Tasting Notes #1

This was a beautiful wine, that so perfectly matched with my chilled evening and end-of-week good vibes – it couldn’t not be my first set of tasting notes. I bought this from my favourite wine shop in Edinburgh – Vino – who have a fantastic, relaxed little wine bar under the arches in the centre of town, often full of quiet, happy wine-lovers like me who are just pleased it’s Friday.

This is an Austrian wine, so the climate is cool and the grapes grown are lower yield with high acidity. This makes the wines taste fresh and interesting: citrussy, sometimes green or stony. I haven’t heard of the grape Roter Veltiner, but as a point of probably similarity, Grüner Veltiner is the most widely planted grape in Austria, with fresh, concentrated stone fruit flavours that will develop well with age – think honey and white pepper.

From what I can find, the Eisenhut is the highest point of the vineyard – altitude allows for better ripening conditions (sun exposure), but it’s also cooler.

Name: Roter Veltiner
Vineyard/Company: Haide, Ried Eisenhut
Country: Austria
Vintage: 2016

Price: Typically, on my first post, I can’t remember exactly, but it was around £15

Shop: Vino, Edinburgh

Colour / Intensity: Pale lemon

Nose: Beautiful, perfumed aromas of sherbet lemon, green apple skins, limes and fresh croissants

Taste: Dry, with medium alcohol, medium-high acidity and medium-light body. The flavours of sharp sherbet lemon and those fresh apple notes really come through, alongside some hints of minerality. The finish was medium, and basically perfect.

Rating: 9.5/10

Good for: I would have this well-chilled, with some nibbly, fatty foods like creamy rich cheese, pastrami, pickles and crackers.

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Disclaimer: All of my tasting notes are totally personal, based on what I can smell, taste and savour about whatever it is I’m drinking. They might not match the original tasting notes exactly – I’m ok with that, because this is a space for practising, flexing my tastebuds, and learning more.