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Pink Elephants? Don’t Worry It’s a Good Thing

Weingut Strehn
Blaufränkisch Rosé 2019
100% Blaufränkisch
Organic (working on certification for biodynamic), sustainable, and spontaneous fermentation
Deutschkreutz, Mittelburgenland, Burgenland, Austria
Winemaking Family: Pia Strehn, Patrick Pfneisl, Andy Pfneisl and Monika Strehn

Pink Panther pink, or if you’re old enough to remember and were a MTV kid…it’s “Paint the Mutha Pink” pink. Breathing in strawberries, raspberries, roses, a little creamy with a hint of Bouchon Bakery’s Almond Croissants and a little salt. On to give this a swig and a gush of watermelon, strawberries, raspberries, and a twist of lemon. There’s also sprinkles for your frosting that leads to a good bitter herbal bite to offset the sweet

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: nice pairing for a picnic. Throw your bottle in a backpack with some cold packs, Cheez-It, and head up the mountain so you can breathe in some  fresh clean air.

Joseph Strehn founded Weingut Strehn back in 1950, but his offspring are all over the winery now along with some pink elephants, but they warn you to not think of them, just focus on the Rosé. They had the arduous job of tasting over 100 different rosés from all over the world, traveling/hanging out in Provence, and maybe actually by that many they were seeing some pinkies (I probably would be). They started this project in 2017, to get their rosé just right, and guess what…it worked! Their great love for Blaufränkisch is more than just the grape, it’s also a way of life for them. Their enthusiasm is emblazoned all through their site with quotes like, “Save our planet – it’s the only one with Blaufränkisch” and “Home is where Blaufränkisch is”. With their nurturing care and being situated in a wonderful area/climate, it grows well for them and can be weaved into a varied assortment of their wines. Their Blaufränkisch Irrgarten (red wine) is definitely one I would love to try given the chance to find one because their description is absolutely scrumptious!

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @weingut.strehn @piastrehn @volkerwineco @cheezits #wine #Rosé #rose #cheezit #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits  #Blaufränkisch #organic #Deutschkreutz #Mittelburgenland #Burgenland #Austria #pink #pinkelephants #johnmellencamp

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The Roaring 20s, Storks and Strawberry Lips

Weingut Heidi Schröck & Söhne
{Nostalgie Naturelle} Pinot Pét Nat 2019  Vol. 2
Rüst, Neusiedlersee-Hügelland, Austria
100% Pinot Blanc
Organic, indigenous yeasts
Winemaker: Heidi Schröck 

Golden haze of super active bubbles. Scents of fine lemon, light flowers, pears, honeysuckle and honey, and a shake of salt. Drinking those lemons again, tangerine peels, and mandarin oranges (been hooked on these lately). There’s also pears and maybe even poached pears with a smidge of cloves and tingly ginger, fresh honey including some comb that you can chew on, and something green, light, fresh and sweet like raw snow pea shoots. Damn bright, fresh and delightful…it’s like drinking a glass of joy and happiness!

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: mmmm yummy

Everywhere I look, people are praising Heidi Schröck and her wines. She’s an innovator, brought the “sexy back” to old time grapes, keeping the classics alive, and received the “Falstaff Vintner of the Year” award in 2003. She took over the family winery in 1983, and her vineyards now spread out over 10 hectares through Rust’s hillside. Now it’s Heidi together with her twin sons recreating her great-grandfather’s “natural sparkling wine” from the “Roaring 20s”. This delicious Pét Nat is a perfect present coming wrapped already in an old map of Rust. BTW did you know that not only is Rust well known for their wine but also storks. The city and the Lake Neusiedl are just enchanting looking…almost fairytale with the stork nests on rooftops or old chimneys. There’s even an “Association for the Protection of the White Stork”. Rust and Weingut Heidi Schröck & Söhne are another to my growing list to visit in the future. When I do, I want the “I am so wild about your strawberry lips” tasting package too. You not only get wines and food, but also stories which is what I’m looking forward to the most.

Oh one more thing to add before I go, Pinot Pét Nat 2019 Vol. 2 is a pet that comes with instructions on the label, so always remember to read everything on the bottle and serve at 10° C and in a wide-bellied glass.

@vinewinenyc @schrockheidi @skurnikwines #wine #winestagram #instawine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #organic #natural #PétNat #petnat #pinotblanc #Rüst #Neusiedlersee-Hügelland #Austria #weingutschroeck

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It’s All in The Family

Weingut Steininger
Grüner Veltliner
Ried Loisium
Kamptal Reserve DAC 2018
Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria
100% Grüner Veltliner
Sustainable farming and vegan
Winemakers: Karl Steininger and his son-in-law Peter

Deep rich gold color. A fresh breath of Golden Delicious apples, pears, apple blossoms, grass, granite, and a dreamy and elevated feeling. First sip and it is like truly biting into a fresh Golden Delicious apple just picked from the tree (sweet and some tart/fresh), then poached pears, honey, granite, dried sage, white pepper. All this in the party and a dry ending. Why do I want a thin crispy slice of fried bacon? It’s an elixir of love.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: more sweet. Less dry, but still addictive

