Austria
2019 GOLD: 3 SILVER: 8 BRONZE: 2 COMMENDED: 7
2018 GOLD: 7 SILVER: 7 BRONZE: 6 COMMENDED: 7
Last year was atypically amazing for Austria in this competition: we had seven Golds scattered across Riesling, Grüner and a Zweigelt. This year, by comparison, was nowhere near as good, though it was probably back to what we expect from the country. And while the numbers weren’t so compelling our teams still managed to spread the Golds around stylistically again.
Interestingly, given that nobody, not even the Austrians, would describe their wines as especially cheap, the pricing was pretty good here throughout the medals, with the only disappointment being a patchy selection of reds. Our teams worked hard to get the medal winners you see here.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
Grüner is an important grape, as it’s very food friendly. It’s an asset for tasting menus, or for dishes that are vegetable based.’ Quentin Loisel, Restaurant Sat Bains
‘Where Austrian Rieslings come into their own is those wines with more texture and weight. If you compare them to what Germany is doing around £20, they’re probably good value.’ Hamish Anderson, team leader
‘The [red] wines at the cheaper end performed way better – normally it’s the opposite. At the top end, the wines were overripe in style, oak was quite present, high acid, less earthy and mineral.’ Emanuel Pesqueira, consultant
‘The Grüners were precise, clean and focused, with different styles, from crisp and elegant, focused on minerality, to some fatter styles that are more food friendly. For me it’s a must-have on a wine list.’ Andre Luis Martins, Cavalry & Guards Club
‘The reds were super-disappointing. Our flight of wines didn’t perform for their price point and lacked identity and character.’ Jan Konetzki, team leader
‘The difficulty with Austrian Riesling is the price point. Riesling is already a difficult one to sell, so volume will be limited, and people go to cheaper countries.’ Christopher Delalonde MS, The Dorchester
‘There is consumer demand for Austrian reds. I think they have a really good potential to grow internationally, and I like that they’re trying organic, biodynamic…’ Heesoo Kang, Flat Three Restaurant