Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/580744
{ SOMMjournal.com } 129 DAY 1 We arrive in Vienna and meet up with Volker. A stop at a cafe for a much needed cappuccino and we're off to Burgenland. We arrive in Burgenland, south east of Vienna and meet Pia Pfneisl, the owner of Weingut Strehn. Pia's grandfather Joseph started the winery in 1965. Now Pia's brother Patrick is the wine- maker and her youngest brother Andreas, who just graduated from wine college, is the vineyard manager. "Wine for us is just passion, not business," Pia says. "We don't make a lot of money." After tasting her Blaufränkisch wine, we understand her passion. After our tour, we are off to the Hannes Reeh winery for din- ner. We barbecue Austrian-style with sausages and large amounts of Champagne. DAY 2 I was up by 8 a.m. for a three- mile run along fields of wild flow- ers and veggies. Then we toured Hannes Reeh's vineyards. They are filled with a dark red clay soil that produces an elegant style of Zweigelt. Hannes's winery is very modern, with all new productions tools, lots of barrels and state-of- the-art machinery. Off to the Wachau Valley! Our first stop is Weingut Veyder-Malberg. Peter Veyder- Malberg is a soft-spoken guy who cares deeply for the soil and the bugs that nurture his vines. While tasting at his dinner table, he speaks like a watchful parent of his soil, and how nourishing it affects the grapes. To him, wine is an expression of the soil. Peter was trained with all the technical skills of a great winemaker, but his passion and respect for the land shines bright in our glasses. Now, we are off to dinner at Volker's family's winery, Weingut Sighardt Donabaum. We eat venison tartare, sausages, cheese and lots of wine made on premise. Belly full, I walk home alone, about 45 minutes down the road. The streets are quiet and filled with the smell of the wet stones of the Danube River—a smell I will never forget. DAY 3 Up at 8.a.m. for a three- mile run along the Danube River, amazingly refreshing. We arrive at Weingut Martin Muthenthaler. Martin worked with Peter Veyder- Maberg and also works using an organic and biodynamic practice. Martin shows us his newly built terraced vineyard. "My new hobby," he says with a smile. He has built 100 meters out of 1,000 of it, and says it will take him another six years to complete. Now, off to Weingut Johann Donabaum. Johann is Volker's cousin. He took over his father's winery in 1996 at the age of 19. His wine is the perfect mix of modern and traditional, and he won the Decanter award for best Riesling in 2007. Lucky for us, we are just in time for Summer Solstice. The solstice—called Sommersonnenwende—is celebrated in the Wachau as a huge party. We walk up (and up) to the vineyards of Karl Lagler. The sun sets and the bonfires and fireworks begin. Once it is pitch dark, growers light up hundreds of torches throughout the vineyards. Before long, the whole side of this mountain is glowing. As the wine flows, my surroundings glows, and I feel a sense of history and culture. This is a wine community that enjoys life. They work hard on steep hills, and produce such beauty, while having a great time. DAY 4 No run along the Danube for me today. We arrive at Matthias Hager's vineyards. He is very passionate about organic and biodynamic production. We then eat lunch at his brother's restaurant and farm, where they raise chickens and pigs. We taste the wines, which are understated, like the winemaker, with great bal- ance and purpose. Our last winery stop is Franz Proidl. With over nine genera- tions of winemakers in their family (the winery was founded in 1738), you could say their history runs deep. Patrick, Franz' son, will be the tenth generation of wine- makers in the family. Dinner at Gasthaus Schwarz in the village of Nohagen is epic. The wine list is a sommelier's dream, complete with ten vin- tage verticals of all of the best vineyards, and best producers in Austria—all for the same price. Day 5 One last run along the Danube River. This time, I jumped in. It was cold and refreshing. So mean- ingful to think about this historic water and its influence on the grapes of this region, integrating the old with the new. Now, off to the airport. Austria is a beautiful country. The people are nice and welcom- ing, the food delicious, the history alive. These factors combined make world-class wine. While I knew about the wine, history and lineage before I arrived, it was refreshing to see how the newer generation looks to the older for guidance. Matthias Hagar trained at Hirtzberger and Martin Muthenthaler at Domaine Wachau. Their quest for knowledge continued. They practice organic, bio- dynamic grape growing, garnering a respect for the land. In learning that what you put into the ground comes through in your wine, vintners like the ones we visited have perfected the expression of terroir. With a continued push towards natural and organic wines, Austria is becoming ingrained in the minds of a new generation of sommeliers and wine consumers. Vintner Peter Veyder-Malberg explains Austrian terroir. Tenth-generation Patrick Proidl overlooking his family's vineyards. Johann Donabaum pours tastes of his Riesling for somms Louis Fabbrini and Kimberly Cavoores. PHOTO: VOLKER DONABAUM PHOTO: NOAH SINGERMAN PHOTO: NOAH SINGERMAN