Strohmeier "Trauben, Lieb und Zeit" Indigo No. 2 Styria, Austria
Strohmeier "Trauben, Lieb und Zeit" Indigo No. 2 Styria, Austria
Style: Red
Vintage: 2017
ABV: 9.5%
Region: Styria
Country: Austria
Varietals: 100% Blauer Wildbacher
This deep, ink-blue red is one of Franz’s top wines, made with old Blauer Wildbacher vines in the best vintages. Just like the color whose name it carries, this wine is deep and intriguing; it also ages gracefully, so the patient among us will be greatly rewarded…
Vineyard: Lestein. Steep slope with loamy Opok soil close to Franz’s house. Vines planted in the 1980s, one-wire trained.
Making of: the grapes are hand-harvested, with a careful selection of only the ripe and healthy grapes. The crushed grapes then spend 4 weeks on skins, going through the spontaneous primary fermentation. After soft pressing, the wine spends 24 months in used 500-liter and smaller wooden barrels. Unfined, unfiltered, no sulfur added.
Personality: Red so deep it turns blue which turns black. The most beautiful color you’ll ever drink. An everlasting upward spiral to the layers of pleasure where words fail you. Treat yourself.
Pairing Ideas: This wine is pretty funky! Enjoy with a thick bison burger fresh off the grill with lots of accoutrements like aioli, mustard & cornichons. If you've got a knack for pickling in general just serve up a small mixed offering of any pickled vegetable to complete the food & wine pairing experience.
Producer Fun Facts: In 2009 the first TLZ-wines “Trauben, Liebe und Zeit” = “Grapes, Love and Time“ were ready on the basis of 2007 vintage. The grapes for these wines are plucked only when being fully ripe and grow in vineyards near Stainz. These wines are produced free of any additives (including no sulphur). The name already characterises all “ingredients” necessary for the wine production. TLZ-wines are 12 to 48 months in wooden barrels and bottled without filtering. Strohmeier Rosé (Sparkline-Schilchwine) in traditional bottle fermentation is also made without sulphur. The “symbiosis” in the vineyard: Symbiosis (Greek: sym=together/bios=life) for us means to encourage organisms best, from the smallest protozoan to the highly-developed plants and animals. It is real pleasure to experience this vivacity in the vineyards. It is finally also reflected in the wine itself, as it ripens in the cellar without influence. The primary principle for all parts – from the vineyard to the drinking experience itself – is: “let all develop on its own” and thus rely on “how it really is”. This positive attitude is the key for all future-oriented developments in accordance with nature and creativeness. It is the quality of growth in the vineyard, which forms these wines.