africa (3) and New Zealand (6). Vintage 2003 (5), 2002 (24), 2001 (30) und 2000 (16) were entered for competition. The circle of wine tasters was impressive: Willi Balanjuk (Wein Burgenland), Paula Bosch (Tantris, Munich), Burkard Bovensiepen (wine merchant, Alpina - Große Weine, große Lagen), Stefan Keller (journalist, Switzerland), Monika Kellermann (wine and culinary author, Germany), Laureen Koch (Le Gourmet Weine & Otto Koch Weinclub, Munich), Peter Moser (Falstaff, Austria), Jens Priewe (journalist and wine author), Lucia Schrampf (journalist, Austria), Thomas Späth (wine merchant, Munich), Klaus Wagner-Bacher (Landhaus Bacher, Mautern in the Wachau), Peter Weirather (journalist, Austria) and one of the senior experts among the wine journalists, August F. Winkler. The result was actually even a kind of surprise to the Sauvignon-specialists - such a broad Austrian phalanx was perhaps hoped for, but not expected, was it? Eight Austrians among the top-ten - solely „penetrated“ by the legendary Cloudy Bay from New Zealand (number 7) and the Swiss Jean-Pierre Pellegrin from the Domaine Grand Cour (number 5). Thus Austria’s winemakers proved again that they can keep up with the top of the world even with the variety globetrotter Sauvignon. „To stand one’s ground in the case of an international vine variety like the Sauvignon Blanc is evidence for the high level of quality our national winemakers produce,“ says Michael Thurner, chair main of the Austrian Wine Marketing Association (ÖWM), happily about the big success. Clear victory for - no, not a Styrian - the Fahnberg 2000 from the Jurtschitsch wine estate from Austria’s biggest wine-town Langenlois in the Kamp Valley, closely followed by an impressive Styrian Sauvignon-wave: Number two went to the Welles 2000 from the South Styrian wine estate Lackner-Tinnacher, Number three to the Reserve 2000 from the East Styrian poster winery of the Neumeister family, Number four to the vintage 2001 Nussberg from Alois Gross. Number six was conquered by the Obegg 2000 from Polz, Erwin Sabathis Merveilleux 2001 is Number eight and with the Klausen 2002 from Albert Neumeister and Manfred Tements’ Sernau 2001 there are again two South Styrians before the Mondavis Fumé Blanc 2001. PR-text /February 2004 ÖWM/Susanne Staggl s.staggl@weinausoesterreich.at <http://www.weinausoesterreich.at/> |