Yesterday we met with a small group of wine enthusiasts to talk about the state of the wine industry in Maryland.

We met at the Four Seasons Hotel in the Wit & Wisdom boutique bar. Wit & Wisdom offers a sophisticated but very friendly place to enjoy a drink with a small group of people. It was perfect for our meeting.

Everyone had a glass of red or white wine but I decided on a rosé. I glanced through the menu and noted that the list was comprised mostly of California wines. The wine that caught my eye was an Austrian wine. Since I have not had many Austrian wines I decided to try it. It was a Biohof Pratsch Zweigelt 2011. I’ve had Zweigelt rosés before but this one stood out with more nuances on the taste. It was bright, cheerful and enjoyable. A Rosé wine, the color was a beautiful deep pink. This dry wine was perfect to sip for our afternoon meeting. Biohof Pratsch, with organically certified vineyards, is located in the Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) wine region.

Topics covered at our meeting included a look at the wine industry from the point of views of consumers, retailers and importers. Part of the focus was how can a European (or any country) winery gain a foothold in the US market.

Cheers!