The Spotlight - Gleichgewicht - Six Unashamedly Awesome Wines from Austria - a six bottle box set

Every month at GlouGlou we shine a spotlight on a different region to celebrate its winemakers and the way in which they interact with the land. So at the end of every month we will be putting together a selection of our favourite wines from each region; some we may have been shouting about, have enjoyed by the glass at GlouGlou, and perhaps a couple of deeper dives that may have slipped the main spotlight, but all guaranteed to showcase what makes each region worth getting excited about.

October saw GlouGlou shine the spotlight on Austria where they don't take anything by half measures. All biodynamically farmed, all with deep care taken in the winery. This box set contains six bangers all seeking balance or 'Gleichgewicht' within life and with the planet.

White wines:

Arndorfer, Vorgeschmack, Kamptal, Austria - Vorgeschmack means foretaste or appetizer and that's what this wine is, the perfect aperitif, dry on the palate with the characteristic citrus and herbal qualities of GV (as it is known to its friends) backed up by limey Riesling. It would be perfect with East Asian food too. The wine is grown in the Kamptal, a tributary of the Danube, upstream from Vienna where the loess and volcanic derived soils, warm days, cool nights and long ripening season create a climate ideal for growing aromatic varieties. 

Producer - Arndorfer
Country - Austria
Region - Kamptal
Variety / Blend - Riesling, Gruner Veltliner
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan    
Low Sulphates

Weingut Sepp Muster, Opok, Steirerland, Austria - Maria and Sepp Muster live and breath the earth they work, so much so that they’ve named this line of wines Opok. This is the local name for the soil the vines grow in, blue and rocky clay and silt that lies above chalky marl subsoil.
This wine is a belter that ticks all the boxes, biodynamic, organic, vegan and sulphate free and delicious with fresh, clean minerals.

Producer - Muster    
Country - Austria
Region - Steirerland
Variety / Blend - Sauvignon Blanc, Welschriesling, Gelber Muskateller
Wine Style - White Wine
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan         
Sulphate Free

Red wines:

Joiseph, BFF, Burgenland, Austria  - The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard called ‘Neuberg’ – out of all of Luka’s vineyards this is the closest to Neusiedlersee, the lake straddling the Austria- Hungary border whose climate-moderating influence is key to vinegrowing in the region. It is interesting to note that the particular clone of Blaufränkisch that is prevalent in this vineyard has slightly softer and thinner skins, and hence produces a more approachable, ‘friendlier’ style, though every bit as complex. 2018 was a very dry year, and due to the stress, the vines produced less grapes, smaller berries though more concentrated than other years.

Clean, bright and juicy. Lots of blueberries and a joyous mineral rich body. Minimal sulphites added prior to bottling, unfined, unfiltered.

Producer - Luka Zeichmann, Joiseph
Country - Austria
Region - Burgenland
Appellation - Jois
Variety / Blend - Blaufrankish 
Wine Style - Red Wine
Farming - Organic
Vegan

Birgit Braunstein, Wildwux, Burgenland, Austria - This red is a blend of Austrian varietals Zweigelt, St Laurent and Blaufränkisch, full of red berries, herbs and minerality, made by Birgit who’s family has been growing vines next to lake Neusiedl for 400 years. 

Producer - Birgit Braunstein
Country - Austria
Region - Burgenland
Appellation - Neusiedlersee Hugelland
Variety / Blend - Blaufrankisch, St Laurent, Zweigelt
Farming - Biodynamic
Vegan      

Rosé Wine:

Heinrich, Naked Rose, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Burgenland, Austria - Gernot and Heike Henrich are life long innovators. Since taking over the family estate in 1985 they have constantly sought to improve and explore. Now farming biodynamically, which they see as being right for the planet and better for the wines, they were among the first to move to focus on quality and champion local grape varieties.

Naked wines are made with minimal intervention, nothing to hide behind. After hand-picking the grapes are kept partial whole-bunch, crushed and left on skins for a few hours maceration. Fermentation is with indigenous yeast, and is allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged for five months on lees in amphorae, before bottling without filtration and with minimal sulphur. Bright red berries, pure fruit, good concentration and a long dry finish.

Producer - Heinrich
Country - Austria
Region - Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Burgenland
Variety / Blend - Blaufrankisch
Wine Style - Pink Wine
Farming - Biodynamic
Vegan

Orange wines:

Judith Beck, Traminer, Burgenland, Austria - Judith Beck's wines always delight with their balance, elegance and drinkability, so here's another! As she says, they go for complexity over opulence, enjoyableness over power. Located in Burgenland in eastern Austria the climate is strongly continental but the vineyards are particularly influenced by the Neusiedlersee, a huge, shallow lake that tempers the climate and stores warmth from the long summer sunlight hours.

Traminer is made with 6-8 days skin contact during fermentation which enhances the aromatics and adds texture and length. Delicious with a mixed selction of cheese and charcuterie.

Producer - Judith Beck
Country - Austria
Region - Burgenland
Variety / Blend - Gewurtztraminer
Farming - Organic / Biodynamic
Vegan    

This case contains one bottle of each of these wines. If any is out of stock or becomes unavailable it will be replaced by one of equal or greater value and deliciousness.