WIENWEIN

Viennese Wine - A Tasting With Fritz Wieninger

Filed under: Wine

Last month in Vienna, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Fritz Wieninger, president of WIENWEIN and owner and operator of Weingut Wieninger, one of the most successful and popular Austrian wineries.

Before you go judging, Austrian wine may not be what you think. Austrian wines have had years of unjustified bad press due to lies (poor or sweetened wines falsely labeled "Austria") and a general different approach to the marketing and distribution of their wines. At one time, wine in Austria was far cheaper and more common than water -- and to this day, you'll be surprised by how many Austrian restaurants only serve wine they've made themselves. They don't even advertise it; it's normal.

There are vineyards within the city limits of Vienna -- in fact, there are quite a few of them. Viennese wine has a distinct flavor and rich history; its reputation and commercialization are only now catching up to its quality. Fritz Wieninger and WIENWEIN are leading the pack of vintners who are bringing Viennese wine to the international market with a newfound confidence. I did my best to learn as much as I possibly could from him about Viennese wine. And by that, I mean I drank a lot of wine with him. But first, we went on a tour of his Vienna facilities.

Gallery: Tour of Weingut Wieninger