Nick Dobson Wines Weinviertel

Weinviertel The Weinviertel, or "Wine-Quarter" is a large region to the north of Vienna, extending as far as the border with the Czech republic. It's an oddball region in that, although it is Austria's largest wine region, it doesn't really seem like wine country as you travel around it. It's not a vinous monoculture as are some of the other regions; vines are scattered amongst other crops, and are often nowhere to be seen. They thrive in those parts of the region where conditions are favourable, which is far from everywhere. You can often drive for miles without seeing a vine. It's a relatively flat region, with undulating hills rather than anything more dramatic. Wines are principally white, with Grüner Veltliner dominating, but many varieties are grown, and production of really good quality reds is on the increase. Despite being the largest Austrian wine producing region, it's been a bit of a backwater, with the result that it's a good place to get value for money. It's a fascinating region architecturally, with mediaeval gems of towns such as Retz, with its's stunning renaissance and baroque centre, and miles of underground wine cellars, which can be visited. In 2003, Weinviertel was the first region to adopt a new classification system - "Weinviertel DAC" - where DAC stands for "Districtus Austriae Controllatus". This is a bit like the French AOC system, and DAC is now being adopted in other Austrian regions.

Weingut Familie Zull

The Zull family vineyard is located in Schrattenthal, which is the smallest winemaking community in Austria. Early records indicate wine was made here as early as 1220, and by the middle ages, the microclimate around Schrattenthal was already well known as being ideal for growing grapes; dry and hot summer days, with cooler nights during the ripening period gives the wines power and elegance. The adjacent Manhartsberg protects the gentle hills from cold winds. The Zull family produces an excellent range of red and white wines on several sites totalling 17 hectares, each with it's own individual character. Soils vary; Rieslings are grown on thin soil over mineral bedrock, and are strongly mineral in character; Grüner Veltliner and the red grapes are grown on sand and Löss, and elsewhere clay loam soils are found in the vineyards used for Chardonnay.

Grüner Veltliner 2007 Lust und Laune Weingut Familie Zull Schrattenthal
Ref: 4380006

"Lust und Laune" translates loosely as "Joy and Fun" and this sums up this wine very well. It's a fresh zesty GV - very pale green, with fruit, spice and minerals on the nose. On the palate it's light, fresh, and zesty, with a creamy texture and good acidity. Good length. Good with all sorts of fish & seafood dishes and white meats. 11% ABV, 5g/litre residual sugar. Drink chilled at 10-11 dec C.

Price: £10.30 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Grüner Veltliner 2007 Weinviertel DAC Weingut Familie Zull Schrattenthal
Ref: 4380007

This wine is made from grapes grown on 3 seperate sites around Schrattenthal, mainly on sandy clay soils. It's a light golden yellow, with a nose of spice and minerals; on the palate it's quite full, powerful, with spice, fruit, and a creamy texture.

4-star Highly Recommended in Decanter Magazine's June '09 review of 2007 GVs from all over Austria.

Price: £12.40 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Riesling 2007 Innere Bergen Weingut Familie Zull Schrattenthal
Ref: 4380008

This Riesling is a single vineyard wine, from a south-facing site on an outcrop of urgestein soils. It's a pale yellow, with a nose of fragrant of flowers and ripe stone fruit, and a hint of smoke. On the palate it is juicy, with yellow stone fruit and minerals, a creamy texture and lively acidity. Needs a few minutes in the glass to open up; long powerful finish.

Price: £16.60 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Blauer Portugieser 2008 Lust und Laune Weingut Familie Zull Schrattenthal
Ref: 4380023

A classic Blauer Portugieser from Zull; nice depth of colour, with creamy fruit and some spice on the nose, good body, dry, soft, and fruity with soft gentle tannins and good length. Good value for money.

Price: £11.35 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Schrattenthal 9 2006 Weingut Familie Zull Schrattenthal
Ref: 4380010

Zull's top red wine, and one which Phillip Zull says is modelled on red Bordeaux. It's made from the very best grapes from the pick of Zull's Schrattenthal sites, and is a blend of Zweigelt (70%), Merlot (20%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). The grapes were hand -picked at the end of October 2006, and underwent 30 days maceration followed by 14 months in oak. ABV 13.5%, acidity 5.5g/litre, residual sugar 2g/litre.

This is a big wine to be sure; a powerful nose of dark berry fruit, spice, and tobacco; on the palate complex, packed with lots of juicy dark berry fruit. Very round and harmonius, with robust tannins. Huge length. A good match for game and strongly flavoured meat dishes; deer, beef fillet, roasted shoulder of lamb, or duck breast.

