I’m just back in the USA from a week of tasting in Austria…and though you’ll be reading about some of what I learned and tasted before long here on WRO, I’m too fired up to wait before noting a thing or two to whet your appetite.
The first is this: Austria is one of the three countries in the entire world of wine that offers the highest average quality. The reason why you should 
care about this is that, if you’re in a rush (or are having the Boss over for dinner and just can’t afford to screw up), you can pretty much grab anything from Austria and know that it will be very, very well made. There are reasons for this (historical and cultural as well as climatic), but for now, knowing that you are virtually guaranteed to get a delicious, food-friendly white, red or rosé is a valuable piece of info for starters.
(I know you’re wondering what the other two most-consistent countries are, and they are New Zealand and Switzerland. This assertion is pretty close to indisputable in my view, but if anyone wishes to dispute it, write to me at [email protected] and we can duke it out. As an aside to this aside, New Zealand can’t offer the diversity that Austria can, and Swiss wines are very, very hard to find outside of Switzerland, so you’ve got very good reasons to learn more about the wines being made in Austria.)
In addition to its supremely high average, Austria also has great range. Aside from its fresh, versatile, and increasingly famous Grüner Veltliners, the country turns out some of the world’s best Rieslings. They are almost all dry in style, but softer than most Trocken style Rieslings from Germany, and are marvelously age-worthy. Austria also makes astonishing Sauvignon Blancs from the south-eastern portion of the country (bordering on Slovenia), and sensational Weissburgunder (a.k.a. Pinot Blanc or Pinot Bianco) that will permanently alter any mis-perception that that is a second-rate grape variety.
Reds made from Blaufrankisch and Zweigelt are highly aromatic, refreshingly acidic, and remarkably age-worthy, and excellent rosé wines are made from both of these varieties as well as St. Laurent.
One last bit of gushing for the moment is this: Austrian wines are still a bit of a curiosity in the American market, and consequently the asking prices for these wines are definitely on the low side in relation to their quality. However, they aren’t painfully difficult to find (like Swiss wines), and indeed the USA is the world’s third leading market for Austrian wine exports. And if you’re a little short on scratch and need a good, refreshing summer wine at an attractive price, you’ll have a very hard 
time beating some of the Grüner Veltliners being imported in full liter bottles, often for as little as $12 or less.
A final consideration for those who might be traveling to central Europe this summer is that some of the best wines in all of Austria are grown and made less than an hour outside of Vienna by car or train. Indeed, Vienna itself is a recognized wine appellation, and you don’t even need to leave the city to taste delicious, estate-grown wines on the premises.
As promised above, I’ll have more info for you before long on the wines from this gorgeous country. But for now, after a week-long immersion after nearly a decade since my last visit to Austria, I can assure you that this is a country that should be top-of-mind when thinking about what to drink this summer….
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