Wine 101: Benchmark Wines

Now that the gifts have been opened, the in-laws are heading out of town and we have rung in 2014 - its time to get back to business. This post is geared towards those wine drinkers who are aiming to move on from beginner status. So if you want to get serious about wine - the key is to inform yourself on the classics. These classic style wines have long served as benchmarks for the traditional regions or styles of wine.

Photo Source

So what do I mean by benchmark wine? Check out these suggestions organized by old world vs. new world styles:

Old World Classics:

Generally, when looking for a wine standard most sommeliers suggest you turn to France. It make sense, France is the global wine powerhouse. They have been making wine for centuries and have implemented strict rules regarding winemaking. If you are looking for a benchmark regarding Pinot Noir, start with Burgundy. If you want to try a classic Merlot, look to Pomerol (technically within the Bordeaux region). If you would pass on red wines from Bordeaux and prefer the style of white wine, look to Loire Valley, for  the best examples of classic Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc. Other regions to note include Rhone, Savoie, or Jura. And finally, Champagne is the classic benchmark for sparkling wine.

For the benchmark on Rieslings, you must go to Germany. There are many styles of Rieslings, but the classics come from Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz, Rheinhessen. The Rieslings produced in Austria are also considered within the classic style, look there for classic Grüner Veltliner. 

So you love reds but prefer to look to Italy, the classic regions include Piedmont, Tuscany, and Veneto. For more details on the specifics of these regions, check out our earlier post on Italian wine here. Similarly, the best Spanish include Rioja, Sherry and Albariño (Spanish white grape). Additionally, some sommeliers are on the fence about Bierzo or Priorat as representative of classic Spanish grapes.

New World Classics:

"New World" wines include wines made from countries outside the classic European winemaking countries. This includes the United States, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and others. Look to New Zealand for classic Sauvignon Blancs with green pepper, grassy or spicy notes. As for reds, look to Australia for classic Shiraz, California's Napa Valley for classic Cabernet Sauvignon and Oregon for Pinot Noir.

Look forward to more features on these regions specifically in upcoming posts - Happy 2014!

Cheers!

Happy Easter - Feliz Pascua - Frohe Ostern

Second post from Spain!

Happy Easter to those celebrating! In light of the holiday, today's post provides a general comparison of Easter celebrations (and typical treats) in the United States, Spain and Austria.

Easter in the United States.

 Specifically speaking, (and not trying to get too religious) Easter is the Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Personally however, most of my childhood memories from Easter involve waking up to an Easter basket filled with candy, the family gathering for an Easter lunch, and the ever important Easter egg hunt. While these are very found memories, in comparison, it seems that Easter celebrations in the United States (like basically every other holiday) bigger and more mass-consumerized compared to the celebrations of Europe. 

In the U.S., most secular Easter celebrations are centered around the children. American families purchase an excess of plastic eggs, baskets, fake grass, bunnies, toys and candy. In fact, I learned that Easter is the second best candy selling holiday - after Halloween. (My favorite are starburst jelly beans!). Other common American traditions include dying Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts (which start off inclusive as small children, but may morph into heated competitions as the siblings get older), Easter egg rolls (at the White House), and Easter parades. Overall, Americans still remember and celebrate the religious reasons behind Easter, however, whether or not one attends a religious ceremony rather than simply take a day off to spend with their family depends more on the individual family tradition.

Easter in Spain.

The Spanish population is approximately 73% Catholic and, as a result, Easter is the second most celebrated holiday after Christmas. Overall, it seems that their traditions are similar to those of the United States, which include parades, family gatherings, candy and Easter eggs. However, these Spanish celebrations seem (at least from the outside) more religious and less consumerized than those of the U.S.

For example, it seems that many Spanish stores still feature candy and chocolate eggs. See the pictures featured below, on the right, a common window front with chocolate eggs and cakes, on the left, a similar (but more high end window) complete with a large chocolate chicken and cute paper chicks. However, it seems less popular to spend time decorating the eggs.

