Thursday, 8 December 2011

Schilfwein

Schilfwein (Schilf = reed) or Strohwein (Stroh = straw) is one of those Pradikats which exist in Austria but no in Germany (cf Ausbruch). The two terms are sort of interchangeable and refer to the Pradikat for wine made from grapes dried on straw, ie the Austrian version of "vin de paille". The grapes are dried for at least 3 months, to reach the sugar level for Beerenauslese, though the grapes can be pressed if the sugar level of Trockenbeerenauslese is reached after two months.

Austrian Schilfwein is not readily available in Hong Kong until recently. I had seen one advertised in a catalogue but had not got around to getting one when I saw them at this year's wine fair. This wine was available for tasting and I also ended up buying a bottle of Zweigelt Schilfwein. A golden yellow colour, this Muskat Ottonel Schilfwein had a sweet nose which surprising contained notes reminiscent of botrytis. The sweet fruity palate was nicely balanced by a long acid finish. The Zweigelt needs another ti
dbit when I have tried it.

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