The prosecco in the Lufthansa lounge at IAD

We avoided the food and drink in the Lufthansa lounge deciding not to ruin our appetite for what is served on Austrian as we fly to Vienna and then onto Budapest. We did have a nice Siema Vineyards Prosecco while waiting to be called for our flight. The prosecco was refreshing and had multiple columns of bubbles forming a central mousse on the surface. The bubbles lasted for quite a while even while I ran an errand that would rescue hundreds of photos with my camera while on a wine journey in Hungary and Austria. 

The yellow colored prosecco had an aroma and taste of apple and citrus. The mouthfeel was lively with racy acidity. The prosecco cleansed the palate.

Finally, we boarded the Austrian Boeing 767 and settled in our middle row two seats. We received our menu choices for both dinner and breakfast prior to arrival in Vienna.  I also had sparkling water before the plane left the gate. After we were at cruising altitude, the wine and other spirits started flowing.

I decided to stick to Austrian wines since the last leg of our journey was to visit wineries in Austria. I started with the 2016 Schlumberger Rosé Brut. The Sekt, with 12% alcohol had multiple columns of tiny bubbles forming a total surface mousse. After awhile, the mousse was on the center and circumference of the surface. The wine had a salmon color and offered red berry fruit on the aroma and taste. The sparkling wine had a very creamy mouthfeel. While enjoying the 200 ml bottle of the Schlumberger Rosé, I was served a plate of nuts and selected a pretzel roll. Then I was served buffalo mozzarella with avocado, tomatoes and black olives. The steward convinced me to try the gingered butternut squash soup. All the appetizers paired well with the Schlumberger Rosé.

2016 Schlumberger Rosé Brut with the first course

For my entrée I chose grilled Chilean sea bass with lemon butter, Mediterranean beluga lentils and celeriac mash. I decided to pair the entrée with Grüner Veltliner Weinviertel DAC 2017. The wine had a light gold color and a light aroma. The taste reminded me of mangos, citrus and mineral especially chalk. The mouthfeel was soft with racy acidity. Tropical fruits yielded to citrus and mineral on the finish. The wine is seductive. It makes you want to keep coming back to it.

For Kathy, she chose the homemade ricotta ravioli for her entrée. She paired this dish with the Ferabam Premium Zweigelt 2015. The wine had a dark opaque red color. The aroma and taste was reminiscent of plums, black pepper and mineral. The wine was full bodied, dry and had a long finish. It paired well with the ravioli and its slow roasted cherry tomato sauce.

At a recent optometrist appointment our doctor talked about an Austrian wine he really liked by Kracher. This sweet dessert wine was on our menu so both Kathy and I tried it. The wine

2017 Burgenland Beerenauslese Cuvée was a dessert in a glass.

was a blend of Chardonnay and Welschriesling. The wine had a gold color. The aroma was floral with yellow stone fruit and menthol. The taste was reminiscent of peaches, nectarines, honeysuckle and a hint of menthol. This wine is dessert in a glass. A testament of liquid sunshine.

Our wine journey continues with a Hungarian dinner.

Cheers,
Terry