More to the Party

Before we cracked open the Himmel auf Erden on Christmas Day, we needed a real dose of celebration. And that means bubbles! So it was marvellous to have a bottle of Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg’s Brut Reserve on hand. Made of classic champagne base grape Pinot Noir, with an indigenous ‘spin’ of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, this wine comes from Gobelsburg’s prized sites of Heiligenstein, Gaisberg, Grub and Lamm in the Kamptal. First fermentation takes place in large casks in the impressive Gobelsburg cellar and then it’s bottled for the traditional second fermentation, rests for a few years and is then riddled by hand before the residual lees are removed and the wine is corked and sold. Time and attention goes into this wine… and it tells. This is a classic Champagne-type wine, with lots of biscuity tones and a vivacious natural fizz. But I think the indigenous grapes – particularly the Grüner – bring even more to the party, with earthier notes, particularly a goodly dose of herbs. You can’t get this Brut Reserve in the UK, but Clark Foyster stocks the Gobelsburg non-reserve.