CERCLE DIPLOMATIQUE - issue 04/2015

SAVOIR VIVRE AUSTRIAN SPARKLING WINE
Herkunft bürgt für Qualität | The origin stands for quality
Oben: Im Sektkeller von
Schlumberger werden die
Flaschen einzeln handgerüttelt.
Unten: Willi Bründlmayer
macht bereits seit 1989
Sekt.
Top: In the cellars, each of
the Schlumberger bottles
are hand shaken.
Below: Since 1989, Willi
Bründlmayer is producing
Sekt.
INFO
Gutes im Glas
A good glass
kattus.at
schlumberger.at
bruendlmayer.at
weingut-steininger.at
loimer.at
szigeti.at
polz.co.at
ebner-ebenauer.at
As so many times before, love was to blame.
After completing his training in the French
city of Reims, Robert Schlumberger, a cellarmaster
from Stuttgart, fell in love with Sophie Keller
from Vienna and followed her to her home. He acquired
his own vineyards and, starting in 1859, produced
delicious Sekt which he made using the bottle
fermentation method that he had learned in the
Champagne region. Schlumberger was quickly appointed
purveyor to the imperial court and even
made Buckingham Palace overflow with enthusiasm,
as Queen Victoria learned to know and love Schlumberger
Sekt at the World Exhibition in 1862.
International business collapsed with the outbreak
of the First World War. In Austria, domestic
sparkling wine still enjoyed much popularity – at
least for particular occasions. To this day, the beloved
custom is to celebrate New Year‘s Eve with a glass of
Sekt. In the 1990s, Sekt was gradually and mostly replaced
by the Italian Prosecco as an aperitif.
Renaissance of winemaker’s Sekt
The rise of Sekt as a top product began in 1989
when Willi Bründlmayer bottled his first Brut in Lower
Austria. „My wife comes from France and her
fondness for champagne became too expensive. So I
decided to make my own type of champagne – Sekt
– but of course it had to be good enough to represent
an attractive alternative for her fine taste,“ explains
the top winemaker with a wink.
Karl Steininger also comes from Langenlois and
has specialised in making single variety Sekt. These
are slightly more powerful and convince with primary
aromas. Steininger has been bottling single vinyard
Sekt for a few years now, producing Riesling
Heiligenstein and Grüner Veltliner Steinhaus, which
express the two prime terroirs in Kamptal in an elegant
way.
The two pairs of brothers, Peter and Norbert Szigeti
in Burgenland as well as Erich and Walter Polz
in Styria, have dedicated their passion to Sekt production.
The drier, the better
Most sparkling wines in the world receive a sweet
‘dosage’ to make them more accessible and palatable.
The downside, however, is that the terroir of the base
wines recedes into the background.
This is why winemakers who are dedicated to
bringing out the special character of their wines use
PHOTO: SZIGETI, KATTUS, BRÜNDLMAYER, STEININGER, SCHLUMBERGER
the lowest possible dosage. If it is dispensed with entirely,
one then speaks of an „Ultra“ or „Extra Brut“
Sekt. Both Bründlmayer and since recently Fred Loimer
(Langenlois) have such extra dry Sekt in their
selection.
An extra long ripening period is used for the
Blanc de Blancs from the Ebner-Ebenauer estate. „In
2006, we started to develop our Chardonnay as a
sparkling wine. When we tasted it for the first time
nine months later, we were disappointed. Two years
later it was ok, in its fifth year terrific,“ says Marion
Ebner-Ebenauer. Their patience was rewarded with
winning the 2008 vintage category at this year’s
GaultMillau sparkling wine tasting.
Bubbles with an economic factor
From the Day of Austrian Sekt (traditionally in
the third week of October) until the end of the year,
around 12 million bottles Sekt are consumed. This is
usually 45 per cent of the total annual amount. The
Austrian Sekt Committee now is taking care of better
visibility and presence in Austria as well as all over
the world.
Ball
~ der ~
Wiener
Sängerknaben
Samstag,
16. Jänner 2016
Kursalon Hübner
Nach einem zwei Jahre währenden Prozess der Qualitätsjustierung durch das Österreichische
Sektkomitee gibt es nun eine Definition: die Qualitätspyramide für österreichischen Qualitätssekt.
Klassik, Reserve und Große Reserve kennzeichnen die drei Stufen der neuen Einteilung.
Alle Produkte der Qualitätspyramide sind geschützten Ursprungs. Die Basiskategorie Klassik
garantiert vor allem die Herkunft der Trauben aus einem österreichischen Bundesland. Ab der
zweiten Stufe, Reserve, muss ausschließlich nach der traditionellen Methode (Flaschengärung)
produziert werden. Die Trauben müssen hier in einem generischen Weinbaugebiet (Bundesland)
gelesen und gepresst werden. Für die Große Reserve dürfen die Trauben nur in einer einzigen
Weinbaugemeinde gelesen und ebenfalls mit Flaschengärung nach dieser bezeichnet werden
(wie Poysdorf, Langenlois, Gols, Gamlitz), wobei Lagenbezeichnungen möglich sind. Die drei
Kategorien unterscheiden sich zudem durch die Reifedauer auf der Hefe von 9, 18 und
36 Monaten. Bester Sekt aus Österreich ist eben auch eine Sache der Geduld.
After a two-year process of quality adjustment by the Austrian Sekt Committee, there is now an
agreement: the quality pyramid for Austrian quality Sekt. Classic, Reserve and Grand Reserve
now characterise the three stages of the new classification. All products in the quality pyramid
are from protected origin. The base category Classic mainly guarantees the origin of the grapes
from a federal province. From the second stage onward, Reserve, production must exclusively
be carried out using the traditional method (bottle fermentation). The grapes must be
harvested and pressed in a generic wine-growing region (federal province). For the Grand
Reserve, the grapes are only allowed to be harvested in a single wine-growing community and,
using bottle-fermentation, are to refer to their community (such as Poysdorf, Langenlois, Gols,
Gamlitz), whereas vineyard names are also allowed. The three categories also differ by the
ripening period with yeast for 9, 18 and 36 months. After all, the best Austrian Sekt is also a
matter of patience.
oesterreichsekt.at
Foto: lukasbeck.com
Gastland 2016:
Bosnien und Herzegowina
Karten- und Tischreservierung ab sofort unter:
01 347 80 80
http://ball.wsk.at
100 Cercle Diplomatique 4/2015