Wine and Food

Wiener Gemischter Satz, Weingut Meyer, Rotes Haus, Nussberg, 2014, White-wine from Austria

6,5 points

First of all: Gemischter Satz comes along like a cuvee as it contains different sorts of grapes. Unlikely of a real cuvee Gemischter Satz means wine of different sorts of grape within the same sole vineyard. Mixed vines at only one parcels, harvest as well as pressed at the same time and place. If you like you could say the vineyard is the cuvee. This is mixted piece isn’t very common nowadays although it has been rather normal in the past.

Lightly sparkling, even a bit bubbly, nicely refreshing and pretty powerful: this is the first impression of this white “cuvee” containing Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Neuburger (which is an autochthonic sort from Austria) and Traminer. After first explosion of tastes you realize that the wine is rather creamier and in certain regards even a little bit salty.

This wine combines notes of exotic (pineapple, kiwi, and granadilla) and domestic fruits (apricot, peach and apple) with herbal flavors of dry summer flowers and grass. At the same time and even it sounds strange it is a really condimental wine with a strong structure, an earthy kind of basis which let you imagine the soil of Nussberg (which is indeed one of the best vineyards in Austria).

Facing Vienna in the south, at the east of Nussberg there is the river Danube and in the north hilly forests (Wienerwald). Both cause fresh and colder breezes during possible warm summers. The soil is mostly Muschelkalk / shell lime stone.

Rotes Haus (red house) is a sole vinery in the middle of Nussberg but related to the larger vinery and traditional gastronomy Mayer am Pfarrplatz – one of the oldest Vienna’s vineries and restaurants. Find more about it at their webpage: http://www.rotes-haus.at/. Not knowing too much about it, the vineyard is rather small (7 hectares). Since they produce only three wines you can consider that the winemakers are taking care much for quality and less for quantity. My drinking experience confirms this.

As you can consider I try, test and drink a lot of wines. Of course I wouldn’t say there isn’t anything anymore to discover, I thought I would know much about Austrian wines. I am happy to correct myself since this Wiener Gemischter Satz of Rotes Haus is a wonderful discovery!

I think you can order the wine directly via internet. It is fairly priced.

I do not often refer to any other review but like to share one description (only in German) which is even a bit older but heartily describes this wine experience: http://www.schumanns-weinblog.de/rotes-haus-2010-gemischter-satz-classic/.