The 13th Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) took place in Vienna, Austria, July 14 – 18, 2019.
The American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to encouraging and communicating economic research and analyses and exchanging ideas in wine economics. The Association’s principal activities include publishing a refereed journal — The Journal of Wine Economics — and staging scholarly conferences that are forums for current wine related economic research. Members of AAWE are economists from around the world — in academia, business, government, and research.
I have published 4 book reviews in the Journal of Wine Economics in the past few years:
Book Review by Christian Schiller in Journal of Wine Economics (Vol 11, No 3): MARK E. RICARDO: Simply Burgundy: A Practical Guide to Understanding the Wines of Burgundy. Mark E. Ricardo Book, 2014, 56 pp., ISBN 978-0990513704 Q4 (paperback), $12.99
Book Review by Christian Schiller in Journal of Wine Economics (Vol 11, No 2): JOHN WINTHROP HAEGER: Riesling Rediscovered: Bold, Bright and Dry. University of California Press, Oakland, 2016, 369 pp., ISBN 978-0-520-27545-4, $39.95
Book Review of "Wine Atlas of Germany" in Vol 10, No 1, 2015 of Journal of Wine Economics (Cambridge University Press)
Christian G.E. Schiller's Review of the Book: Ralf Frenzel (ed.) - Riesling, Robert Weil. Tre Torri, Wiesbaden, Germany, 2013, in: Journal of Wine Economics, Volume 9, 2014, No. 1, Cambridge University Press
This year's Annual Conference in Vienna, Austria, was organized in cooperation with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna and the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland. The program focussed on about 150 wine-related research papers by participants and included 2 wine tours: Tour Burgenland and Tour Lower Austria (Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Wagram).
See also: Venice, Padua and the Wines of Veneto: Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Italy, 2017
I am preparing 4 postings:
Vienna, Economics and Wine: The 13th Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Vienna, Austria, July 14 – 18, 2019
Vineyard and Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Sommer, Donnerskrichen, Burgenland, Austria, with Leo Sommer - The 13th Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Vienna, Austria, July 14 – 18, 2019
Vineyard and Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Esterházy, Trausdorf and der Wulka, Burgenland, Austria, with Mag. Gerald Rouschal - The 13th Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Vienna, Austria, July 14 – 18, 2019
Tasting in the Vineyard at Weingut Jamek, Joching, Wachau, Austria, with Herwig Jamek - The 13th Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Vienna, Austria, July 14 – 18, 2019
Vineyard and Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Geyerhof, Furth bei Göttweig, Kremstal, Austria, with Josef Maier - The 13th Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Vienna, Austria, July 14 – 18, 2019
The Annual Conference of the American Association of Wine Economists (AAWE) in Vienna, Austria
Day 1 (July 14)
Annette and I flew in from Frankfurt in the morning and spent the day touring Vienna.
We had a second breakfast at Buffet Trześniewski, famous for its Brötchen (and opposite of the legendary Café Hawelka).
See also:
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Wine and Coffee with Guenther Hawelka at Café Hawelka (and at Buffet Trzésniewski) in Vienna, Austria
For lunch, we went to Zum Schwarzen Kameel. See also: Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Evening: Welcome Reception
In the evening we attended the AAWE Welcome Reception at the University of Vienna.
The wines of 4 members of the respekt-BIODYN winemaker association were poured:
Weingut Feiler-Artinger, Rust, Burgenland
Weingut Wieninger, Vienna
Weingut Fred Loimer, Langenlois, Kamptal
Weingut Anita & Hans Nittnaus, Gols, Burgenland - See also: Meeting “John” Nittnaus from Gols, Burgenland, Austria
Before returning to the hotel, Annette and I had a final glass of wine and a soup at Café Landtmann on the Ringstrasse, another Vienna Institution.
We stayed at the Austria Trend Hotel Rathauspark.
Day 2 (July 15)
Conference
The conference took place at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna. On the fist day, about 1/3 of the approximately 150 papers were presented in parallel sessions.
Evening: Gala Dinner at Palais Ferstel
The day ended with a Gala Dinner at the Palais Ferstel, hosted by Willi Klinger of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board.
Palais Ferstel was originally built as a National Bank and stock exchange building in 1860. It was constructed by Baron Heinrich von Ferstel. The design of the building is reminiscent of early Florentine Renaissance architecture.
