| “There
is more philosophy in one bottle of wine then in all the books
in the world.”
by Louis Pasteur
(French chemist and scientist)
WINE
OF THE HOUR - Grüner Veltliner
Austria's
Grüner Veltliner has
suddenly become the hottest thing on everybody's list. Until
recently, wines made from Grüner Veltliner, the most
widely planted grape in Austria, enjoyed but faint praise.
New vintages were served by the pitcherful in Austria's vinous
equivalents to brew pubs called "Heuriger".
Abroad grüners were known as pleasant quaffing wines
best drunk young. Today, though, suddenly, grüner veltliner
- pronounced approximately GROON-er FELT-lihnur and known
in some circles as GrüVe - is the wine of the hour from
Sidney to San Francisco. It inhabits vast sections of wine
lists at bench mark restaurants, is beloved by chefs, and
gets idolized by savvy sommeliers for its seemingly limit-less
food friendliness (it goes with everything from oysters to
osso buco). And in London in 2002, Grüner Veltliner starred
in sequence of improbable blind tastings where its best exemplars
outscored stellar burgundies like Montrachet and Corton-charlemagne.
In truth, only older examples of Grüner Veltliner are
likely to be confused with Chardonnay;more commonly, the wine
suggest a cross between sauvignon blanc, for its fresh grassiness,
and viognier,for its character of stone-fruit pits. But the
grape also sops up intense minerality from shallow, rock-laced
soils and displays some of the petrol aroma otherwise associated
with riesling and pinot gris.It is perfume-driven wine, often
redolent of freshly shelled beans, bean sprouts, infused herbs
and white pepper.Though at least some Grüner Veltliner
is grown in every Austrian wine region, the most important
plantings are in the country's northeastern corner, near the
Czech and Slovak borders. The best "Gruuner" vineyards,farmed
for very low yields, are in the Danube Valley - specifically
in the terraced hills of the Wachau and around the Kremstal
(valley) and Kamptal -north of Wachau and northwest of Vienna.
The Wachau wines are the beefiest of the bunch, while those
from Kamptal and Kremstal tend to be somewhat leaner. The
wine can be as brightly structured as Sancerre, but generally
more viscous, owing to a distinctive juxtaposition of high
glycerin with substantial acid. Leaner examples of "Grüners"
are refreshing, while the more powerful ones finish long and
rich without seeming confected. Grüner Veltliners almost
never express wood; thus they provide welcome relief from
"chard - ennui"!
written
by John Winthrop Haeger for Saveur Magazine
CONTACT
HERZERL TOURS (sms@herzerltours.com) IF YOU WANT TO KNOWABOUT
GRUENER VELTLINER FROM SPECIFICGROWERS, PRICES AND SOURCES
IN THE USA
HIKING
IN THE AUSTRIAN ALPS
There
are numerous ways to explore a country, but none as intimate
and personal as taking the time to enjoy your vacation destination
on foot. Hiking in Austria will get you close to nature and
allow you to get to know the people and the wonderful traditions
of Austria.
 SALZKAMMERGUT
SAMPLER
- A Self-Guided
Village to Village Tour
Lush green pastures, the tinkling of cowbells, crystal clear
brooks teeming with trout and villages with intricate murals
and wooden balconies. Too much of a cliché to be true?
Not in the Salzkammergut region. Come and see for yourself!
With a 4000 year history, this mountain and lake region has
been a center of European culture from the early stilt-house
settlements during the Hallstatt period to the era of the
Hapsburg Empire. It’s a magical world with more than
76 crystal clear lakes and impressive rock faces up to 3000
meters high, including the majestic Dachstein Glacier. The
Salzkammergut Tour leads you from one charming village to
the next, including famous destinations such as St. Wolfgang,
Bad Ischl, Hallstatt, and Bad Aussee. The average hike is
four hours a day, and after each leg of the tour, you can
relax in a cozy 3 star hotel or family run inn.
The tour, available from April 21st to October 28th, includes
7 nights with breakfast and dinner, luggage forwarding to
the next accommodation, hiking map, a Salzkammergut Card,
bus fares and a Salzkammergut Souvenir for only $835.per person
based on double occupancy ($100. single supplement). Contact
Wanderweg Holidays at 800-270-ALPS or www.wanderwegholidays.com
SEVEN
RESORT HIKE - A
Self-Guided Village to Village Tour
Everything you expect from a perfect hiking vacation you will
find on this picturesque tour through the Alpbach Valley –
beautiful scenery, charming accommodations and hikes amid
rolling pastures and authentic flower villages.
Hike from village to village in the Alpbach Valley and discover
one of the most beautiful places in Austria. Among the highlights
are an abandoned 15th century silver mine, a glass blowing
town from the Middle Ages, Alpbach’s famous farmhouse
museum built in 1636 and Alpbach itself, which has won several
awards as “Austria’s Most Beautiful Village”.
This tour is available from June 2nd to September 29th –
the perfect season for hiking the Alps. The average hike is
4 hours per day. It includes 7 nights in charming 3 star hotels
with breakfast and dinner, luggage forwarding to the next
accommodation, as well as hiking maps and entrance fees to
museums and lifts. Available for only $790. per person based
on double occupancy ($110. single supplement), this tour takes
you on a journey of discovery through a traditional and colorful
area of the Tirolean Alps that will enchant you with it’s
bustling sense of community, open hospitality and distinctive
natural beauty. Contact Wanderweg Holidays at 800-270-ALPS
or www.wanderwegholidays.com
CREATIVE
USE OF SPACE-MUSEUMS QUARTIER
Vienna's
bold new art complex turns city into a cutting-edge cultural
center.
The
modern art museum is part of an extraordinary new complex in
Vienna called Museums Quartier Wien that is causing a stir in
the art world.
After only four years of operation, the Museum Quartier has
become one of the world’s 10 largest and most popular
museum and exhibition venues, rivaling the likes of New York’s
Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Pompidou Center in Paris.
One critic wrote that the cultural megaplex, with almost 650,000
square feet of space, has bridged the gap between the imperial
relics of the Habsburgs and the edgy art movements that have
emerged in Vienna in recent decades.
More than 2.6 million people flock to the MQ every year, securing
Vienna’s reputation as one of the cultural crossroads
in Europe. The complex’s director Wolfgang Waldner, calls
it a prime example of a “third place” – a
21st-century hybrid of hangout and multi-sensory cultural experience.
“The idea is to create places in the center of cities
that are culturally charged”.
The MQ is the perfect counterpoint to Vienna’s more traditional
offerings. Behind the walls – designed by the famed Viennese
architect Johann Fischer von Erlach in the early 1700s is a
sprawling complex of modern and experimental museums. Originally
the Imperial stables of the Habsburgs, it was used for trade
fairs and exhibitions after WW2. In 1970 a debate raged if the
site should be turned into a cultural center or a more commercial
enterprise such as a mall or hotel. The cultural center won,
however it took almost 20 years from conception until the MQ
opened in 2001.
The complex boasts two of Europe’s newest and most important
modern art museums – the Museum of Modern Art and the
Leopold Museum. The block-shaped Leopold, sheathed in white
Bulgarian limestone houses the country’s largest collection
of Austrian masters of the later 19th and early 20th centuries,
including Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. The Museum Of Modern
Art, constructed with basalt lava and dominated by a 115 foot-high
atrium, holds one of Europe’s biggest collections of modern
art, including the blood-spattered Viennese protest art. (Viennese
Actionism – 1960s and 70s).For more information go on
www.mqw.at
|
Mozartiana