Move aside Hondarribi Zuri (of Txakolina fame), there’s a new grape in town.

We were in New York City last week for a wedding and the 2006 Stadlmann Rotgipfler was one of the wines flowing freely. The newlyweds are serious foodies so their choice of the latest, coolest and most obscure grape variety wasn’t too much of a surprise. It’s on all the coolest wine lists: Terrior, WD-50 and sold at the coolest shops: Crush and Harlem Vintage. Still, I had never tried it before and as the President of the Wine Century Club that is practically dereliction of duty.

So what is it like? OK, it was a wedding so I didn’t take notes but I remember it being very aromatic, minerally, grapefruit-citrus – almost like Gruner Veltliner – but more peachy and less peppery. In short, it was an excellent choice - well balanced, elegant but with lively enough acidity to make it food-friendly.

Rotgipfler is also a fairly rare grape variety, with only 292 acres grown in its home in the Thermenregion of Austria and most likely the entire world. Fortunately, the obscurity factor now translates into the value factor with the Stadlmann going for about 15 to 20 bucks.

http://www.stadlmann-wein.at

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