This Week's Tasting
German and Austrian Wines - Long Names, Great character and Value
July 29, 2026
These are wines of character and individuality: some may show austere now; others are generous and giving. Many are limited in quantity. We are offering some at greatly discounted prices.
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This Week Wednesday, July 29, 2026 German and Austrian Wines Long Names – Great character and Value In-store, 5 - 6:30pm
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Don't be put off by the long polysyllabic names; Germanic wines more precisely convey details about their contents than those from most other countries. These are wines of character and individuality: some may show austere now; others are generous and giving. Many are limited in quantity. We are offering some at greatly discounted prices. All are worth trying, even if they are unfamiliar.
Dry
Germany Baden: 2020 Ziereisen Viviser Gutedel
The Gutedel grape is called Chasselas in France and Fendant in Switzerland, where it makes that country’s finest whites, the favorites of Zurich bankers and Davos conventioneers.
Viviser is Ziereisen’s reserve-level Gutedel. Like us, Stephan Reinhardt of the Wine Advocate has been a fan for years. He wrote:
" Another excellent Chasselas from the Ziereisen family… The nose is deep, intense, pure, spicy/stony, and even reminiscent of fresh green olive oil but also iodine notes of crushed limestones. Round, intense, and elegant on the palate, this is a saline, fresh, seriously structured, and persistent Chasselas with vibrant mineral grip and tension, and a refreshingly pure finish—11% alcohol. Drink till 2040.
$34, Case 28.95
Austria 2021 Ried Ulm Nussberg Wiener Gemischter Satz Nussberg.
This wine is extraordinary, organic, and biodynamic. Gemischter Satz means that it is a field blend of nine different grapes. It is deceptively reticent when first opened but savory, complex, and alluring. It wants decanting like a red when drunk in the near future and will improve for another 10 years. I was beguiled on tasting it last year:
Color: light green; Aroma: light, just opened, piercing clean, higher toned, very firm, mineral; Mouth: bright acid, rounded fruit, very, very good intensity, clean, tight around the edges, concentrated, long; Excellent
Jancis Robinson: “Deep, beguiling aroma of spice, ripe pears and a mealy/leesy savory character. Yet with air, it opens to a hint of fragrant white blossom. A spicy powerhouse on the palate. A benchmark 2021 in its richness and freshness combined. A big wine but not aggressive. Sustained, spicy finish. Drink to 2035”
Was $64, Now $42, case $35
Austria: 2024 Ott Gruner Veltliner Nussberg
The current release of one of our favorite Grüner versions from an excellent producer. Lots of limestone, sandstone subsoil. Organic (and biodynamic from “younger vines” 15 to 25 years
Jancis Robinson “Greenish straw. Full of life and energy on the nose, not to mention herbal fruit on the palate. So much taut energy bound up in this wine. This is his entry level, so I'm really looking forward to tasting the rest of the range!
$28.97, case $23.95
Off Dry
2025 Peter Lauer Barrel X Riesling
“Barrel X” is winemaker Florian Lauer’s Platonic ideal of what a slightly off-dry (feinherb) Saar Riesling should be. It comes from multiple vineyards across four villages in the Saar. It ferments with native yeasts in Several barrels — the Lauer way of making the estate's most accessible Saar Riesling without compromising on farming or method. Organic, no fining agents, nothing added. Just Riesling and slate. Florian says, “From Ayl and Wawern, the wine gains the fruit and power, from Saarburg the racy acidity, and from Wiltingen, the spice.”
It opens with an expressive, not overly sweet nose of yellow peach, apricot, candied grapefruit, warm spice, and a faint savory edge that leans toward leather and crushed stone. On the palate, the fruit feels generous but controlled. Orchard fruit and citrus lead, followed by a subtle richness that never fully settles into ripeness. The acidity stays present throughout and gives the wine a directness that keeps the finish moving
$26.95, Case %22.95
Rheingau, Germany; 2021 Eva Fricke Riesling Verde
Sandy loess & loam, clay, quartzite, slate, fresh acidity, notes of citrus & texture of lemon curd.
Falstaff, Germany “The nose is clear, fine and elegant, and the palate round and juicy, not fully dry but charming and already accessible. The finish is well-structured, finely grippy and salty, as well as lush and aromatic. A super charming Riesling for many occasions. 11.5% alcohol.”
Was $48, now $34, Case 28.95
Germany, Mosel 2025 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett
A great wine in a great vintage from a top Mosel estate. This is highly allocated. We don’t have very much. Like all the estate’s wines, it is underpriced for its quality.
It’s virtually natural wine, with no herbicides, chaptalization, acidification, or added nutrients, and less sulfite—natural yeasts in large old oak barrels. The aim is to showcase their old-vine vineyards in the purest, unmanipulated way.
Mosel Fine Wine Report “a barely fruity-styled wine made from fruit harvested on 60-year-old from partially un-grafted vines in the prime sector of the vineyard, which was classified in the highest category on the old taxation maps. It offers a great, even if slightly austere, nose made of fresh herbs and spices. The wine is beautifully focused and precise on the palate and leaves a good feel of presence and complexity in the long and lingering finish. The aftertaste is mouthwatering and alluring. This is a beautiful Kabinett.”
$33, Case 27.95
Len Rothenberg
German Austrian Case Special, two each of the wines - $399 $339 ($28.25)
German Austrian pack one each of the wines $215
Mix any 12 of your own bottles at their case price
People who come to the tasting get any bottle(s) at the discounted price
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
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FREE DELIVERY!
downtown on orders more than $75;
in Greater Boston on orders more than $199
