Prager Riesling Smaragd 2011 750ml

Winery: Prager

Varietal: Riesling

Riesling grapes have produced some of the finest wines of the Old World over the past couple of centuries, and are quickly becoming much loved by New World audiences as their influence continues to spread across the globe. They are generally grown and cultivated in colder climates, as is found in their native Germany, where they have the remarkable ability to pick up and express interesting features of their terroir, or the ground on which they are grown. As such, wine enthusiasts generally find Riesling one of the more interesting white grape varietals, as they produce aromas which are highly floral and perfumed alongside both fruit flavors and refreshing notes of stone and alpine water, depending on where they have been grown. Furthermore, Riesling grapes produce a large variety of fine wines, from still to sparkling, sweet to dry, and wineries which work with this grape have long since been experimenting with both frozen and rotten grapes to find out just how versatile and exciting this varietal can be.

Region: Wachau

When it comes to the wines of Austria, it is widely considered that the finest by far are those which come out of the grand and elegant Wachau region in the south of the country. Wachau has been an important wine producing region for over two thousand years, and was originally used by the Romans, who noticed its fine potential for producing characterful and flavorful white and red wines. Wachau benefits enormously from the beautifully sunny and warm climate which it shares with western Hungary, and the ancient and impressive river Danube which runs through it, bringing minerals and much needed nutrients to the vineyards. As such, the Gruner Veltliner and Riesling grapes which cover most of the region's vineyards are able to express some interesting features of their fine terroir, as they ripen slowly and fully under the sun each year.

Country: Austria

Archaeological evidence suggests that grapevines have been grown and cultivated in what is today modern Austria for over four thousand years, making it one of the oldest wine producing countries in the world. Over the centuries, relatively little has changed in Austrian wine, with the dominant grape varietals continuing to be Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and others. Austria is renowned for producing excellent and characterful dry white wines, although in the eastern part of the country, many wineries specialist in sweeter white wines made in a similar style to those of neighboring Hungary. Today, Austria has over fifty thousand hectares under vine, split over four key wine regions. The domestic wine industry remains strong, with Austrians drinking their local produce outside in the summer, and people around the world are beginning to once more rediscover this fascinating and ancient wine culture.