Welschriesling World Tour
From oesterreichwein.at
Whether you call it Welschriesling, Laški Rizling, Olaszrizling, Graševina, Riesling Italico, or anything else, what does not change is how enjoyable the wines are. Despite its name, this grape bears no relation to Riesling. Welschriesling grows largely in Austria but also Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Northern Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Turkey (sort of-we’ll get to that).
According to Wine Searcher, the grape is “relatively easy to grow, although it does have a preference for dry climates and warm soils. Welschriesling is productive and retains its acidity in warmer climates, making it a reliable grape for growers. In most cases this will result in a light, fairly neutral wine…”
Thanks to my great friend S who just happens to be Austrian, I’ve been able to try quite a few Welschriesling wines. Then I went to Slovenia where I tried Laški Rizling. By the time I made it to Hungary and Olaszrizling I was on a mission to bring home a wine for a tour of Welschriesling tasting. What really prompted this though was Bozcaada-based winery Amadeus MMX here in Turkey. More on that below! Whatever planted the idea in my mind, with S’s help I put together a tasting of five different, more-or-less Welschrieslings from four countries.
Walter Skoff Welschriesling 2017 Tasting Notes
Since the bulk of the world’s Welschriesling grows in Austria (67%) it was only right that we both start with Austrian Welschriesling and that we had two. Steiermark (Styria) is the southernmost wine producing region in Austria, bordering Slovenia. Welschriesling is one of the important, if not widely grown (only 5%) grapes in this region.
The first wine from Walter Skoff in the Südsteiermark DAC poured a pale lemon with green highlights. Given the nature of Welschriesling, none of these wines had a heady perfume or were particularly aromatic. But the Walter Skoff, with a lovely fruity nose full of apple, apple blossom, and fresh citrus really set the tone for the rest of the tasting.
Light and easy on the palate with only 11.5% abv and surprisingly low acidity (Welschriesling tends high). This spritzig or effervescent wine had a very simple character with citrus pith detail and tropical notes framing a ripe, peachy core. Simple but oh so drinkable!
Holler Welschriesling Klassik 2017 Tasting Notes
Wine number two by Weingut Holler also came from Steiermark, from the Südsteiermark DAC. Made in the Austrian klassik style (meaning no oak) showed a bright lemon in the glass with a slight effervescence. A delicate perfume of spring orchards, tree fruit, and lemon pith gently wafted from the glass. And while “spring orchards” might sound overly romantic and esoteric; that is bang on what it was. I spent a chunk of my childhood in apple/pear/peach orchards and I know that perfume well!
Taking a cheese break!
Similar in body and alcohol (11.5% abv) to the Skoff Welschriesling, the Holler displayed a higher, livelier acidity and a definite effervescence in the mouth. Palate flavors largely reflected the nose and were joined by an elegant hint of pear sorbet.
Puklavec Family Laški Rizling 2017 Tasting Notes
Up next, we moved from Austria to Slovenia for a wine I purchased during a previous trip to Ljubljana. Spoiler alert; I really like this one. I put a little heart-shaped sticker next to my notes on it. 
Puklavec Family Wines are produced in the heart of Ljutomer-Ormož, a wine area in the Podravje region, in the North-Eastern part of Slovenia. Part of the winery’s Jeruzalem Ormož line, this wine shared some characteristics with the Austrian wines but with a more prominent citrus character.
Fresh-squeezed grapefruit aromas dominated the nose with highlights of Asian pear and almond blossom. Light-bodied with zippy acidity and, like the Austrian wines, low alcohol at 11.5% abv. Also like the Austrian wines, the Puklavec Laški Rizling had a lightly effervescent character. It drank more dry than the previous two and while the palate largely reflected the nose, a whisper of bitterness like Turkish green almonds gave this wine an extra dimension.
Somlói Vándor Olaszrizling 2017 Tasting Notes
Last summer for my 40th birthday I treated myself to a short holiday in Budapest including two private wine tours. Knowing that Welschriesling was also popular in Hungary, where it’s called Olaszrizling, I was on a mission to find a bottle to bring home for this tasting. Happily, during my tour of the Somló region, I found one. At the first stop of the day no less at Somlói Vándor Pince.
Run by a young winemaker from Eger, Tamás Kis, Somlói Váandor (Wayfarer of Somló) produces wine from organic grapes, all the result of spontaneous fermentation at controlled, low (17-22 C) temperatures. I could have filled my suitcase with only his wines and walked away happy. I believe I limited myself to only two in the end, one being his Olaszrizling.
Kis blended Olaszrizling from three different parcels (north, south, and east facing) for a killer wine. Prior to bottling, 20% of the blended was treated to oak. The resulting wine was redolent of apple, citrus, mineral, and savory herb.
Amadeus MMX Amadei 2018 Tasting Notes
The final wine, from Turkey, is only sort of a Welschriesling. Which I’m sure sounds strange. A grape either is or is not. Technically no, this is not a Welschriesling but it’s related.
Amadeus MMX Wines, run by Austrian native Oliver Gareis employs a consulting oenologist who also happens to be Austrian. Said gentleman (whose name I know I was told but forget) spent several years developing a new grape using, Welschriesling. During a trip to Austria Gareis tasted some of the wine his oenologist made from the as yet not available commercially grape. It was love at first sip. And since Gareis became the first commercial customer to plant and make wine from the grape, it was named for his winery: Amadei. The resulting wine shares a lot of Welschriesling’s characters. So…sort of Welschriesling.
Medium gold on the pour, the wine’s darker color is the second indication that Amadei may be similar to but not the same as Welschriesling. The first indication (well other than the grape name I suppose) was on the label along side the name…the 13.2% abv. Quite a lot higher than the previous wines.
Lots of fresh apple aromas on the nose. Crisp red apples and applesauce highlights by fresh lemon and lemon zest. On the palate the Amadei does not share Welschriesling’s tingly effervescence but has its own, unique punchy character. Rounder and slightly heavier in the mouth and full of apple goodness. Overall a simple wine but very enjoyable and refreshing. I’m glad I have another hidden away for when the hot Istanbul summer lands!