Further, these displays are different from the United States because: (1) They were way more difficult to find (and not literally on every street corner and in every store), and (2) people did not seem to buy a lot of these goods. Similarly, (though I have yet to see one in Barcelona) in much of the south of Spain, night time processions/parades seem popular during the Holy Week. These processions involve incense, candles, drums and cloak covered penitents. Overall, it seems the Spanish focus is on family time and remembering the religion behind Easter. (Stay tuned for updates as I was invited to join a Spanish family for their Easter dinner and may provide updates on their traditional dishes).

UPDATE! Our stop in Zaragosa

Kelley and RH in a cool alley of shops and bars

In addition to the the adventures outlined in this post previously, our group also made a stop in Zaragoza on Easter Sunday. Zaragoza is the capital city of the province. The drive to and from was interesting for two key reasons. First, our vehicle of choice (to which I lovingly referred to as the party van) was basically the normal size of an American sedan. However, in Europe it is commonly used as a cargo van - but we all loved it. Second, while the drive started as mostly highway, once we left town the landscape quickly started to resemble an exotic nature reserve. The area is known for its varying landscapes, ranging from deserts to think forest, meadows and mountains. The area always seemed like it should be abandoned of all civilization, yet every couple miles I would see people hiking, biking or picnicking - it was definitely a great area. Finally, if you have the opportunity to drive through, look for the large wooden black bulls that line the highway. Apparently, these bulls were former advertisements for alcohol and now line the highway as a community cultural symbol. I counted 10 on my trip - I dare you to do better!

Once we finally arrived in Zaragoza, we stopped in for a visit with a local Spanish family. This opportunity to break bread with a local family was by far one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip. Most of us did not speak the same language, but it was a great learning experience and delicious meal. Speaking of meal! The meal we had for Easter lunch was crazy! This was not your average protein and two sides but and 5 course feast. We started with traditional Spanish noodle soup, then cabbage and chickpeas with olive oil. At this rate, most of the group was already completely full. But like the treatment we were used to from our grandmothers (x100) - it was impossible to say no because the hostess was constantly serving us food. The final courses included a meat course, which feature beef, chorizo and blood sausage, and the dessert course, featuring both fresh fruit and traditional pastry. 

After this delicious and extremely filling meal, we took to the local streets for a walk. This tour included a walk through downtown, viewing ancient roman ruins (like the roman bridge picture on the left) and the roman cathedral

Catedral de Salvador.

 If you visit the cathedral, note the two unexploded bombs on the wall - during the civil war they were dropped on the cathedral and the fact that neither exploded was deemed a miracle!

Easter in Austria.

 While Austria subscribes to the typical Easter icons/symbols including, flowers, eggs, chickens, and hares, Austrians practice some unique differences. One of may favorites was the Ostermarkt. I am unsure if these are common within every village or only the big cities, but I wish they were common in the United States. These markets pop up during the Easter season and are filled with local vendors selling snacks, candy, gifts and Easter eggs. Generally, while this seems similar to the U.S. focus on candy and eggs, there is definitely a higher quality to these goods in Austria. For example the Easter eggs are not plastic but are made with more craftsmanship than that of the U.S. (see the picture featured below on the right - those are hundreds of hand painted eggs). 

The Ostermarkts also feature food stands that sell pretzels, chocolate, and warm drinks such as gluhvein. These markets differ from those in the U.S. because patrons are encouraged to buy a drink and stand at tables set up in the market and mingle with neighbors and friends. I really enjoyed how this tradition was more about gathering with neighbors than grabbing your snack and heading back to your car.

Overall, there are definitely common themes within the Easter celebrations in these three countries. However, it is very interesting which elements are focused on and how each culture interprets the common symbols. Happy Easter to you wherever you are!

Cheers!

Vienna: das Ende für Österreich

Last post from Vienna!

 All good things must come to an end, and with a heavy heart, the group said good-bye to Vienna. We will not miss the snow, cold, and more snow - but - we will miss the sites, food, drinks and friends. Today's topics: a sneak peek at the inside of the Belvedere Palace, Weissburgunder, and the weird and wonderful Austrian breakfast - featuring melange.