See also: Willi Klinger Leads Tasting of Austria's Undiscovered Stars at EWBC 2010 in Vienna
Day 3 (July 16)
Conference
The remaining 2/3 of the approximately 150 wine-related research papers were presented and discussed on the second conference day in parallel sessions.
Evening: Dinner in Donnerskirchen, Burgenland, with 5 Winemakers
For dinner, the AAWE Conference participants went to Donnerskirchen in the Burgenland, about an hour away from Vienna by bus, where we had a barbeque meal with local specialities.
5 wineries from the area presented their wines to us:
Weingut Prieler, with Georg Prieler - See also: Lunch with Silvia Prieler, Weingut Prieler, Schuetzen am Gebirge, Austria
Weingut Bayer, with Michael Bayer
Weingut Sommer, with Leo Sommer jr.
Weingut Lingenfeld, with Michael Liegenfeld
Weingut Salzl, with Christoph Salzl
Day 4 (July 17)
Tour Burgenland
On the fourth day, we went on a day trip to Burgenland. We were divided into 3 groups. We all had lunch togather at the University of Applied Science Burgenland but went to different wineries. My group visited Weingut Sommer in Donnerskirchen in the morning and Weingut Esterházy, Trausdorf and der Wulka, in the afternoon.
wine-searcher: Burgenland is a large wine-producing region on the eastern border of Austria. Despite the country's image as the producer of some of the world's finest white wines, Austria is also home to a thriving red wine culture: Burgenland, with its sunny, continental summers, is the country's key red wine region, with its wines based mainly on the Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt grape varieties. Sweet, botrytized wines are also a specialty of the region, particularly in the terroir surrounding the Neusiedlersee lake.
The region occupies a narrow strip of land that runs from the Danube River down to Steiermark in the south. On its eastern side is the border with Hungary, and to the west lies the most eastern foothills of the Alps. Steiermark aside, Burgenland is one of Austria's southernmost wine regions, and topographically is more aligned with Hungary than with much of the rest of Austria.
Vineyard and Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Sommer, Donnerskrichen, Burgenland, Austria, with Leo Sommer
Weingut Sommer is a family-run winery in Donnerskirchen, on the southeast slopes of the Leithagebirge. The Sommer family has been making wine there since 1689. Currently the vineyard area totals 30 hectares, with Leo Sommer junior, our host, at the helm of the winery.
Lunch at the University of Applied Sciences in Burgenland
We had a student lunch at the cafeteria of the University of Applied Sciences in Burgenland, with a presentation of Burgenland wines.
Vineyard and Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Esterházy, Trausdorf an der Wulka, Burgenland, Austria, with Mag. Gerald Rouschal
weinbauer.com: The history of the House of Esterházy goes back to the 13th century. The princely line was founded in 1687 by Emperor Leopold I. The ancestral family seat – the baroque Esterházy palace in Eisenstadt – was designed by the Italian architect, Carlone, and completed in 1683.
Along with their high level of education and interest in art, music and science, the Esterházy princes were known also for their magnificent royal household. Even the well-pampered Johann Wolfgang von Goethe raved about a “fairy tale kingdom” during his visit to one of the Esterházy festivities. Empress Maria Theresia loved the wine that was born from the mild climate of the lake and refined in the Esterházy cellars. And the world-famous composer, Joseph Haydn, wanted to have part of his salary as the court musician paid in wine which was recorded in 1789. Wine-growing has been in the genes of the House of Esterházy for more than 250 years, and it has evolved to today‘s standard with the opening in 2006 of the new winery, with its state of the art equipment and presentation rooms near Eisenstadt.
65 hectares.
Evening: Heurigen Tour
In the evening, Annette and I went on a Heurigen Tour in Vienna.
That any wine comes from Vienna seems strange on the face of it. Great urban centers are not known for their vineyards, beyond a novelty vineyard here and there. But the capital of Austria is different. Around 500 vintners grow vine on around 700 hectares, all within the city limits. Indeed, Vienna has its own appellation and is one of Austria’s 4 major wine regions, with Niederoesterreich, Burgenland and Steiermark, though by far the smallest.
Most of the Viennese wine is consumed in the about 100 Wiener Heurigen. The word “Heurige” means “the wine of the current year” – and this is what you drink there: the Heurigen owner’s wine of the last vintage, often coming in a jar.
Although the Viennese Heurigen are the most famous in the world, you find them in all Austrian (and German) wine regions. Grinzing is the most famous and consequently the most touristy. Next most popular are the nearby areas of Heiligenstadt and Nussdorf. Less touristy alternatives include Sievering and Neustift am Walde. Another option is to cross over the Danube and head for the village of Stammersdorf, and its immediate neighbour Strebersdorf.
