Know Vino: Huber Hugo Gruner vetliner 2007

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

By Tyler Alford

When the ‘antifreeze scandal’ broke news in Austrian viticulture during the mid-80s, Markus Huber was hardly old enough to remember. His native country had previously risen to the world’s third leading wine producer by outsourcing the bulk of its grapes to be mixed and bottled in Germany. This over-industrialized production was yielding acidic and light wines that a few misguided brokers discovered could be enhanced with the addition of diethylene glycol; a hygroscopic liquid commonly found in antifreeze that gave the wine more body and sugars. Not surprisingly, the discovery (a result of a broker attempting to claim the chemical cost on a tax return) rocked the wine world and severely damaged Austria’s reputation.

Throughout Austria’s history conquering nations, obscure taxes, bans, mildew, and experimentation have each hindered the development of Austria’s wine industry. Some critics believe though, that the ‘antifreeze scandal’ helped the viticulture; giving Austrians the opportunity to reassess their productions and process.
Among those at the front of this change is Markus Huber, who took over the winemaking process at his family’s winery at the ripe age of 23.

The Huber Grüner Vetliner Hugo 2007 vintage is an example of classic Austrian grape in young and talented hands. The popular Grüner Vetliner grape accounts for 36 percent of wine production volume in Austria. Most Grüner Vetliner’s are produced for Heurigers, Austrian wine bars serving young local wines, but some of the best have competed with the finest French Chardonnays in blind taste tests.
For around $12, Hugo is very food-friendly with tastes of honey, lime and peaches.

There are also strong mineral notes throughout the wine, with a crisp peppery finish to pair excellently with fresh seafood dishes. Enjoy this wine with some fresh crab cakes and its most famous pairing; asparagus.  JHW


PERMALINK:
Know Vino: Huber Hugo Gruner vetliner 2007 | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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