Your Vines and Wines, A Guide to Vine Growing Outside in Britain, Michael Jefferson-Brown

This book was first published in 1977 and my copy was the third impression printed in 1980. It is a small short book of  85 pages but it covers the basics of growing wine and table grapes in a climate like the UK quite well. It gives an overview of how to achieve site selection, what varieties to grow, pruning techniques (recommending Double Guyot where one has two fruting canes and two canes for fruiting next year, what to do during the year, how to propogate vines which sounds extremely simple, some pests and diseases but this section is not very detailed, winemaking, and some specific for growing in greenhouse conditions. All in all, this is a very good introduction to growing grapes in a cooler climate. The ISBN number is 0950580007. The author grows grapes (or did do in the late seventies and early eightees) in Whitbourne near Worcester, England.

TN : Arrogant Frog Ribet White Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Domaines Paul Mas, Pezenas, Sud de France, France

This wine was imported by Bornicon and Salming.

This wine is sealed with a screwcap.

Colour : Pale straw, green hues

Aroma : Lemon, gooseberry, pear drops

Taste : Lemon, pear, gooseberry, zingy

Alcohol : 12%

Price : 72 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 5563

Mark : C+

Website : Arrogant Frog

Vienna Heurigen Express July 2012

In July this year I made my up to Nussdorf on the outskirts of Vienna to catch the Vienna Huerigen Express. The small train departs from Nussdorf and goes up to Kahlenberg, back through Grinzing, and ends up back at Nussdorf. The train meanders through the Viennese woods passing vineyards as it goes. The price is 8,30 Euro for adults and 4,50 Euro for children. The tour lasts approximately 50 minutes. You can buy tickets on the train. The train runs from the beginnning of April until the end of October. When we went it was raining and the train is enclosed so it was not the best environment for taking pictures but here are my efforts :

Website : Vienna Heurigen Express

Weingut Wieninger, Stammersdorf, Vienna, Austria, July 12th 2012

This July I visited Weingut Wieninger at their, old and new, winery in Stammersdorf.

We were given a tasting of a number of wines by Bettina Koller who is in charge of export, marketing and sales. All of the wines were good to excellent. There wasn't a single wine that I wouldn't want to drink. Now, from the 2011 vintage, all of their wines are biodymanic Bettina stated that they export around 30% of their wines and aim for the quality end of the market with placings in high-end restaurants.

• Wieninger Prickelnd Cuvee Katharina Rose Sekt 2008, 16,00 Euro, Mark : C+
• Wiener Gemischter Satz 2011, 8,00 Euro, Mark : B-
• Nussberg Alte Reben 2011, 17,20 Euro, Mark : B+
• Rosengartl Alte Reben 2011, 21,50 Euro, Mark : A
• Riesling Nussberg 2011, 14,50 Euro, Mark : A
• Chardonnay Grand Select 2009, 34,00 Euro, Mark : A
• Wiener Trilogie 2009, 11,50 Euro, Mark : B-

After the tasting we were met by Fritz Wieninger; the man behind the quality wine revival in Vienna. We had a tour of the current winery and the new winery, just up the road, which wasn't finished at the time of my visit but Fritz said that they are on schedule and should move in on the last week end at the end of August/beginning of September this year. Fritz, himself from Vienna, has been running the winery since 1987 when he took over from his parents.

Here are some pictures of the old winery :

This is the new winery :

Website : Weingut Wieninger

TN : Rawson's Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2011, Penfolds, South Eastern Australia, Australia

Launched in 1995, Rawson's Retreat is the introductory level for Penfolds wines. The name Rawson's Retreat is an informal reference to the stone cottage built in 1845 by Dr Christopher Rawson Penfold at the Magill vineyard in Adelaide, where with wife Mary and daughter Georgina he had settled the year before and was to soon establish the Penfolds winery, which is still operating today.