I’m going to admit, I’ve had some pretty crappy Grüner Veltliner’s by the glass in restaurants in the past. I was nervous but happily surprised. This one is awesome. From what I’m reading it’s partially indebted to where Weingut Steininger is located in Langenlois in the Kamptal region where it sounds like the area revolves around wine in all aspects of its culture. This is another tale of wine passing down through the family where Karl and Brigitta inherited the vines/farm from his parents. Realizing if they were going to do this right, Karl went to oenology school and they both decided to focus on local grapes of the highest quality (that also played well with the land and climate) if they were going to make it. Didn’t hurt that Brigitta grew up in a wine family too. They have passed their knowledge on to their daughters and each has chosen their own path. Eva and her husband Peter are already hands on in the winery. Lisa studied tourism but came back to the winery, married João Fonseca and they birthed Steininger Kraftvoll which is a port style wine, and I really want to try it if I can find it. Lastly their daughter Anna didn’t stray from wine or Kamptal either, but she and her husband Martin Arndorfer forged on and opened their own winery. I guess it truly is all in the family.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @weingutsteininger @ArtisanalCellars #kwselection @cheezits #cheezit #pairswithcheezits #wine #whitewine @worldbyglass #needmorewine #organic #sustainable #vegan #winestagram #instawine #GrünerVeltliner #Langenlois #Kamptal #Austria #WeingutSteininger

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Forever Learning and Always the Artist

Artisan Wines – DI Franz Schneider
Zweigelt Neusiedlersee
DAC Reserve 2015
100% Zweigelt
Halbturn, Burgenland, Austria
Sustainable farming
Winemaker & owner: Franz Schneider

Velvet dark deep ruby. Breathing in oak, plum, deep cherry, berries, and candy cola. First sip and cherry combined with dark goth plum. It’s sweet but not overly. There’s also some woodiness and coffee, with of all things juniper berries thrown in to the mix.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: juicy and less wood

Franz Schneider, his wife Ulrike Schmied, and their adorable twins make up this picture perfect wine family. At an early age, the twins are even getting their taste of the business and learning the grapes through homegrown fresh grape juice. Zweigelt Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve is made from their oldest Zweigelt, planted back in 1972, and Franz selects only the best of the harvest. From what I’m reading it sounds like he is constantly learning and adapting with each vintage and thus the name “Artisan” suits well. Whatever knowledge he keeps gleaning, it’s working in this beautifully refined bottle. Also a side note, there’s recipes on the site that you might like to pair with their wines. Just click on the pics to get the full instructions for a wonderful meal. The pumpkin risotto looks perfect for this time of the year.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @artisanwines @steephillwine @cheezits #steephillwine #cheezit #wine #redwine #worldbyglass @worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #Zweigelt #Halbturn #Austria

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Beautiful Bunches of Grapes

Christina
St. Laurent 2019
Göttlesbrunn Carnuntum Austria
St. Laurent 100%
Winemaker: Christina Netzl
Organic and carbonic maceration

Dancing purplish garnet ruby. Here comes wafts of roses, and pow! cran-cherry, a little dark plum, some woodsy earth, and cola. While sipping again there’s cranberries, cherries and a jumble of juicy raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries; and also a touch of earth. Smooth velvet feel to this fun, light, and year round slightly chilled wine.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Smooth and good but I think it would be better with heavily buttered popcorn, and why you ask? Because this was tasted while watching the debate.

This is my second Christina wine, and her wines are consistently wonderful due to all her care for keeping it organic and low-intervention. St. Laurent 2019, is another beautiful wine to her list, that is making me fall more in love, and I’m betting it’s due to the carbonic maceration done in their old cellar. The last one I had was her Zweigelt Rosé 2019, and you can read more about it and a very long post about her, why there’s bugs on the label, the winery, and surrounding lands at https://worldbyglass.com/lets-hear-it-for-the-bugs/.

One more thing…remember to chill this wine, but not too much like I originally did. Yep, I screwed up and therefore had to wait a while. You don’t want to have to wait to dive into this glass, do you? So just a little and you’ll be so happy!

@vinewinenyc @Weingut-Franz-Christine-Netzl @christina_netzl @jennyfrancois @cheezits #cheezit #wine #redwine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #organic #Carnuntum #Austria #Göttlesbrunn #Zweigelt #StLaurent #ChristinaNetzl

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Let’s Hear it for the Bugs!