We went to 2 Heurigen:
Mayer am Pfarrplatz: Large Heuriger, where Beethoven used to live. Here, I had a Wiener Schnitzel. See: With the WienWein Winemakers in Vienna in the Heurigen Drinking Gemischter Satz Wine
Zawodsky: Reinischgasse 3. Classic simple Heuriger, with benches set out in a lovely orchard garden with fantastic views over Vienna. We had half a liter of the white "Heurigen", which was a field blend.
Day 5 (July 18)
Tour Lower Austria - Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal, Wagram
On the last day, we went on a day trip to the Wachau, Kamptal, Kremstal and Wagram, all smaller sub-regions of Niederösterreich/ Lower Austria. We were divided into 4 groups.
We all had lunch togather in Dürnstein.
My group visited Weingut Jamek, Joching, Wachau, before lunch and Weingut Geyerhof, Furth bei Göttweig, Kremstal, after lunch.
Wachau
wine-searcher: Wachau is a small but important wine district on the Danube River in northern Austria. It follows the Danube for roughly 20 miles (33km) until Krems-an-der-Donau, the fifth-largest city in Lower Austria and the commercial hub for Wachau and its neighboring districts Kremstal and Kamptal. One of Austria's most famous and respected wine regions, Wachau is known for its full-bodied, pepper-tinged Grüner Veltliner and rich, steely Riesling.
Most Wachau vineyards are located on steep (often terraced) hillsides above the Danube – a naturally sunny location where warm summer temperatures are stabilized slightly by the river below. The most flavorful Wachau wines come from vineyards perched on sun-drenched, south-facing terraces.
Wachau's steep, sweeping, vineyard-lined riverbanks could easily be mistaken for those of Germany's Mosel, even if the wines could not: classic Wachau Rieslings taste richer, riper and more tropical than their counterparts from the cooler, wetter Mosel. They have much more in common with the richest Rieslings of Alsace and Pfalz.
Wachau Grüner Veltliner is arguably the most iconic of all Austrian wine styles in the modern day. Racy, aromatic and intense, these wines are marked by zesty citrus notes and a chlorophyll-tinged zing of white pepper. Neighboring Kremstal and Kamptal are the only other regions on Earth capable of producing Grüner Veltliner like this.
Wachau lies outside of Austria's DAC classifications: instead, the terms Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd are commonly found on bottles of white Wachau wine. This three-tier wine-style classification was developed by the region's producers as a way of communicating the style of their wines, beyond region and grape variety. Steinfeder wines are the lightest: fresh and tangy, with a maximum of 11.5% ABV. The term means "stone feather", and is the name of a wispy, feather-like grass that grows on Wachau's stony terraces. Federspiel wines are the middleweight category (11.5–12.5% ABV), with the racy, precise, elegance of a hunting falcon; federspiel means "falconry". Smaragd wines are the richest and fullest-bodied, with a minimum of 12% ABV. Smaragd translates literally as "emerald" but refers here to a distinctive, emerald-green lizard which basks on the warmest of Wachau's sun-baked stone terraces.
Tasting in the Vineyard at Weingut Jamek, Joching, Wachau, Austria, with Herwig Jamek
winesolutions.com: The late Joseph Jamek is known in the Wachau and greater Austria as the pioneering leader of quality wine production and the father of the modern-day style of dry Wachau wines. For those not familiar with Jamek, especially my fellow Americans, you can think of him like Robert Mondavi and what he did for the Napa Valley. Jamek came to be a winemaker later in his life, but it was still early times for modern vini and viticulture in the Wachau. Jamek’s first single vineyard wine was the 1959 Ried Klaus Riesling bottled in 1960. In the Wachau at the time of Jamek’s rise, the Wachau was not known for dry wines and loaded the sweet wines they already made with a sugar additive that boosted the sweetness level even further. Dry wines existed but were mostly for personal consumption according to a few people I spoke to on my visit.
Joseph had a keen palate for fine and dry wines and decided that was the style of wine he wanted to pursue, which today is now the dominant style of wine made throughout the Wachau and all of Austria in regards to Gruner Veltliner and Riesling. Today his legacy lives on with his family farming and tending to 27 hectares of vines in the Wachau, one of the largest landholders in the region.
