Into the Cellar-2011 Austrian Gewurztraminer

Since I have strayed from posting about wine for such a long time, I figured it was a good time to get back to it!  And I have the added benefit of having two new bottles that arrived from Salzburg, Austria just last week, courtesy of my darling, who just returned from there.

Here is the first of the two, a lovely 2011 Gewurztraminer of the Steiermark region.

I wasn't able to find any tasting notes on this one, but I did find some information on the region:



Steiermark, or Styria, is the southernmost wine-producing region in Austria, bordering Slovenia. The hilly terrain and the region's cool take on the Mediterranean climate mean that viticulture here is markedly different from the rest of Austria.

Roughly 4000ha of vineyard land is spread out across the districts of Weststeiermar, Sudsteiermark and Sudoststeiermark. The terrain here is hilly, almost mountainous, and many of the vineyards in Steiermark are planted on steep slopes to take advantage of sunlight and the prevailing winds.

Although Steiermark's climate is almost Mediterranean, it has definite elements of continental influence. Warmer summers, humidity and high annual rainfall all have an effect on the wine styles produced in the region, which is still relatively cold in winter. A longer growing season means that the grapes have time to develop flavor complexity while retaining their acidity.

The wines of Steiermark are particularly distinctive and regional in nature. Volcanic soils in Sudoststeiermark provide an excellent foundation for the aromatic Traminer varieties, while the high altitude and limestone soils in Sudsteiermark produce world-class wines made from Sauvignon Blanc.

Steiermark is one of Austria’s smaller wine-producing regions. It is responsible for less than 10% of the national wine output, and most of the wines made in the region are consumed here as well.

 While three-quarters of the grapes grown in Steiermark are white-wine varieties, some excellent red wines are made here as well.  Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and Saint-Laurent all perform admirably in the region’s terrior.

Source: http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-steiermark