South American Trip Finds

Tannat in Uruguay was very good. Made from the boldest red grape tannat.

Casa Silva Dominga Sparkling Rosé Brut, Cochela Valley. Very pale pink colour with a light strawberry and rose bouquet. Initial red berry taste and dry finish. 8/10

Diablo Crystal Sauv. Bl. Curico Valley 2023, 13%. Steel only. Pale light citrusy 7.5/10

Terrunyo Carminiera 2023. 14.5%. Ruby red. Deep berry bouquet. Stored 9 months in oak. Deep berry taste with perfect tannins. 8.5/10

Marques Casa Concha 2022 Cab. Sauv. Medium-dark ruby colour with a dark berry typical Cabernet bouquet. Dark berry taste and quite dry, with heavier tannins on the finish. Quite dry. Probably much better with food. 7.5/10

I tasted Grenache grape in a vineyard. Small but sweet (see pic) and had large seeds for size of the grape. They deliberately under-water grapes to stress them which makes them smaller and sweeter.

In Mendoza I had Gran Sombrero Cabernet Sauvignon. It was the darkest red I’ve seen (prior to Uruguayan Tannat) - sunlight would not show through it  and it stained the glass. Rich dark berry bouquet. Taste of rich dark berry & Bing cherry. Off-dry with light tannins. Excellent Cabernet! 8.5/10

Wine Tastings

In 2025, I did a very interesting tasting of Austrian wines with Stylianos Stavridis of Wine Tasting Vienna, Hollandstaße 10/1-3, in Vienna (ph +43 650 530 5066; email info@winetastingvienna.com). I booked through GetYourGuide but it can be booked directly. This was the most in depth tasting I’ve ever had (it helped that I was the only one at the tasting). The scheduled tasting included 6 wines but Stylianos added 3 others.

The 6 wines included 4 whites and 2 reds. He added 3 whites which included an ice wine. Most of the wines we tasted were of smaller producers usually making less than 50,000 bottles per year. The 6 included wines are numbered below.

1. Christian Madl Grüner Veltliner Sekt Austria Brut Von den Weißen 2020 [12% ABV My rating - 9.5/10]

Translating an Austrian label.

• The first word(s) are usually the producer, here Christian Madl
• The second word is usually the grape variety, here Grüner Veltliner
• Sekt means sparkling wine made using méthode traditionnelle like Champagne. If not, it is called "frizzante."
• Brut means a dry wine
• Last words before the date are usually the name of the wine, here Von den Weißen

2. Hirsch Grüner Veltliner Ried Gaisberg 1OTW Kamptal DAC 2022 [13% ABV. My rating 9/10]

Some additional labeling.

• Ried means made from a single vineyard, here Gaisberg
• 1OTW is a certification as organic and hand picked
• Kamptal is the region
• DAC is a quality guarantee like AOC, DOC or VQA

3. Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Ried Loibenberg Wachau DAC 2022 [13.5% ABV. My rating 8.5/10]

• Wachau is the region

4. Pfeifer Sauvignon Blanc Vulkanland Steiermark DAC 2021 [12.5% ABV]

•  Vulkanland Steiermark is the region

5. Glatzer Zweigelt Carnuntum DAC 2022 [My rating 9/10]

6. Geselman Blaufränkisch Reserve Mittelburgenland DAC 2022

• Blaufränkisch is the grape
• Reserve indicates a complex wine that has been aged 
• Mittelburgenlan is the region

Other wines tasted were:

Jurtschitsch Ried Heiligenstein Kamptal 2022 [My rating 7/10]

Ehrenhausen Sauvignon Blanc Weingut Poiz 2022 - Goes great with goat cheese according to Stylianos.[This tasted like no other Sauvignon Blanc I have had. Bouquet is fruitier, like a Riesling.]

Eiswein Grüner Veltliner Tschida Burgenland 2020. 160gm sugar! Honey and fruit notes. Goes great with blue cheese according to Stylianos. [Not as sweet as expected, with notes of lychee to me.]

Tasting Notes:
Cheese with wine: the salt and protein in cheese reduces the perception of tannins and increases the fruitiness of red wines. I tasted it with a cheese that tasted like Gruyere. The Alzinger Riesling tasted great with Brie!

Austrian grape varieties: Blaufränkisch, Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignn Blanc, Zweigelt.

Note that weiber Burgunder = pinot blanc, and grau Burgunder = pinot gris.

He recommended MADL Bottle Seal as the best stopper for sparkling wines. He also noted the Wachau region is an excellent place to tour.

He also recommend a friend of his, Thierry, who does a wine tasting in Paris at Wine Tasting in Paris.

Weingut Mayer an Pfarrplatz Wiener Gemischter Satz 2023

Discovered on a trip to Vienna, Gemischter Satz wines are a mixture of many wine grape varieties. "Gemischter Satz" is German for "mixed set."

This a smooth drinking wine with a light taste. Weingut Mayer an Pfarrplatz are one of the premier wine makers and Heurigers in Vienna.

From the label: "This traditional company has been based in Döbling, Vienna since 1683. Vienna is the only metropolis in the world that has significant viticulture within its city limits and is unique in its terroir. The House of Mayer is considered a synonym for Viennese wine quality and Heurigen culture."