VirtuosoLife - January/February 2008 - (Page 56) TASTING NOTES A Toast To Austria The hills are alive with the sound of uncorked enthusiasm for diverse Austrian wines. BY ANTHONY DIAS BLUE PHOTOGRAPHY BY RUSTY HILL STYLING BY JONAS PARK enTion AusTriA And many people immediately picture Julie Andrews fluttering across an alpine meadow warbling the theme from The Sound of Music, while others hear Mozart quartets or strauss waltzes. Foodies think about a leisurely kaffeeklatsch, complete with strudel or a slice of the famed chocolate-apricot torte from Vienna’s Hotel sacher – mit Schlag (with whipped cream), of course. But there’s another Austrian offering seeping into world consciousness: wine. Austrian wine hasn’t exactly been a secret; cognoscenti have long appreciated the country’s crisp, refreshing whites and intense, fruity reds. But for many years the limited availability of this country’s wine exports to the united states made finding M an Austrian bottle at a wine shop or on a restaurant wine list a challenge. Thanks to the efforts of the country’s wine enthusiasts and importers, Austria’s wines are in ever more abundant supply and are no longer the secret of a few savvy sommeliers. The country may be small (roughly the size of Maine), but its wines are as diverse as the diminutive nation’s varied landscape. Beyond strudel and Strauss: Austria’s wines are now more readily available than ever. 56 V I RT U O S O L I F E
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