We met the good Dr. Herwig Jamek, grandson-in-law of Joseph, in the reception house that houses the wine tasting room and the restaurant. He asked what I wanted to see, graciously allowing me to select the details of the visit. Vineyards, of course, were first and then I asked to see the remaining parts that bring the wines to life and tell the story of Jamek.
Being a father himself of 4 girls, one which was a similar age to Camille, was a happy coincidence. Herwig already had a car seat in his van that we hopped into to see the vineyards. Camille took to him pretty easily handling and adjusting the car seat for her and off we went. We drove down the Danube a few minutes and then took a small road that wound up the terraces to the crown jewel of Joseph Jamek, Ried Klaus. This was my first encounter with one of the special “Ried” vineyard designations that look like a small religious monument at the foot of specific vineyards. Think of “Ried” as a high-quality designation like Cru, or more specifically Grand Cru.
The gate of Achleiten and looking up through the gate to the Achleiten vineyard, maybe the most famous “Ried” or Cru vineyards in the Wachau.
Klaus was my first look at serious Wachau vines, terraces and grape bunches of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner. The upper portion of Ried Klaus is hard rock gneiss for the Riesling and the lower portions are a mix of gneiss with loess and other more alluvial soils keen for Gruner Veltliner. Adjacent to Ried Achleiten, Ried Klaus faces south, south-east looking down river to Kremstal and across to Mautern and then upriver west to Spitz.
We meandered down a few terraces to a set of terrace walls Herwig wanted to show me as they were in the midst of being rebuilt from a landslide. This was very important and extremely informative as it showed how back breaking the work is to maintain and build these walls.
What happened was the wall buckled and gave way from years of pressure and ultimately rainwater in a storm that built up behind the wall. The portion that broke was composed of masonry binding with cement between the rocks that made up the bricks of a thinner wall. This terrace method has been mostly abandoned as the cement allows no flexibility or drainage under stress and the walls tend to break like a levee. Instead, what we now see are walls that are deeper front to back with longer or wider stones. To seal them smaller stones are wedges in like stoppers to effectively lock the rocks in place. This allows for water drainage so the pressure on the wall is much less. Maintenance is required for some upkeep but the work an effort over time is less.
Back at the Weingut, we toured the winemaking facilities and cellars, adorned with ornate carvings on the large wood tanks that adorn many Wachau Weingut. We saw the family home and the original restaurant that started it all decades ago as one of the early marriages of wine and food that are so common here.
Amongst the family was a heart-warming gesture, they were providing a home for a Syrian refugees family displaced by the terrible war ravaging that country. I was already a fan but this just made me like Jamek so much more.
We finished the visit with a wonderful lunch in the main restaurant which is also the family home on the upper floors. It is here we tasted the wonderful portfolio of wines, tasting the best Federspiel Gruner Veltliner of the trip and one of the best Weissburgunder that had a little age and showed the stuffing to be a long-term ager. Herwig showed us the original Riedel wine glasses that Joseph had commissioned specifically for his wines which really now the gold standard of style in the Wachau. True and original wine antiques they were delicate with a long and medium-sized flit bowl, which a short stem.
I was so excited and enamored with the visit and a little late to get Camille back for her nap I forgot to buy some wines which was a huge mistake as they are not easy to find here back in the US.
Should you be in the Wachau I can’t recommend a visit to Jamek more. You can even stay at the property in a few of the apartments that are fairly priced and nicely appointed.
A bientot!
-Tom
Lunch
For lunch the 4 groups met at the Klosterkeller Dürnstein, Wachau.
Interestingly, the Klosterkeller serves only wines of Martin Mittelbach, Weingut Tegernseehof, Wachau, who I know quite well from his frequent visits to the Washington DC area. See: Martin Mittelbach from the "Tegernseehof" and Klaus Wittauer from "KWSelection" Presented Tegernseehof Wines and Stefan Trummer and Chef Austin Fausett from “Trummer’s on Main” in Clifton Austrian Appetizers at the Austrian Embassy in Washington DC, USA
Kremstal
wine-searcher: Kremstal is a small, prestigious wine district at the very heart of Austria's top winemaking zone. On either side of it lie the aristocracy of Austrian wine regions; to the northeast is Kamptal, to the southwest, Wachau. As implied in its name, Kremstal centers around Krems-an-der-Donau, a historic wine town on the Danube river 35 miles (55km) northwest of Vienna. The district's vineyards produce world-class Riesling, and characterful, full-bodied Zweigelt, but the flagship Kremstal wine style is rich, round, aromatic Gruner Veltliner.