Colour : Red, blue hues

Aroma : Blackcurrant, liqource, vanilla, mint, oak, cherry

Taste : Vanilla, blackcurrant, mint, oak, herbs

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 45 SEK (375 ml bottle)

Systembolaget Number : 6942

Mark : C

Website : Penfolds

TN : Rucahue Reserva Syrah Malbec 2011, Viña Rucahue SA, Maule Valley, Chile

This wine is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Malbec. This wine spent 8 months in 225 litre French oak barrels. Viña Rucahue was founded in 1984 by José Esturillo and Fransisco Gillmore. This wine was imported by Giertz Vinimport AB.

Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Milk chocolate, blueberry, blackberry, herbs

Taste :  Fruity, mint, blueberry, blackberry, spice, herbs, milk chocolate, liqourice

Alcohol : 13%

Price : 79 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 99348

Mark : B-

Book : Wine Snobbery, An Insiders Guide to the Booze Business

I picked up a copy of Wine Snobbery, An Insider's Guide to the Booze Business by Andrew Barr, Faber and Faber from Amazon UK secondhand for 0.01 pounds. This is a fascinating book full of anicdotes such as high yields and how this was viewed in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Gemany over the centuries, the methanol scandal in Italy, value for money bland champagne, time wasting wine judging, and the rise and fall and rise again of Lafite. There is some repetition in thi sbook but overall I found every chapter to be packed with new and interesting information. It would be interesting to do a follow up and see just how much of what is said is still valid today. I can thoroughly recommend ot this book to anybody interested in wine and its history in modern times.

TN : Cotes de Provence Rose Pierre & Paul 2011, Domaines Pierres Chavin, Provence, France

This wine is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah.

This wine was imported by Fure Wines Sweden AB.

Colour : Bright strawberry pink

Aroma : Strawberry, redcurrants, herbs

Taste : Strawberry, redcurrants, fruity, herby finish

Alcohol : 12.5%


Price : 169 SEK (2 litre Bag-In-Box)

Systembolaget Number : 2816

Mark : C

Website : Domaines Pierres Chavin

TN : Clare Hills Rielsing 2009, Pikes Vintners Pty, Clare Valley, South Australia, Australia

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Meadow Valley Wines.

Colour : Pale straw/lemon

Aroma : Petrol, mineral, apples, lemon

Taste : Sharp, lemon, minerals, petrol

Alcohol : 12%

Price : 90 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 6404


Mark : C


Website : Pikes Vintners Pty

TN : La Massa 2009, IGT, Fattoria La Massa, Tuscany, Italy

This wine is a blend of70%  Sangiovese, 20% Merlot, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine also received 90 points from The Wine Advocate (August 2011).

This wine was imported by Swedish Brand AB.

Colour : Plummy red

Aroma : Plums, blackcurrant, herbs, raisins, milk chocolate

Taste : Cherries, blackcurrant, plums, raisiny,herbs,  warm finish, milk chococlate, spice, drying tannins which may calm down with a yera or two in bottle

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 199 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 90234

Mark : B-

TN : Rabl Pinot Noir Vinum Optimum 2009,Weingut Rabl, Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Johan Lidby Vinhandel.

Colour : Raspberry red

Aroma : Blueberry, spice, oak, raspberry

Taste : Strawberry, spice, oak, blueberry

Alcohol : 14%

Price : 159 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 97034

Mark : B


Website : Weingut Rabl

Weingut Cobenzl, Vienna, Austra, July 16th 2012

I visited Weingut Cobenzl, located near Kahlenberg in Vienna, on Monday July 16th 2012. We were shown around by Cellar Master Georg Koenigsbauer. Weingut Cobenzl is owned by the city of Vienna since 1907 and controlled by the majoy though Georg pretty much gets to do what he wants. Georg studied at Klosterneuburg College. He tried to make great value fruity classy wines which he achieves. Currently they are producing bottles which they sell in supermarkets and direct at the winery. Georg was exceptionally nice and gave me a bottle of Weissburgunder Reisenberg 2007 as a gift as I was leaving.

