Chardonnay, Food and Wine Pairing, Gruner Vetliner, Sparkling Wine, Wine

T.G.I.F. Champagne and the like – 2005 Nigl Brut de Brut

Posted by Martin D. Redmond on

This week’s sparkler is from Austria. It’s my first Austrian wine, sparkling or otherwise.  According to the Wine Bible…”Austria makes the raciest, most exciting wines in central-eastern Europe”  That’s big claim since the region includes Germany which is known primarily for their Rieslings, and up and coming countries such as Croatia, Hungary, and Romania.   Austria is reputed to have great dry white wines, especially Grüner Vetliner, of which I’m a fan, and Riesling.  In fact, I sought out this sparkler because I thought it was a Grüner (a.k.a. Groovy, GV, GruVe).  It turned out it’s mostly Chardonnay (80%), with the balance being Grüner.

The producer, Nigl is well regarded.  In addition to the winery, Nigl also runs a restaurant*, and hotel*, so if you’re ever in Austria…

* Note: The website is in German.  Use Google Translate…it’s a great resource!

2005 Nigl Brut de Brut

Cost: $27

Region:>Austria>Niederösterreich>Kremstal

Variety – Chardonnay (80%);Grüner Vetliner (20%)

Dosage – Unknown

12% abv

Production method: Méthode Champenoise

My tasting notes follow:

Appearance: Very light straw color, almost clear with persistent stream of tiny bubbles.

Aromas: Yeast, and wet stone, with faint apple notes.

Body: Aggressive mousse, dry, crisp, with racy acidity.  

Taste: Tart apple with peach, and mineral notes.

Finish: Short

Pair with: The beauty of sparkling wines is their versatility with food. This one is no exception.  It’s enjoyable as an aperitif, and with food.  We enjoyed it with a variety of Thai food. It held up quite well against the spicier dishes. Try this one with Vietnamese as well.  I also think it would work well with spicy fried chicken and fixin’s (especially greens) too!

I enjoyed this one, but I didn’t enjoy it enough to recommend buying it at $27.  It made me want to taste a Gruner Vetliner dominant sparkler though.  Let the search begin!;-) 85 pt

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