The majority of Kremstal's vineyards are located on the northern side of the Danube. Starting right at the river's edge, they stretch up into the rolling hills above Krems, northwards as far as Stratzing and eastwards to Gedersdorf. Beyond these two points, the vines belong to the Kamptal district.
Vineyard and Cellar Tour and Tasting at Weingut Geyerhof, Furth bei Göttweig, Kremstal, Austria, with Josef Maier
Owners: Ilse & Josef sen. Maier and Maria & Josef Maier
bluedanubewine.com: 400 Years in wine. Ilse Maier’s mother’s family has lived in the hilltop village of Oberfucha since the 16th century where the family began in agriculture and brickworks. In the 17th century, Maria Theresia, archduchess of Austria, granted the property owner, whose name was Geyer, a concession to transport wine on the Danube in trade with Hungary and other regions along the river. The ship on the wine label refers to this trade. Today, the winery is housed in a 16th-century structure built of brick, with cellars beneath it constructed between the early 1300’s and the late 1700’s. Among these, the “French cellar” where Napoleon’s army stored their wine rations during a battle in nearby Wagram.
In 1986, after studying agriculture in Vienna and spending time in San Rapael, Argentina, Ilse joined her father in wine production. Today her som Josef is in the lead.
Geyerhof organically farms roughly 20 hectares located on the hillsides around the winery. Promotion of beneficial species, sowing of nitrogen-absorbing plants, use of compost and rock flour for plant nutrition, and abstaining from the use of all pesticides, insecticides, botrytis and weed control substances as well as soluble mineral fertilizer are all standard practices.
Loess and alluvial soil east of the winery (Gaisberg and Rosensteig), primary rock to the northwest (Steinleithn and Kirchensteig), and loamy soil to the south (Hoher Rain). 60% of the vineyard area is planted to Grüner Veltliner, 20% to Riesling, and the balance to Zweigelt, Weissburgunder, Chardonnay, and Gelber Muskateller. Recent clonal selections came from the famous Knoll vineyards. Asked if biodynamic viticulture has ever seemed to be a next step, Ilse says she doesn’t believe it to be necessary—bio is not a “step up” from organic, just a different approach.
Fruit is handpicked and strictly sorted in the vineyard. Healthy clusters are pressed whole, and the must is intentionally oxidized in the press tray resulting in deeper flavors and greater age-ability. Wines are fermented and aged in 3,000 liter temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
The slow, even fermentation never exceeds 22 °C. A small percentage of whites and the red wine are aged in neutral oak tanks or barrels. Spontaneous fermentation is preferred, but never at the expense of quality. Malolactic fermentation is avoided in the whites. No other additions are used except for sulfur before bottling. Wines remain on the lees until just before settling, gentle filtration and bottling.
Evening: Pina Bausch Dance Theater Group Performance at the Burgtheater
We ended the Vienna trip with a most impressive performance of Pina Bausch's Dance Theater Group at the Burgtheater (Masurca Fogo/ 1989).
During intermission I had a Grüner Veltliner of Weingut Mayer am Pfarrplatz (where we went the night before) as my last Austrian wine before flying out the next morning.
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Book Review by Christian Schiller in Journal of Wine Economics (Vol 11, No 3): MARK E. RICARDO: Simply Burgundy: A Practical Guide to Understanding the Wines of Burgundy. Mark E. Ricardo Book, 2014, 56 pp., ISBN 978-0990513704 Q4 (paperback), $12.99
Book Review by Christian Schiller in Journal of Wine Economics (Vol 11, No 2): JOHN WINTHROP HAEGER: Riesling Rediscovered: Bold, Bright and Dry. University of California Press, Oakland, 2016, 369 pp., ISBN 978-0-520-27545-4, $39.95
Book Review of "Wine Atlas of Germany" in Vol 10, No 1, 2015 of Journal of Wine Economics (Cambridge University Press)
Christian G.E. Schiller's Review of the Book: Ralf Frenzel (ed.) - Riesling, Robert Weil. Tre Torri, Wiesbaden, Germany, 2013, in: Journal of Wine Economics, Volume 9, 2014, No. 1, Cambridge University Press
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Wine and Coffee with Guenther Hawelka at Café Hawelka (and at Buffet Trzésniewski) in Vienna, Austria
With the WienWein Winemakers in Vienna in the Heurigen Drinking Gemischter Satz Wine
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