Ruster Ausbruch

Although this is specially bottled for the famous London department store, Fortnum and Mason, this is a half bottle of the equally famous Ruster Ausbruch made by Feiler-Artinger. Rust is a town bordering Neusiedlersee which I had mentioned in the blog entry on Austrian eisweins, together with Feiler-Artinger. Ausbruch is one of those Pradikats which the Austrians have but the Germans do not. Originally designating the method by which grapes severely affected by Botrytis are mixed with less concentrated must to speed up fermentation (in the manner of Tokaji Azsu wines), Ausbruch has now come to denote a Pradikat level between Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

The town of Rust has been famous for its Ausbruch wine since the 16th century and became a Royal Free Town in 1681 for supplying 500 buckets of sweet wine to the Emperor Leopold I. The traditional cepage is a blend of Furmint and Muskateller, but Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Neuburger, Traminer and Welschriesling are used as well. These wines are incredibly long-lived, maybe up to half a century or more. Showing well for the initial 2 years, the wines closed down in the 3rd year for a year or so, opening up after that with more fruit and complexity and being more rounded and integrated, remaining in this wonderful balance for some 15 years or so. That means I can drink the above bottle any time now till around 2027. Jolly good!