WE CAN REPORT

Britain's 'cork dorks' have voted Austrian whites the best in the world. Tim Atkin isn't surprised

Sunday January 26, 2003
The Observer

......Other people seem to be catching on, however, especially in the United States. It's often said that Alsatian wines are what 'the trade drinks at home', but this is a fib. Increasingly, we cork dorks drink Austrian Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. But after the results of a recent blind tasting, I fear our cover is blown.
.....I don't want to be over-dramatic about this, but the results put a bomb under the established white-wine order. Austria took seven of the first 10 places, including the top four spots. The Austrian beat every single white Burgundy and New World Chardonnay. In its way, this tasting was as revolutionary as the so-called Judgement of Paris in 1976, when a group of French experts rated a bunch of unknown Californian wines above the best of Burgundy and Bordeaux. I am more convinced than ever that, alongside Germany and France, Austria is one of the three great white-wine producing countries on the planet.

AND HERE ARE THE GREAT WINES FROM AUSTRIA

EWALD GRUBER

WEINGUT HÖLLMÜLLER

WINZER NECKENMARKT

NEUMEISTER

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