Last post, I introduced the Belvedere Palace and Prince Eugene's desire for a bigger and brighter palace that would easily have made it on

MTV Cribs

. (Full Disclosure - at first I could not even remember the full name of this show, so I had to google - the wikipedia description is somewhat humorous and provided for those can't remember either). What you did not get to see were some images from the inside! There are two reasons for this: (1) I had to take these pictures secret-agent style because we were not allowed to take pictures, even without flash, and, (2) The main rooms were so beautiful - they deserved their own separate post. 

Featured below is the grand staircase (left) and the main ballroom (right). Now, I have seen a few castles in my day... Versailles (twice), The Louvre, Neuschwanstein... just to name a few. But this summer residence of Eugene's still managed to show me something awesome and different - uniquely vaulted ceilings. If you look at the windows in the main ballroom, those were on the third floor and allowed visitors to look both down into the ballroom and out to the view of Vienna. Definitely a sight worth seeing.

Next, a topic for my most dedicated readers (and newbies who love fermented grapes) - wine! More specifically, what is weissburgunder? On our last day in Vienna, we stopped at a local wine store. Of course, I went straight to the

b

laufränkisch

 and grabbed a bottle. On my way there, I saw a bottle of weissburgunder, and thought: I have no idea which grape this is exactly, but it looks interesting, so why?! I had never seen this name on the label before and initially thought maybe it was a translation for white burgundy. But, I definitely had my doubts because I found it highly unlikely that anything French

and

wine-related would be in any other language besides French. With some research, I learned that weissburgunder is actually how the Germans/Austrians refer to

pinot blanc.

Pinot blanc is a white grape and produced in several countries (in order of estimated quantity): Alsace (France), Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary and others. Generally, pinot blanc has a medium-dry to dry taste and oak is not typically used during maturation. Its flavor profile includes: citrus, melon, pear, apricot and perhaps smoky/mineral undertones combined with high acidity.

Other synonyms for pinot blanc include: 

 pinot bianco (

Italy

), pinot branco, rulandsky bile (or Rulandské Bilé in the 

Czech Republic

), Rulandské Biele (

Slovakia

), and 

Feher burgundi (

Hungary

).

For my third and final topic, Austrian breakfast. To some Americans (and other non-natives) breakfast in Austria may seem weird. Well, maybe not weird, but more like - lunch? It's true, if you have not been to Germany or Austria before, the breakfast spread includes: rolls, meat, cheese, yogurt, vegetables and other similar items Americans would rather see around noon. Personally, I think it is the best breakfast around and would back the movement to serve this style breakfast in the US tomorrow. There is one caveat though, today I saw a new breakfast item that was somewhat strange (and may not need to jump the pond) - tiny chocolate cakes/truffles. I grabbed a few (merely for experimental purposes), despite my sentiment that chocolate truffles are a bit too decadent for breakfast, and they were surprisingly good! The taste was no where near as sweet as a similar item in the states would be. So definitely worth a try for the adventurous breakfast lover.

Speaking of breakfast, this brings me to my last topic, melange. If you visit one of Vienna's many cafes, you will definitely see melange on the menu. I have ordered this traditional Viennese coffee drink on several occasions during my trip and it is always great. But, it also tastes similar to a cappuccino and I wondered what was the difference. From what I read (and if any of my European readers want to correct me - feel free!) classic melange differs from cappucino because the strength of the coffee brew is less pronounced and it may be served with whipped cream instead of frothed milk. All differences aside, melange is delicious and I will definitely miss it.

Other places to see in Vienna: 

Zum Schwarzen Kameel (high end food store/restaurant), Figlmuller (traditional schnitzel - the size of a plate), MuseumsQuartier, and basically any bakery.

And with that - stay tuned for new posts on my adventures in Spain!

Cheers!

Vienna: Engelszug

Fifth post from Vienna!

So the results are in and unfortunately my team did not advance to the next rounds. However, we are proud of our effort and definitely thankful for the the opportunity to participate. Our consolation prize = touring Vienna with new friends.

Cardozo vs. Silesia - and our arbitrators.

