Arndorfer, 'Vorgeschmack' White 2021

Racy and juicy Riesling/Grüner blend from this outstanding Austrian producer. So moreish! Two of my favourite things put together, what a dream. This has all that lovely ripeness that you expect from Austrian Rizza, with some added structure and spice from the Grüner. This is so fkn good. It should be on high rotation if you're into good things. Will age too. Magic.

Wine: ARNDORFER Vorgeschmack White

Producer: Martin and Anna Arndorfer

Region/Country: Kamptal, Austria

Grape/s: Riesling and Gruner Veltliner

Production Method: Biodynamic farming. Natural winemaking with very low sulphur.

Style: Crisp and racy with a wonderfully fresh texture allied with citrus and orchard fruit flavours.

Pairing Suggestion: Vegetarian dishes, aperitif reds, cheese courses

Weingut Martin and Maria Arndorfer

Rooted in our home region Kamptal, we used the freedom from our families... We studied, traveled and spent hours with fascinating people enjoying wine. With rich treasure of great friendships and impressions we came back to our origin to craft our own wines and walk our paths in the Kamptal. Our wines are the best representatives of what and who we are. They carry our thoughts, our origin and our journeys; they reflect our personality, craft and history. Martin & Anna Arndorfer

From The Natty Boy

Something of an Austrian wine making power couple with Martin coming from a family of winemakers and Anna being the daughter of Karl Steininger who is one of the most respected winemakers in Austria. Vorgeschmack means 'taste' and this is used to describe a wine which is the intro to their style. It's a blend of Gruner Veltliner and Riesling, both of which are planted in loess soils - fairly prolific in quality growing regions of Austria. Grapes are picked together, pressed and fermented together after a 10 hour maceration on skins, which adds a bit of texture and grip on the palate. The juice is mostly fermented in large, old oak casks. All farming on their estate is sustainable and winemaking is done with native yeasts and minimal additions. What strikes me immediately with this wine is its vibrancy, both in colour and aromatics - they really invite you in. Acid is never a problem for either Austrian wine of the two varieties in question and it's very well balanced by juicy fruit and phenolic grip from the skin maceration mentioned before. I'm a huge fan of both Gruner and Riesling but I feel Gruner is particularly underappreciated - you can find amazing wines at great prices often with a bit of age on them.