Here are the wines I tried :

• Wiener Gemischter Satz Classic 2011, 12.5%, 5,20 Euro, Mark : B
• Gruener Veltliner Classic 2011, 12%, 4,90 Euro, Mark : B
• Gruener Veltliner Senator 2011, 13%, 7,90 Euro, Mark : B
• Gruener Veltliner Pfeffer 2011, 14%, 9,50 Euro, Mark : B
• Weissburgunder Reisenberg 2007, 14,5%, 21 Euro, Mark : A
• Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, 14%, 15 Euro, I tasted this after the Merlot and my palette was dead by this time
• Merlot 2009, fruity and oaky, 15%, 15 Euro, Mark : C+

Website : Weingut Cobenzl

TN : Nr 7 Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Hermanuspietersfontein, South Africa

The Sauvignon Blanc grapes come from a vineyard located at an altitude of 262 to 300 metres. The vineyard area is 20.1 hectares. The orientation of the vineyard is North-East South-West. The vines were planted in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. The yield was 54.4 hectolitres per hectare. The must was fermented and matured in stainless steel tanks for six months and matured in second fill 225 litre French oak barrels for six months before blending. The wine was kept in bottle for two months before being released. This wine is the sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Hjo Grosshandel AB.

Colour : Pale straw

Aroma : Nettles, passionfruit, gooseberry

Taste : Passionfruit, cut grass, gooseberry, nettles, leafy, zingy acidic finish

Alcohol : 12.5%

Price : 129 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 97013

Mark : B-

Website :  Hermanuspietersfontein

TN : Clairaut Estate Chardonnay 2008, Clairaut Wines, Margaret River, Australia

The fruit for this wine comes entirely from the Clairault property, and more specifically from the L Block which is a small North-East facing plot just to the north of the winery. This block is planted with both the Gingin clone and Clone 5. The fruit is hand-picked and sorted prior to whole bunch pressing. Juice from the press goes straight to barrel with no settling and no additives. Fermentation occurred natually through yeasts brought in with the fruit.  The wine was 100% barrel fermented in French oak of which 40% was new. Malo-lactic fermentation was deemed unnecessary. Ten months of barrel maturation occured prior to bottling in February 2011.


This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Giertz Vinimport AB.


Colour : Lemon

Aroma : Lemon, oak, pineapple

Taste : Lemon, pineapple,  zingy, oak, vanilla


Alcohol : 13%

Price : 249 SEK


Systembolaget Number : 94734

Mark : B-

Website : Clairaut Wines

TN : Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Chardonnay 2010, Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

The grapes for this wine come from vineyards at an altitude of 1200 metres. The vineyard soils were alluvial, sandy and shallow. The weather was cool and dry with a difference between night and day of 16 degrees. The wine was aged for nine months in 100% new French oak.

This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Moet Hennessy Sverige AB.  

Colour : Pale yellow, green hues

Aroma : Oak, vanilla, butter, pineappe, peach


Taste : Butter, oak, creamy texture, pear, pineapple, vanilla, lime


Alcohol : 14%

Price : 149 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 99488

Mark : B


Website : Terrazas de los Andes

TN : Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2011, Charles Smith Wines, Evergreen Vineyard, Columbia Valley, Washington State, U.S.A

This wine was sealed with a screwcap. This wine received 90 points from Wine Spectator.

This wine was imported by Klunk AB.

Colour : Pale yellow/straw

Aroma : Lime, pineapple, pear, minerals

Taste : Pear, peach, pineapple, mouthwatering sharp acidic mineral and lime finish

Alcohol : 11%

Systembolaget Number : 2690

Price : 119 SEK

Mark : B-


Website : Charles Smith Wines

Unusual Wine Labels at Weingut-Heuriger Alter Bach-Hengl, Grinzing, Vienna

I spotted these unusual labels on bottles for sale in the windows at Weingut-Heuriger Alter Bach-Hengl in Grinzing, Vienna in July 2012 :

Website : Weingut-Heuriger Alter Bach-Hengl

Grinzinger Heuriger July 2012

Here are some pictures of some wine taverns located in Grinzing on the outskirts of Vienna.