Gemischter Satz--It's Austrian for Delicious

If you hear "Gemischter Satz" You may be tempted to say "God Bless You!"

But the appropriate answer is "They're delicious, aren't they?"

Gemischter Satz are special wines from Austria's capital city of Vienna. Made from a blend of white grapes that are grown together in the field, then picked and fermented at the same time, there was a point not too long ago when the mania for "single varietal" bottlings threatened this age-old tradition of Austrian field blends. Happily, the tradition was maintained, the grapes remained planted in gloriously mixed vineyards of Gruner Veltliner, Weissburgunder, Riesling, Muscat Ottonel, and other grapes. Few Gemischter Satz bottlings specify the grapes within, and none that I've seen can give you varietal percentages. Don't worry--go for it.

I'm a relative newbie to the wines of Austria, but I can't recommend Gemischter Satz highly enough. If you enjoy crisp, food-friendly whites--and are a bit tired of the same-old same-old that you've been drinking lately seek out one of these wines and perk up your tired tastebuds.

2008 Weingut Rotes Haus Gemischter Satz Classic Nußberg ($20) This tasted very much of a Gruner Veltliner to me, with its white pepper, salt, and grapefruit aromas. The flavors of apple, grapefruit, and pepper confirmed my initial impression and the aftertaste was interesting--like sour apples. Very good QPR.


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