Austrian Riesling: 'Stony' bliss
A New York Times panel found these three Austrian Rieslings to be “phenomenally refreshing.”
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
I like to say I love Austrian Rieslings, said Eric Asimov in The New York Times. But after a recent blind tasting, I realized what I really love is the idea of them. Recent vintages vary by year, region, and producer. The ones I love are dry, structured wines with “stony, pure” mineral flavors. The three below are “phenomenally refreshing,” with textures “that feel so good in the mouth you simply do not want to stop drinking.”
2008 Graf Hardegg Niederösterreich ($19). Our panel’s favorite was also the best value, a “tangy, energetic, and plain delicious” Riesling.
2007 Kartäuserhof Wachau ($40). From Austria’s “most prestigious wine region,” this “taut and refreshing” wine boasts “good structure and complex flavors of minerals and flowers.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2008 F.X. Pichler Wachau ($42). This “well-balanced” bottle oozes “pleasing flavors of citrus and herbs and a gentle minerality.”
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website