EWBC Kickoff Event in NYC!

The European Wine Blogger's Conference, hosted by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board in Vienna October 22-24, kicked off in NYC last night at the Austrian Cultural Center with special thanks to Gabriella and Ryan Opaz of Catavino.

The event showcased a variety of wines from a variety of grapes such as Austria's indigenous Blaufränkisch, Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt and Zierfandler, as well as international varietals such as Syrah. Another bonus was the array of Austria's field blend, Gemischter Satz, contributed by Darcy and Huber and poured by Paul Darcy.

Wines contributed and poured by Klaus Wittauer of KW Selections Mittelbach Zweigelt Rose 2009, Anton Bauer Gmörk Grüner Veltliner 2009, Tegernseerhof T 26 Grüner Veltliner Federspeiel 2009, Anton Bauer Rosenberg Reserve Grüner Veltliner 2008 , Tegernseerhof Grüner Veltliner Loibenberg 2008, Anton Bauer Wagram Pinot Noir 2006, Hillinger Zweigelt 2009, Hillinger Blaufrankisch 2008 and Hillinger Hillside 2007.

Wittauer, owner of KW Selections, has been importing Austrian wines for over ten years focusing on boutique wineries with a small about of press coverage, but also make top quality wines at an excellent price. Wittauer follows the philosophy that Austrian wines must be introduced to the general American wine drinker at a low price for every day drinking and by the glass selection. Three of KW Selections wines were recently reviewed by the Washington Post. Check it out here.

Wines were also contributed by Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman and Sons, LTD Anne Micic Viducic of Aroma Wine Consulting and Monika Caha Selections poured Weninger Blaufraenkisch Hochaecker 2008, Neumeister Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Anita & Hans Nittnaus Comondor 2004, Stadlmann Zierfandler Mandelhoeh 2008, Graf Hardegg Riesling vom Schloss 2008, Fritsch Pinot Noir P 2004 and Forstreiter Gruener Veltliner Schiefer 2008. Monika Caha Selections focuses on small, family owned wineries that follow organic farming practices even though many are not certified.

An array of Gemischter Satz wines were contributed by Darcy and Huber Selections and Winebow Wines and poured by Paul Darcy. Darcy and Huber Selections focuses on the Vienna region of Austria spear heading their efforts with Austria's field blend, Gemischter Satz. From his portfolio Darcy poured Ambrositsch Gemischter Satz Sommeregg 2008, Christ Bisamberg Alte Reben 2008, Christ Wiener Gemischter Satz 2008, Cobenzl Wiener Satz Classic 2009, Edlmoser Gemischter Satz 2008, Edlmoser Maurerberg Gemischter Satz 2008, Hajszan Gemischter Satz Weissleiten 2008, Rotes Haus Gemischter Satz Nussberg Classic 2009, Rotes Haus Gemischter Satz Nussberg Reserve 2007, Zahel Gemischter Satz 2008, Zahel Nussberg Gemischter Satz Grand Reserve 2007, Zahel Sekt Gemischter Satz and Zahel Schonbrunn Gemischter Satz 2008. From Winebow's portfolio Darcy poured the Wieninger Gemischter Satz 2008 and Wieninger Nussberg Alte Reben 2008.

The event was well attended by bloggers, press and industry folk who enjoyed the walk-around cocktail party that ensued from 4-7.

Gabriella and Ryan Opaz are now headed to Seattle for the second round of the EWBC kick off event before the USWBC that is being held in Walla Walla later this week.

A short video highlighting Catavino's efforts with social media can be viewed here. This video was recorded and produced by Zev Robinson.

Austrian Samples & Swing

On Thursday, May 13th my boss Steve Raye and I headed back to New York for the "Austrian Samples & Swing" party at the Austrian Consulate General on East 69th street in Manhattan. Prior to the event we needed to make a stop at MHW, Ltd. in Manhasset, NY. MHW, Ltd. is an importer and distributor of wine, beer, and spirits. We were there picking up several cases of Oval Vodka, which is a luxury vodka from Austria. Since we had a bit of time to spare before our pick-up we stopped in at Young's Fine Wines & Spirits, which was just down the street.

We introduced ourselves to two staff members, Robbie Sandor and Brad Haskel, of this gigantic, yet personal wine shop. Robbie is an incredibly nice, older gentleman who once worked on his Grandfather's vineyard in his native Hungary. Later, he worked in the international airline industry, and traveled to many different wine regions.

Brad is a certified Sommelier and extremely knowledgeable about wine. He conducts wine tastings and teaches wine education classes at the store. You can read more about his wine consulting business here.

Here I am looking through their impressive selection of Austrian wines.



















Here are Brad (on the left) and Robbie. They were both great hosts and tour guides.














And here's a cool shot of the Austrian wines available for purchase. It's the largest collection I've seen in a retail store to date.



















Later we drove into Manhattan for the "Austrian Samples & Swing" event, arriving at about 6 o'clock. Here I am with my acquaintance Laura, who is half-German and half-Argentinian. She is an aspiring wine maker. I met Laura about a month ago at the Darcy & Huber portfolio wine tasting. She's super nice and is doing masterful job at learning the English language. As an aside, why are non-Americans usually so hip looking?














The event had a huge attendance, as you can see below. There were wine critics, authors, journalists, restauranteurs, and more in tow.














Below is the view from the Winemonger Imports table. The Winemonger site has a blog and you can purchase their wines, they specialize in Austrian wines, from the site. I tasted their Manfred Weiss, Grüner Veltliner Eiswein 'Fahrenheit 19' 2005. Eiswein means "ice wine," which is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. The Manfred was sweet and refreshing.














And below is the view from the Michael Skurnik Wines table. Pouring the wine is their brand manager Jeremy Schwartz. There I tried my first Austrian rosé, Hofer's 2008 Zweigelt Rosé. I'd like to buy this wine to share with others as soon as possible. It's a lovely, summer wine.














The other wine importers at the event were Darcy & Huber Selections, Monika Caha Selections, Inc., Prescott Wines, Inc., and Vin Divino, Ltd. Monika Caha Selections were just mentioned in a Slate article about wine importers you can count on. Read more about it here. At Vin Divino's table I was able to try Kracher's 2007 Pinot Gris Illmitz, which was quite good, but my heart is still stuck on one day tasting a Kracher dessert wine. I'll schedule that during my trip to Austria this June!

Overall, it was an exciting day. The Austrian Trade Commission and the Austrian Wine Marketing Board produced an excellent event. Austrian wine, delicious Austrian hors d'oeuvres, and snappy Jazz music by the Hayes Kavanagh Jazz Sextett. We had a fine time.