In an unusual twist, the Gewürztraminer actually tied for Best White with another wine. “This was a bit controversial, since both wines received the same number of votes on the second round, and the Competition Masters (all guys), wanted a face-off. In typical female fashion, we judges unanimously insisted both wines were worthy, and why not make two winemakers happy instead of just one? If you want to understand the female brain, there is your biggest clue.” Ness, Laura “What do women Want in Wine?” Winebusiness.com, Nov 9, 2011, http://www.winebusiness.com/news/?go=getArticle&dataid=94219

Competition details at:
http://www.vwm-online.com/wine_competitions/international_womens/

9. A very kind Austrian gentleman gave us his car clock, which resembles a learn to tell time toy. There are no parking meters, so you set your clock ahead 90 minutes from when you arrive and avoid all our American coin fumbling.

8. When you fill up your diesel tank, you might wonder why so many cars are parked in the lot. That’s because some the patrons are fueling up on something else,  alcohol at the bar inside the gas station.

7. More on drinking, yes we did see two men enjoying a nice tall refreshing glass of beer at 08:30 (8:30am) breakfast. It must go better than coffee with rye bread and caraway.

6. Bread, rolls, shredded cabbage or white radish salad and even fresh pretzels all contain whole caraway seeds. Hint the “special spread”, which was the only translation we got, does subdue the caraway in breads and pretzels, use beer to kill the rest of the taste.

5. Animals are very weird. Rabbits are huge, deer are tiny and you’ll see well behaved dogs everywhere from restaurants to restrooms to rest stops.

4. If you rent a flat in an old building, keep in mind the first floor doesn’t count. Our second floor apartment was really on the third floor by my American math.

3. Beginning at midnight Holy Thursday, the church bells stop tolling and that was fine. But at 06:00 local children trot around the village shouting and playing ratchets to replace the bells until Easter. Don’t they know we’re on vacation and need to sleep?

2. A Heuriger, which is found in the courtyard of a winery, features tastings of the new vintages paired with cold cuts, cheeses and breads. You can spot the local ones by the tractors parked outside. And be sure to try salad (spaghetti thin strips of ham and cheese), tongue, blood sausage and raw bacon.

1. In a beer garden, even if your goal is to drink as much Gruner as possible, give it up for a bit. They only serve beer.

Thus, each year, at the first possible chance that my brothers and I can convince our parents to break away from the winery, my family along with our Labrador set out to select the perfect locally grown Christmas tree. This, of course, never fails to be a blistering cold snowy morning during which we must all bundle up to survive the hours it will take us to find the perfect tree. Every year, my mother pleads us to pick some small scraggly Charlie Brown tree. However, her pleas are to no avail; the rest of us quickly scurry up the hill to the tallest patch of trees. Then, my father stands next to the different trees and extends his arm as our traditional measure for the 12-footer that will fit perfectly into our living room. We inspect each tall giant and mark the ones we approve with a mitten or hat. Finally, after looking at all the different spruces, firs, and pines, everyone but the dog is tired. We manage to come to an agreement on some enormous tree bound to be difficult to get through our front door. My father fervently saws down the tree and drags it down the hill while the rest of us scurry to collect the articles of clothing we had shed on other trees. When the tree is loaded, we gleefully ride home, all the while my brothers and I not taking our eyes off the tree to ensure its safety. Once the tree finally gets positioned, we eagerly set out to decorate it appropriately with the many grape ornaments that my mother has collected.

Create Your Own Family Tradition:

Our winery is neighbor to some of the finest family owned tree farms in the country. Whether you’re looking for award winning trees, bouncy wagon rides or one of a kind gift shops, you can find it at our local tree farm recommendations:

Crystal Springs Tree Farm – http://www.cstreefarm.com/
DPS Trees – http://www.dpstrees.com/
Hill Farms – http://www.hillfarms.com/
Yenser’s Tree Farm – http://www.yenserstreefarm.com/YTF/Home.html

“I’ve been asked – as well as gone out of my way – to taste a lot of American wines sourced from recently-planted grape varieties associated with Austria, especially of course Grüner Veltliner (which growers around the world are now inquisitively and probably in many cases enviously testing) but black grapes, too.
I recently tasted two that stand out for purity and pleasure while making the point that less can sometimes be more. If your jaded palate craves something different for everyday drinking, snap up these bargains while they last, and mark their growers as worth your future attention.

Galen Glen 2008 Stone Cellar Grüner Veltliner
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
From 5 year old vines, the Troxells (Galen, Sarah, and Erin) have crafted a Grüner Veltliner brimming with Riesling-like white peach and tropical fruit. Snap pea and white peppery notes render its identity unmistakable. This is so refreshing and delicately balanced
it’s hard not to finish a bottle on your own. If one inserted it into a blind tasting of Weinviertler – though that’s hardly the point – it would be very interesting. (87)
(Price: $13.00!)

The Troxells grow an understated, simple, but clean and refreshingly lovely Zweigelt, too, offering a good example of the pure fruit virtues of this variety – and believe me, there are a lot of Austrian growers, including some well-known, who are either unable to express that or unwilling, due to too highfalutin ideas about what to do with this grape!”

Posted by David Schildknecht, Senior Executive Oenophile
Mark Squires’ Bulletin Board on eRobertParker.com – Americans do Austrian
Other wine reviewed in same post was Shady Lane Cellars 2008 Blue Franc Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan

Expect this trend to continue:
Galen’s (Vineyard Manager) Comments from the 2010 growing season – An early start in April, followed by warm summer days and cool August nights created optimal fruit ripening conditions. Uniformity is key; with every vine, every cluster, and every berry, we are intent on achieving perfect harmony from our vineyard to grow wine that reflects our soil, micro-climate and dedication to grape farming.
Notes from Sarah’s (Winemaker) 2010 fermentations – Grüner is an explosion of intense flavors and aromatics matched with higher alcohol. Zweigelt, only in its fourth leaf, displays distinctive cherry and concentrated color.
Erin’s (Aspiring Vineyard Owner) Reflections for 2010 – With a dual degree from Cornell University and a summer internship in Germany, a growing season on the family farm seemed appropriate. Grape farming conditions in PA are demanding and unforgiving, requiring a combination of formal education and a backbone of practical knowledge.