(Don't worry Silesia didn't get through either)

UChicago & Cardozo Joint Team Dinner <3 

It has been said all along (and its true) that one of the greatest benefits of participating in the Vis are the people that you meet. After the results, we met up with the lovely team from UChicago for a team dinner. We headed to an Austrian restaurant for local fare, complete with 

Blaufr

änkisch

. The mandatory food and drink photos are featured below. I was excited because we finally found an Austrian restaurant that served German-style dumplings known as 

spätzle. I was surprised how uncommon it is to find this dish on the menu. If you have not tried them before - you should... maybe right now! Regardless, the food and company were both excellent and it was a great way to end the competition.

Paprika chicken with dumplings;

Opposite picture = celebratory team drinks

to start of the night.

From the dinner, we headed out for our last night at the Vis Bar. While some of my group members may disagree, it was about time to say auf widersehen to Ost Club. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Ost Club can best be described in one word ... sweaty (Though I would use shady in the alternative). Additionally, one person can only spend so many nights in a row ... in the same club ... with the same people.

Now for liability reasons, I never take pictures in these establishments. You never know who, what, where, or why those pictures will come back to bite you later. But, I know that some of my readers are on the edge of their seats waiting for a description of what goes down at Ost Club, so I will give you a taste, gossip-girl style:

Cardozo team arrives at Ost Club and heads to the bar. This will likely be a crazy night - their goal... to stay out until morning. Spotted on the dance floor - Cardozo ladies teaching the Swiss a few moves, while the Germans are popin' & lockin' - funny yet impressive all at the same time. If you are wondering where the French are - check the smoking room. And did you see that they opened another back room? I am just thankful they played some hip hop songs tonight. xoxo KC

All jokes aside - the Ost Club was a fun scene and great place to unwind with fellow Mooties. But don't put us in the bar rat category just yet! We still got up the next morning to see some more sights in Vienna. First, we headed to the nachsmarkt. It is an open air street market with restaurants, food vendors and a few stores. We stopped to buy some dried fruit and stopped to have lunch at a Thai restaurant. The food was great and it was nice to be outside on a sunny day.

View of Belvedere Palance from the courtyard

Then, we walked to the Belvedere Palace. This palace was originally built for Prince Eugene in the 18th century who believed the old palace was to small for his taste. Thus, he built the two building complex as a more extravagant summer residence. Today, it is now an art museum. The museum features a little bit of the essentials - medieval, 18th/19th century, impressionism and modern art. In fact, the title of this blog post was inspired by the title one of my favorites from today which, loosely translated, means "Angels flight." The crown jewel of the collection is the museum's Gustav Klimt collection - which was very impressive to view in person. This palace is worth the trip alone just to view the extensive grounds and architecture, but the fact that it doubles as a diverse art museum is an added bonus.

For my last photo - Prince Eugene must have been thinking right - check out the view from his front yard...

Cheers!

Vienna: Schnee und Eis

Fourth post from Vienna!

“Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.”

  -Mozart

As much as I love Mozart - his hometown could use some sun! There is less than a week left of March and it is freezing here in Vienna! And I'm not talking light jacket with a cute scarf cold - I am talking leave the cute scarf at home and break out the parka because I need function over fashion cold. In fact, it has even snowed the last two days! I don't think Austria subscribes to the predictions of the disinterested groundhog known, not-so-lovingly, as punxatawney phil - but phil definitely blew it again this year by calling for an early spring. 

Not only must we brave the elements simply heading from point A to point B, but we also thought it would be a good idea to take a walking tour of Vienna at night in this weather. Do not get me wrong - it was a great activity! I learned a lot about the history of this beautiful city. But this was no ordinary walk in the park on a summer night. Frankly, we spent most of the day preparing for the walk by buying provisions. Since it was palm sunday, this meant we mostly walked around searching for any store that was open. But we ultimately stopped by the Easter market and purchased some hats and scarves from a local vendor (more on the market to come soon!).

Once bundled up, we headed out to meet the tour group. And the tour started off well - we learned about architecture, royals, plagues, art and culture. 

