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Recommendation: Two OUTSTANDING Austrian wines that are both a great value.
Winery/Producer: Uwe Schiefer; Austria.
Grape Variety: Blaufränkisch.
Geographic Region, Appellation: Burgenland, Austria.
Vintage: 2012
Price: Burgenland: $17.10 and Konigsberg: $22.50 (with a 10% mixed case discount)
Purchased From: The Caviste Wine Shop; Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Paired With: Pork roast with garlic and rosemary, double baked potato with cheddar cheese and chives, eggplant & roasted tomatoes with green pepper and onion. Asiago cheese with sipping after dinner.
Tasting:
He said: We had a unique opportunity to do a blind tasting of these two Austrian wines; both from the same producer (Schiefer), same grape (Blaufränkisch) and same vintage (2012), but from two different vineyards in the Burgenland region. Not your ordinary tasting, but a great way to experience and taste the difference of “Terroir” in the wine. Here’s the result:
Opened one hour before drinking. Both were clear, dark purple color; the Konigsberg was slightly darker and more opaque. Both had strong dark fruit, damp earth and smoke aromas, but the Konigsberg also had hints of wet leather. They both had a slight alcohol aroma in the first pour. On the palate they had similar VERY rich ripe plum, current and dark cherry taste; the Konigsberg had softer tannins and more intense flavors. The finish on both was similar, but again the Konigsberg was a bit richer…more complex, peppery and a mineral element that was like tasting the gritty earth the grapes grew in. WOW, WOW, WOW what terrific wines. Both were excellent paired with the pork and Asiago cheese. They both get a strong VERY POSITIVE recommendation from me, but if your willing to go the extra $5 the Konigsberg is simply FANTISTIC and worth the extra cost.
She said: The Konigsberg was darker red, opaque, and had irregular, thin, moderately rapid legs. The Burgenland was browner, had a definite ring around the top and similar legs. This was an extremely difficult tasting because the wines were both so good. The aroma of the Konigsberg was more prominent but the aroma of Burgenland had a dusty scent that was appealing. The taste of the two wines had similar flavors but the Konigsberg immediately stood out because of its depth. Both had a medium body and a long tasty finish with nice moderate tannins. The Asiago cheese brought out the best virtues of both wines. Both are excellent wines and you can’t go wrong with either but the Burgenland is probably a better value at $5 less and almost gets into our (less than $15) Quality wine at a Bargain price category.
Comments: Guest taster: I didn’t realize until the unveiling that we were tasting wines from the same producer, but two different vineyards. Bouquet of the Konigsberg improved over time while the Burgenland did not. The color of the Konigsberg was a rich burgundy while the Burgenland had a brownish tinge. On the first first taste the Burgenland left a film on the palate which went away after starting meal. Both shined with the Asiago cheese. When comparing both, the Konigsberg was better from the first taste to the last.
Alcohol: 13%
Bar code: Burgenland: 9 120020 461276; Konigsberg: 9 120020 461290
Imported by: Weygandt-Metzier; Unionville, Pennsylvania.