Christina
Zweigelt Rosé 2019
Göttlesbrunn Carnuntum Austria
Zweigelt 100%
Winemaker Christina Netzl
Organic

A glass of really deep flaming cloudy rosé. Sniff and there’s cherry, watermelon, sea breeze, citrus peel, and mineral. Just a beautiful refreshing fragrance. Tip your glass and take a sip. Whoa it’s super fruity. Again there’s delicious watermelon, tart cherry, some lemon tang, and I do believe pepper. Oh this is so easy to drink, but take your time, unless you have a backup bottle in the fridge.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: Sweetens the cherry watermelon

The Netzl family has six generations of wine history, and Christina has taken it to the natural side. She grew up on her parents farm/vineyard (in Carnuntum, Austria) learning the ways of the vine. As her family began further focusing on the wine, she also continued her education in London. Upon her return home, she navigated the winery to it’s now organic status, which is heralded on the labels of her Christina line. I’m a big bee and bug backer, and these cheerful illustrations of the beneficial inhabitants of the vineyard tell it all. There’s no pesticides here. Also interestingly enough, Fritz Zweigelt, who had doctorate in entomology, is the father of the grape Zweigelt. Back in the 1920s he crossed Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent grapes to come up with this hybrid.

On to Carnuntum…what a history, an ancient Roman fortress and a destination on the Amber Road. Now from what I’m reading, it’s a treasure trove for archeologists, and as seen in Christina’s wine, an amazing place to have a vineyard from the rich soil influenced by the Danube. Visiting the city’s website, introduced me to Heidentor or also known as “Heathen’s Gate” which is quite weathered yet still majestic. Their site also has a digital rendering of how it probably looked when it was first constructed back in 351–361 AD. There’s also remains of amphitheaters and a gladiator school which they also recreate here. Alright, while watching the video and listening to the dramatic music, it made me have a GOT moment. Started waiting to see if a dragon would fly in and crisp everyone.

Turning away from the city and now heading to Donau-auen National Park, which is a floodplain area along the Danube. I thought, I was just going to be enjoying discovering the wildlife and land, but as I research, I’ve discovered a political movement that saved and created this area. As industry developed and hydroelectric plants and dams popped up along the Danube, Austrian environmentalists stood up and made their voices herd. They protested and encamped themselves to stop the destruction of nature. The police could not even move them. Thousands occupied the Hainburg area to stop the deforestation which became known as the Hainburg Movement. This led to their Supreme Court stopping the clearing of the land and eventually the power plant losing their fight. Thank goodness! Think of how different this area would be, if people just sat back and let their precious water, wildlife and forests be destroyed. Here’s a gorgeous video provided by the park. Wow, to wake up and see such lush beauty each morning would be amazing. This is definitely a place that was and is worth fighting for.

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @Weingut-Franz-Christine-Netzl @christina_netzl @JennyandFrancois @jennyfrancois @cheezits #cheezit #wine #worldbyglass #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #organic #rosé #rose #zweigelt #Carnuntum #Austria #Danube

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A Little Slice of Heaven

Meinklang
Prosa 2019
Dry Sparkling Rosé
Burgenland Austria
Biodynamic
Pinot noir

A beautiful glass of deep red grapefruit with bubbles. Inhale and there’s berries, tangerine, orange peel, a touch of pepper, some salt and mineral. Now for the lovely swish and sip. It’s zingy. There’s raspberries, oh and beautiful strawberries as it opens up. There’s a smoothness, citrus zest, grassy, and dry. This is fresh fun happiness which is so welcome right now. Let’s hang out on the porch swing, listen to the cows and maybe gossip a little bit.

Pairs with Cheez-It’s: makes it tart but less dry. Brings out lemon

The family run farm and vineyards of Meinklang are located in what looks like one of the most beautiful places on earth, and is located inside the WHS of Neusiedlersee. The whole place runs like the “circle of life”. The vineyard is enriched by the compost they produce on the farm, from the cows (which grace the label), sheep, and horse poop. They also have wild herb ground covering throughout the vineyard, along with stinging nettles and thistles. They take in the importance of cultivating the wildlife, the insects, etc. that all play a part in vineyard and farm. In one part of their vineyard they created what they call eco-islands (27 in all) that break up the continuing vines. Each one has a single fruit tree and black elderberry shrubs, which benefit the critters, bugs, and birds. Ok, how much more can I love this family. They have shrews and hedgehogs! They also let their Pinot Gris run free. No pruning here. They’ve dubbed it “Graupert” which is a word from the Burgenland dialect used to describe someone slightly scruffy-looking. I bet this kind of describes a lot of us working from home right now. Going to have to find out how to pronounce this before my next online office meeting.

Neusielder See – Seewinkel National Park stretches through Austria and Hungary. The lake is incredible and the marshlands are just beautiful. It’s perfect place for birding because 1000s of migratory birds pass through, and it’s a great place for those of us that love toads and frogs. Come on, there’s nothing like sitting outside by a lake in the evening hearing those deep throated sounds. Oh and as for the birds, I had never heard of the Great Bustard before. Yes, all of my birding friends feel free to shame me. Wow, what an incredible bird, especially when it displays for courtship or conflict (video found on youtube from Rainer Raab).

@docwineshop @docwinebarny @meinklang_farm @docwinebar @Meinklang @ @cheezits #needmorewine #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #worldbyglass #pairswithcheezits #cheezit #pinotnoir #austria #biodynamic #GreatBustard #Burgenland #zevrovineselections