One of my favorite sites was the Hofburg Palace (seen below on the left). The former home to many monarchs,  including the Habsburg dynasty, this palace is now home to the President of Austria and several interesting museums. Also, the guide told us about interesting square with the statue see on the right. Criminal trials used to occur in that square - either publicly or before the church. Despite any

star chamber

 concerns, most Austrians actually preferred a trial before the church because it was private. All public trials occurred in the square where locals could throw rocks and spit on the accused. Given those options, I guess I would prefer a secret trial to public humiliation too.

Hofburg Palace

Statue representing the old trial space of the church - used to have three stones where defendants could wish for luck

The local fare des tages.

 Before we hit the walking tour we did have an awesome lunch and one of the more famous historical spots in Vienna -

Cafe Central

. (Check out the link for pictures that really show off the interior). It is a must see if you visit Vienna! Cafe Central is simply a coffeehouse that has been around since 1876. It is famous because it was the regular meeting spot for many intellectuals during the 19th/20th century. 

In January 1913 alone, 

Josip Broz Tito

, 

Sigmund Freud

, 

Adolf Hitler

, 

Vladimir Lenin

, and 

Leon Trotsky

 (the latter two being regulars) were patrons of the establishment. Now it is a popular tourist spot with great food. My lunch order seen below - I had square noodle with saurkraut and a yogurt sauce. It was different but I definitely recommend it!

Finally, and somewhat randomly, check out this interesting development in the wine industry. Heading to a local baseball stadium near you (well really only if you are a Mets fan because they are starting with Citi Field), a company called Zipz is introducing sealed single servings of wine. Check it out

here

. As much as I think serving wine in individual servings, like beer cans, is a brilliant idea (definitely shark tank worthy), I would almost guarantee the wine would be lacking in quality. Love to here your thoughts on this!

Cheers!

Vienna: Das Tigra

Third post from Vienna!

 As a resident of the great New York City, I get a lot of house guests. With every visitor I frequently hear the same question - "So what do you do for fun  on a typical weekend." Since I have been there for years and hit most of the typical museums, theaters and attractions, I am now proud to announce that my most common answer is... "um, go out to eat."

Fish Sandwich and Gerkensalat from a local fast food joint.

You may scoff at my choice of dining and wine over the cultural hustle and bustle that is New York City. But it is a passion of mine to research the best kept secrets, newest innovations and traditional favorites within the restaurant community. Which brings me to today's post! Naturally, this passion for restaurants doesn't stop with the five boroughs of NYC but follows me abroad, more specifically to Vienna. 

So our first stop was at a local fast food place that features fish (the name escapes me right now - but it was something Nordic if any Vis Mooties* want to check it out). I would describe it as a classier long john silver's - for those familiar with the seafood featuring fast food chains of the U.S. Be ware - the line moves swiftly - unless there are Americans trying to pay with their credit cards in front of you. But the food is affordable and tasty.

RH in front of CHAMPIONS - head there

 for overpriced "American" food

Then, I hit the town to explore with RH and we stumbled upon Champions - the "American Sports Bar and Restaurant." I always find these types of establishments comical. I wonder if the locals really like going there or if it is just a place for Americans to go when feeling nostalgic while abroad. Either way, I hope the locals come visit Philadelphia for a real Philly Cheese-steak (that is way cheaper that 16 euros they would pay at Champions) and the Americans hold out until their return and stick with the local fare. Unless they play Journey there - because that changes everything.

After a lot of exploring and a successful return to our neighborhood without looking at our map (all thanks to the expert - RH!) we headed to a local market for the essentials - candy and pastries. NYC has some great bakeries - but German/Austrian bakeries may ... (sorry I have to say it) ... take the cake! Everything is just better. Fresh bread, pastries, chocolates - the list goes on and everything just seems like a little more heart went into it than in most American supermarkets. No specific recommendations needed because everything is exceptional! Yes, even the haribo gummy bears that are available in the states are better here.

The essentials: apple turnover and gummiberkin

S

ome of you may be wondering - what is with the pizza? I can hear my younger sister pointing out, "C'mon K - I thought you only stuck to local fare when abroad." I know, I know - I blame the hotel concierge for this one. RH and I were in search of somewhere quick, cheap and good before we hit the Vis Bar. The hotel directed us to Vapiano. When he said the name, I thought - ok, Italian in Austria, this will be interesting. But, when I turned the corner I finally put two and two together - he sent us to

Vapiano

a chain Italian restaurant present in the U.S. where you are given a swipe card and order directly from the chef's station. 