Very limited stock.

Price: £20.55 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Welschriesling 2007 Weingut Breitenfelder Kleinriedenthal, Retz
Ref: 4380011

A light zesty and very fruity wine, with green apple and citrus aromas and flavours. Classic Welschriedling; serve chilled 8-10 deg C. A fantastic summer wine.

Price: £10.30 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Grüner Veltliner 2007 Weingut Breitenfelder Kleinriedenthal, Retz
Ref: 4380015

TN in preparation.

Price: £11.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Chardonnay 2007 Weingut Breitenfelder Kleinriedenthal, Retz
Ref: 4380016

TN in preparation.

Price: £11.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Chardonnay 2008 Weingut Breitenfelder Kleinriedenthal, Retz
Ref: 4380025

TN in preparation.

Price: £12.40 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Blauer Zweigelt 2007 Weingut Breitenfelder Kleinriedenthal, Retz
Ref: 4380017

Deep, powerful garnet red, with fruity-spicy aromas. Tight-bodied on the palate, with lots of dark fruit and pleasant grippy tannins. Complex, long finish. Superb value.

Price: £11.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Blauer Portugieser 2007 Weingut Breitenfelder Kleinriedenthal, Retz
Ref: 4380018

Intense ruby red. Pleasantly fruity aroma of red berries. Expressive and fruity with a velvety soft body. A nice example of a Blauer Portugieser.

Price: £10.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Riedenthal Reserve 2007 Weingut Breitenfelder Kleinriedenthal, Retz
Ref: 4380019

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zweigelt. Barrel-aged for 12 months. Ripe fruit with subtle toasty aromas and dark berry flavours; dense and compact with fine tannins. Good length. Ideal with game & dark meat dishes, stews.

Price: £15.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Gelber Muskateller 2007 Weinbau Urban Wullersdorf
Ref: 4380012

A delightfully fresh fruity Muskateller from Andreas Urban in Wullersdorf. Grapey, floral, aromatic - everything a fresh Muskateller should be. Brilliant summer wine.

Price: £11.15 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Gelber Muskateller 2008 Weinbau Urban Wullersdorf
Ref: 4380024

A delightfully fresh fruity Muskateller from Andreas Urban in Wullersdorf. Grapey, floral, aromatic - everything a fresh Muskateller should be. Brilliant summer wine.

Price: £11.95 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Grüner Veltliner Premium 2007 Weinbau Urban Wullersdorf
Ref: 4380014

This is a splendid Grüner Veltliner, which very definitely ticks all the right boxes. It's a very pale golden yellow, with a powerful nose of spice and minerals. It explodes in the mouth, gushing with masses of fruit, pepper, and those minerals again, with good acidity; it's lively and zesty, with a superb long finish. Really good stuff, would work very well with pork, schnitzel, or flavoursome fish dishes in a creamy sauce. A real success, and a credit to it's maker.

This wine was awarded a prize in the "Salon of best Austrian Wines" competition - to achieve this it has to pass three rounds of blind tastings by seasoned professionals.

Price: £11.95 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Neuburger 2007 Halblehen Weingut Hofbauer
Ref: 4380013

**(*)

Everything Neuburger shouldn't be! Neuburger is a grape with relatively low acidity, and poorer examples can seem rather flat and flabby. Not this one - possibly the best everyday Neuburger I've tasted - it has an aromatic nose, floral, with rose petals and some minerals, and on the palate a real buzz - there's a lot going on in this wine - it's very full-bodied, with tropical flavours, and a real liveliness and bite, good acidity, and a little spritz, followed with minerals, hazlenuts, and a hint of honey on the long finish. This is a serious wine at an everyday wine price, very pleasant indeed, good on its own or with food - try it with freshwater fish, schnitzel, or white meats - it partners well with pork chops.

Price: £11.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Neuburger 2007 Halblehen Weingut Hofbauer

Grüner Veltliner 2006 Hundsleiten R & A Pfaffl Stetten
Ref: 4380000

Hundsleiten is the flagship GV from Pfaffl; it's the name of a south-facing vineyard in the hills of the southern Weinviertel to the north of Vienna. The wine spends some time in large oak barrels, imparting a depth of flavour and body not found in many similar wines.

