“Exciting times for Austria...” Gru-V Tuesday - Austrian Summer Party 1st July 2003

At the inaugural annual Austrian Summer Party on Tuesday 1st July the brightest and best of the UK wine trade, including no less than 10 Masters of Wine, assembled in the garden Marquee of the K+K Hotel George in Kensington to taste the ‘magnificent 7’ leading Austrian wines from the Groucho Club’s historic Grüner Veltliner/Chardonnay Challenge, with Jancis Robinson MW OBE.

Jancis Robinson gave a sparkling presentation of the world-famous wines from Knoll, Bründlmayer, Prager and Loimer, and was joined by Lance Foyster MW, speaking on behalf of Freie Weingärtner Wachau, and Roland Velich, who presented his wines in person.

The Grand Buffet of Austrian, International and Fusion Cuisine that followed, with upbeat, improvised jazz and the extensive wine bar stocked with wines from 50 of Austria’s leading estates, provided a unique opportunity for guests to taste these eminently food-friendly wines with a veritable feast of national and international delicacies. Sommeliers responded enthusiastically: “Gru-V Tuesday certainly lived up to its name, creating a great atmosphere for showcasing some fantastic Austrian Wine “ said Jason McAuliffe of Chez Bruce. “A great opportunity to taste some very, very fine wines and to hear the top experts’ opinion on Austria” announced Loic Maillet of the Great Eastern Hotel.

Austrian wines, prized for their quality, rather than quantity, have long been listed in some of London’s top restaurants including: Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, Pétrus, The Square, Chez Bruce, Lola’s, The Bleeding Heart, Lindsay House, Le Pont de la Tour, Zuma, The Glass House, Pied a Terre – to mention but a few…

Now in an exciting new development for Austria, Austrian wines are set to make an appearance on the supermarket shelves. Supermarkets were well represented at the event: Julia Harding of Waitrose sums up: “An extremely well organized and attractive event, and a great opportunity to taste a wide range of excellent wines. The tutored tasting was impressive and enlightening.”

The success of the evening is a tribute to the energy and enthusiasm of the 18 Austrian shippers* who hosted the event with the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, and to Hugo Rose MW and his colleagues on the steering committee.