Pittnauer Rosé 2010

Another Sunday lunch and a bit of a break from studying for the WSET Diploma Unit 3 exam, in particular getting away from Burgundy where my heads been for the past day.  Today at lunch, I found something that’s most unusual, at least in this part of the world, that I had to have a glass and to write it up.

So Austria – beautiful country, produces some excellent and unique wines.  When I think of Austria with regard to wine, Grüner Veltliner is the first grape to spring to mind.  In Austria it can be crisp and refreshing, with fantastic minerality.  When it comes to reds, Blaufränkisch is the best known, with spicy cherries and red berries at the fore.  The thing is, while Austria has a fantastic wine ambassador in the form of Willi Klinger (who taught our section on Austria), Austrian wine is not on as many wine lists as perhaps it should be.  Part of it is that the two most popular varieties are not grown very widely outside of Austria, and so they’re unfamiliar to most people.  However, within the wine trade, Grüner Veltliner in particular is well loved.  I know winery not far from here that has both Grüner Veltliner and Blaufränkisch vines, and I’ve love to see it grow in popularity.

Anyway, I saw this Pittnauer Rosé 2010  on the wine list at lunch today by the glass and I had to give it a try.  It’s made by Gerhard Pittnauer in the Burgenland region of Austria, which is in the east of the country along the border with Hungary.  I’d never had an Austrian rosé, so I couldn’t say no.  It had a lovely pale colour and I was assured it was a dry style.  And while it was certainly refreshing, unfortunately there wasn’t a whole lot to it.

Whenever I have a rosé in a glass in front of me, I’m expecting there to be some red fruit flavours, usually strawberries or cherries, and that wouldn’t have been out of place as this wine is made from Blaufränkisch.  However, the nose gave very little away.  I did get some fruit, though it was more citrus and a bit of peach.  However, it was so light that I had a hard time making it out.  On the palate it was the same – similar flavours, what there were of them.  The acidity was great, but unfortunately there just wasn’t much else.

Appearance

Clear and bright with a pale salmon colour. Very slow legs.

Nose

Clean, medium-minus intensity, youthful. Peach, lime, strawberry, cherry,

Palate

Dry, medium plus acidity, medium body, no tannins, medium alcohol, medium-minus flavour intensity, medium-minus length. Lemongrass, sour cherry, lime, peach finish.

Conclusions

Acceptable quality. A nice bit of acid that went well with a spicy dish, but not much else. Neither complex nor intense, more the type of curiosity I can rarely resist, but in this case not especially rewarding. Does not exhibit Blaufränkisch.  Drink now as it in unlikely to improve and the freshness will vanish.