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Vintage
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More Details
Winery
Graf Hardegg
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Riesling
Although they originated in Germany's beautiful Rhine Valley, the Riesling grape soon spread around the world, where it thrives in many countries with a colder climate which can support this pale and unique grapes. Riesling grapes are considered one of the finest varietals on earth, capable of expressing fascinating features of the soil type they are grown on, resulting in some highly interesting wines with plenty to offer those who are looking for something different. Riesling grapes are also noted for their aromas, which tend to be highly perfumed, floral and often with smoky notes accentuating their unusual flavor Because this was always the predominant grape grown in Germany and other such countries, Riesling wineries have always been keen to experiment with its range. This has resulted in dry white wines, sparkling wines, semi sweet wines and several others, but the finest examples are usually considered to be the Riesling dessert wines. These are occasionally made with unusual processes, including the 'eiswine' method, in which the grapes are allowed to freeze in the early frosts, or by allowing the development of 'noble rot', which withers the grapes and results in some truly spectacular and unusual flavors.
Country: Austria
Austria is a fascinating country when it comes to wine production, and with a wine culture that stretches back over four thousand years, it is one of the oldest viticultural centers in the world. Today, it is the Grüner Veltliner varietal grape which is the most widely grown and processed, producing elegant dry white wines, and very flavorful and aromatic sweet wines enjoyed to a great extent by local communities, and which are beginning to receive the recognition they deserve by the global wine market. Austria's eastern flatlands benefit from fertile and mineral rich soils, fed by the great river Danube, as well as the long hot summers the country enjoys with low precipitation. Today, over fifty thousand hectares of Austrian land is under vine, and even within the city limits of Vienna, high quality wine is produced and enjoyed.