To clarify, I am not hating on Vapiano. It is a great place to go with a large group, the food is affordable and tastes great. I just found it hilarious that I have been to the same chain restaurant (excluding typical fast food) in three large cities (NYC, D.C. and now Vienna).

I will end with a glimpse of what is to come in my next post. RH and I randomly walked by this restaurant, in basically an alley, with a line out the door (And its freezing and snowing in Vienna right now). I later learned that this was 

Figlmüller

, a famous Austrian schnitzel house that has been making this traditional dish since 1905. Get excited for this one folks!

The line for Figlmüller - a local hotspot that we plan to visit soon!

Cheers!

*Vis Mooties

- a colloquial term to describe student participants in the Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, whose common characteristics include, but are not limited to, desire to be best friends with E.B. (Eric Bergsten that is); heard a law professor from Pittsburgh sing at least three songs on arbitration (yes ... songs); likely sang along with these songs, whether or not they will admit it; know honestly more than any normal person should know about witness statements, article 96 CISG, breach (whether fundamental or not), delay, avoidance and (of course) child labor; fierce competitors by day; people just searching for good times, a party or even (dare I say it) love around the corners of the Vis bar by night.

Vienna: Grüß Gott!

Second post from Vienna!

If any of my readers have been to Austria/Germany - then you know that most people do not greet you with the typical

good afternoon

(you would think guten tag)

but Grüß Gott! (literal translation "good day" or its variants "gods greetings to you"). Since I am a huge nerd, a little research revealed that this welcome is mostly used in southern Germany and Austria. Even the Swiss use a closely related welcome - Gr

üess-ech.

So what is with the language lesson?!

 When I travel abroad, I try to immerse myself in the culture and language. In Austria, it is somewhat hard to do this because nearly

everyone

 (at least those under 30) speaks English. In fact, some of my German relatives even question why I am interested in learning German as no one really knows the rationale behind der/die/das. As the suedo-german expert in my group (and I am by no means an expert) I translate for the group when I can (and let's be honest.... mostly with the aid of a dictionary). Recently, I let one of my group-mates borrow my German-English dictionary and she came up with the following essential list of German phrases to know:

Moot Welcome Ceremony - Vienna Symphony House

Hallo!

- Hello!

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

- Do you speak English?

Wo ist...?

- Where is...?

Wie viel kostet das?

- How much...

Ohne Fleisch/Vegetarier

- Without meat/Vegetarian 

mit

- with 

Die Weinkate, bitte

- wine list please

Prost!

- Cheers! (And the Germans basically require you to yell this - don't be shy!)

Die Rechning, bitte!

- The check please!

I shared this list with you because it is - by far - an extremely accurate description of our first two days in Vienna. Though, I still maintain that you only need three words to survive Austria -

ein bier, bitte!

Group in front of another beautiful statue in Vienna.

For my wine enthusiasts! You know I can't go too long without mentioning wine. Don't worry, I am taking plenty of notes to share with you when I return. But this post features one of my favorites - Blaufränkisch! I recently went out to dinner with my group-mates at a nicer restaurant and chose a blaufränkisch for the table. The label was

Paul Kerschbaum - Blaufränkisch Classic and this bottle did not disappoint.

Blaufränkisch is known as the pinot noir of the east because it is intensively grown in Eastern Europe (Its grown in Germany, Austria, Washington State, Slovakia, Croatia, and Hungary). The grapes flavor is truly intriguing - it has strong acidity, but a medium body and the flavor grows in complexity over time. Further, this grape is SPICY, and I love it! This interesting flavor and medium body makes it an extremely versatile wine that can pair well with almost anything. Whether in Austria (the primary home of blaufränkisch) or back in the states - I highly recommend this grape! 

Stay tuned for more adventures on food, wine and international commercial arbitration from Vienna!

Cheers!