Typical Austrian Food & Fizz

Having recently, quite literally, popped over to Austria thanks to an invitation to the Slovenian winery Radgonske gorice, I simply had to indulge in some fine ‘hearty’ Austrian cuisine whilst I was there. Austria is landlocked with eight countries bordering it (hard for me to imagine as I now live with sea views from my office window). Austria is a European country with 9 million residents and is a country famed for its architectural offerings including fine castles and palaces – The Tyrol (western Austrian state in the Alps) is also world famous and back in the 1990’s once tempted me to visit with my then future wife.

Find out more about Austrian wine here – www.austrianwine.com

Though only a generation or so back Austrian wines took a bad press coverage, we are now seeing that today their wines are making a positive impact in the world of fine wines with many labels gaining prestigious awards globally and from my recent tasting experiences, rightly so.

My not so long ago visit to the northern part of Slovenia bordering Austria allowed me to experience many fine Austrian dishes, these positive memories got me tempted to pair some Glass of Bubbly award winning Austrian fizz with such fine foods. So with one hours worth of classic Austrian music on YouTube gracing me in the kitchen I decided to chill some fine Austrian sparkling wines, get in the cooking mood and choose two dishes from 11 delicious Austrian dishes to try before you die.

I decided to pull out two sparkling wines from the winery Weingut Steininger located northwest of Vienna in the village of Langenlois.

“Since generations our winery links tradition and modern cellar technology, but always with a focus on uncompromised quality. We have the privilege to work and live in one of Austria’s most beautiful wine growing regions. Our picturesque hometown of Langenlois and the surrounding Kamp Valley offer only the best foundations for our authentic wines and sparkling wines.”

Two great dishes that I enjoyed, which are included in ‘11 delicious Austrian dishes to try before you die‘, I decided to pair with Steininger:

 

Tafelspitz:

Paired with Steininger Muskateller – Tasting notes of the wine: “Peach, lime candy and green fruits on the nose. Very fruity and ever so tempting. Touch dry initially then welcoming creamy green fruits with fresh grass, herbs and spices.”

Food pairing notes: “This wine is a gold winner within the category of ‘Hint of Spice’ which it suits very well. This is a complementary pairing I must say for this typical Austrian dish. The wine gives a pleasing burst of ripe green fruits though does not take anything away from the hunger quenching foods. A nice balance. You certainly get the best of both from the food and wine.”

 

Fleischlaberl mit Kartoffelpüree:

Paired with Steininger Grüner Veltliner 2016 – Tasting notes of the wine: “Once again a very tempting aroma from a Steininger bubbly. It tells you that you’ve opened a special bottle of sparkling wine. Ripe green fruits, creamy peach and a faint touch of green herbs / freshly cut grass. Relaxing flavours showing fruity characters with green fruits, creamy apricots and a length which is smooth and near creamy. Austrian fizz at its finest!”

Food pairing notes: “The wine is classy enough to complement the dish and leave you with a positive memory of its creamy green fruit flavours. Though there is a touch of spicy flavour from the meatballs, the wine is clever enough to shine through with all its delights.“