Loimer Sparkling Extra Brut NV

When you think of sparkling wine grapes, you might automatically gravitate to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the classic Champagne varietals. Grüner Veltliner and Zweigelt might not be the first grapes you'd think of, even though they make up 75% of this delicious fizz grown in Gumpoldskirchen in Austria. Which might not be the first place you'd think of either.

Cultivated biodynamically - as you might not expect - it has apple and citrus flavours from the Grüner and rich, creamy brioche touches from the red grapes. And the other 25%? Pinot Noir, of course. What are we, weird or something?

Langenlois has produced Austrian Sekt (sparkling wine) for generations, the town's producers raising and maintaining the quality of sparkling wine from the Kamptal region as a whole. Loimer also produced Sekt until 1998 and now, 17 years later, they are re-introducing it to their portfolio. For their traditional-method sparkling wines, Fred Loimer has brought in Andreas Wickhoff, MW, to give some help with the base wine production, the blending and the marketing. The wine comes from fruit grown on vineyard sites in Langenlois and Gumpoldskirchen, and it has been produced according to the biodynamic guidelines of the winegrowers' association respekt-BIODYN. Fruit was harvested by hand in mid-September and fermented spontaneously for two to four weeks in stainless steel tanks at 18-20˚C. This base wine was lees-aged for 14 months and bottled aged for 6-18 months following disgorgement.

The wine shows fine bubbles and aromas of apples with a hint of citrus. Flavours of brioche form the base of a mellow and somewhat creamy palate, and the finish is flavourful and persistent."