At the northern end of the City of London, in Shoreditch, there is a man selling Austrian wines from a container. I don't mean he is pouring it out of a carton but that his shop is a shipping container. You might think this is a little unusual, and I would agree, but the shop is one of the outlets at a 'pop up shopping mall' called Boxpark. The idea of a pop up shopping mall is difficult to understand until you visit and discover that it is a very hip concept in an increasingly hip part of London. Not my natural territory by any measure.
Newcomer Wines specialise in small scale Austrian wine producers and claim to be leading a revolution and shaking up the old fashioned view of wine by selling the wines from 'producers with great stories and cool labels'.
Week W (2014) is 'WB' Weissburgunder by Ewald Zweytick, 2012. Newcomer Wines £14.90
Weissburgunder is another grape with a range of international synonyms. In France it is Pinot Blanc, some Austrians know it as Klevner. In Hungary it is Feher Burgundi and Rulandske Bile in the Czech Republic. I have to say that the Czech name would be a lot more appealing if I could work out how to put an acute accent over the last 'e'.
Although a white grape it is a mutation of Pinot Noir and, as the Germanic name suggests, can be found in Burgundy (as well as Champagne and Alsace) where it has been confused with Chardonnay. Further confusion occurs the USA where a lot of vines called Pinot Blanc are actually Melon de Bourgogne, the Loire grape responsible for Muscadet. So this one could give the Italians a run for their money.
It is a rich lemon yellow, with the suggestion of a green hint (or was that a reflection of the kitchen worktop?) and an aroma of ripe melon.and the inevitable crisp green apples. On the palate it is slightly oily and mouth-filling, smooth and fruity. It is 13.5% abv and this balances the acidity very nicely. It is not unlike a white Burgundy and, if it wasn't for the fact that Majestic knock out a decent Macon Village for 60% of the price, this could become a regular purchase.
Newcomer Wines specialise in small scale Austrian wine producers and claim to be leading a revolution and shaking up the old fashioned view of wine by selling the wines from 'producers with great stories and cool labels'.
Week W (2014) is 'WB' Weissburgunder by Ewald Zweytick, 2012. Newcomer Wines £14.90Weissburgunder is another grape with a range of international synonyms. In France it is Pinot Blanc, some Austrians know it as Klevner. In Hungary it is Feher Burgundi and Rulandske Bile in the Czech Republic. I have to say that the Czech name would be a lot more appealing if I could work out how to put an acute accent over the last 'e'.
Although a white grape it is a mutation of Pinot Noir and, as the Germanic name suggests, can be found in Burgundy (as well as Champagne and Alsace) where it has been confused with Chardonnay. Further confusion occurs the USA where a lot of vines called Pinot Blanc are actually Melon de Bourgogne, the Loire grape responsible for Muscadet. So this one could give the Italians a run for their money.
It is a rich lemon yellow, with the suggestion of a green hint (or was that a reflection of the kitchen worktop?) and an aroma of ripe melon.and the inevitable crisp green apples. On the palate it is slightly oily and mouth-filling, smooth and fruity. It is 13.5% abv and this balances the acidity very nicely. It is not unlike a white Burgundy and, if it wasn't for the fact that Majestic knock out a decent Macon Village for 60% of the price, this could become a regular purchase.
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