The wine is a medium golden yellow with green tinges, with a nose of minerals, smoke, and sharp green vegetables. On the palate it's full, fleshy, warming, and spicy, with flavours of white pepper and lentils, with hints of green orchard fruit and orangepeel. Very long on the finish, with warm spice and fleshy GV flavours to the fore. A flexible food-match, but especially good with veal dishes. 13.5% ABV.

Price: £13.40 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Grüner Veltliner 2006 Goldjoch R & A Pfaffl Stetten
Ref: 4380001

This premium GV has bright golden yellow colour, with a nose of peppery spice and orchard fruit. On the palate this wine is full-bodied and lively; a big GV with lots of fruit and a creamy texture, well suited to accompanying food. The oak-aging shows not overtly but through the body - you might not realise this was oaked. Good length, again spicy/peppery.

Would go well with veal/pork/cream sauces/Asian food. 14% ABV.

Price: £15.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Riesling 2006 Terrassen Sonnleiten R & A Pfaffl Stetten
Ref: 4380002

The Sonnleiten terraces with their barren, rocky soil are exceptional for the area around Stetten, and outstandingly suited to this Riesling, a wine the Pfaffl family are very proud of. On the nose a fresh smell of apricots; on the palate the Urgesteinsboden of the vineyard manifests itself in a fine mineral taste, vital and subtle, exceptionally intense yet elegant, with flavours of white peach and melon. Good food match with poultry, white meat, and asparagus. ABV 12.5%

Price: £13.40 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Riesling 2005 Am Berg R & A Pfaffl Stetten
Ref: 4380003

"Am Berg", is the name of this distinct hillside, whose warm, porous soil allows the rainwater to drain away quickly, allowing high maturity free of botrytis.

Distinctively yellow gold, exotic smell of melon and papaya combined with nuances of mature stone-fruit, a light touch of sweetness together with good acidity on the palate create an elegant yet powerful wine rich in extracts. Long finish; goes well with pastries, goose liver and Asian cuisine. 13.5% ABV.

Price: £20.55 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Eiswein 2006 37.5cl Grüner Veltliner Weingut Diem Obermarksdorf, Weinviertel
Ref: 4380020

A pale golden yellow, with a nose of citrus and honey with some mineral layers. Rich on the palate, with sharply defined sweet fruit flavours, clear GV character, with white citrus fruit, some white pepper, and minerals. Huge length.

Available now.

Price: £23.50 (Including VAT at 17.5%)

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Pumpkin Seed Oil 500ml Biohof Gehringer Guntersdorf Weinviertel
Ref: 4380026

**(*)

An organically produced pumpkin seed oil in half-liter bottles from Biohof Gehringer in Guntersdorf.This property has been run on organic lines since 1977, and current owner Wilfried Gehringer has been at the helm since 2001. The property was recently the recipient of a coveted sustainable farming award. We have a VERY small amount of this and I am limiting each customer to 2 bottles.

What is it?

Pumpkin seed oil is a traditional Austrian speciality; most comes from the Austrian province of Styria but it is also produced elsewhere. The seeds are scooped from the pumpkin, washed, roasted, and finally mashed and pressed, yielding the oil. The best oils are made by hand. It's the product of a particular kind of pumpkin, smaller than those we get in the UK, and green with yellow stripes rather than orange. Due to its quite unique taste it's the perfect refinement for a wide range of dishes. It's also considered a valuable contribution to a healthy diet. The high quality and authenticity of this special oil are carefully monitored using a stringent Quality Assurance system.

What It Tastes Like and How It's Used

At its best, it tastes like an essence of the seed - dark, intense, viscous; a little goes a long way. In Austria it is used as a condiment; you dip your bread in it, you can use it in salad dressings (in which case you mix it with some extra-virgin olive oil if you find the flavour too powerful); there are doubtless many other uses.

Storing and Handling

The oil is a natural product and therefore needs careful treatment. It is best stored at approx. 15 °C. If you decide to store your pumpkin seed oil in the fridge, we recommend that you take it out a few minutes prior to dressing your salads. In this way, the oil can adjust to room temperature and develop its full aroma. If the oil is overheated it goes rancid. Shelf-life if stored properly is about a year from bottling.

Seed oil stains

There's no need to panic if a few drops of seed oil have fallen on your white blouse or shirt: here, nature takes a hand in removing the stains. The stains simply need to be exposed to direct sunlight and the green colour will fade away completely.

THIS PRODUCT IS ZERO-RATED FOR VAT.

Price: £15.00

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Pumpkin Seed Oil 500ml Biohof Gehringer Guntersdorf Weinviertel