By Helena Baker

For the Post

What is Austrian wine, other than jugs from the Heurigen? Naturally, people here tend to imagine the wines would be similar to those of neighboring Moravia. True, much of the winemaking history and many of the grapes used are the same. But thanks largely to the efforts of a number of talented young winemakers, Austria began to make serious strides up the quality ladder in the 1980s, while this country was still behind the Iron Curtain and cut off from world trends.

Now Austria\'s best is on the wine lists of many of the world\'s most fashionable restaurants. It is especially recognized for its food-friendly pairings with a variety of Asian cuisines, as well as foie gras and fish. Specialties include the lusciously sweet wines from around Lake Neusiedl; Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners from the Wachau, Kremstal or Kamptal regions; Schilcher, a rosé wine made only in the southern region of Styria; and last but not least, a host of fantastic red wines, such as fruity Blaufränkisch from Mittelburgenland, which is nothing but the humble Moravian Frankovka in another bottle.

Slowly but surely, top-end Austrian producers are finding their way onto the Czech market, mainly via gastronomy and the best vinotékas. And there\'s an excellent opportunity to sample their wines Wednesday, Sept. 6, between 5 and 7 p.m. Thanks to the good work of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, a huge array of winemakers will be in Prague for their annual visit to the Hotel Diplomat (Evropská 15, Prague 6–Dejvice). Showing their fine wines in person will be such vinous superstars as FX Pichler, Willi Bründlmayer, Emmerich Knoll, the brothers Jurtschitsch, Willi Opitz, Count Hardegg and Brigitte Eichinger, among many others.

Admission for this super tasting opportunity is 150 Kč ($6.82). For more information, send an e-mail to prague@austriantrade.org

Winery of the month: Spielberg

No, it\'s not Steven Spielberg fulfilling a Hollywood dream in south Moravia. Instead, this is a brand-new firm, founded by lawyer Jaroslav Javornický in 2002 with the express aim of putting the area around Žarošice back on the winemaking map, as it had been since the Middle Ages. Apparently Napoleon was so taken with the local wine that he and his troops celebrated his key victory at Austerlitz with hectoliters of the stuff. The winery itself is located in a dark-crimson former state agricultural cooperative building in nearby Archlebov. The raw material comes from 56 hectares (138 acres) of vineyards (including one tract known as Spielberg) where mature vines range from 15 to 20 years of age, and another 12 hectares of newly planted sites. First vintages rolled off the bottling line in 2003.

In charge of the winemaking side is go-ahead young wine-academy graduate Pavel Svoboda, who worked for a handful of large enterprises before getting the chance to be his own man here. The soil and sub-soil conditions in nearby Žarošice are ideal for red wine, giving a surprising depth and minerality with rounded fruit and soft tannins that is very unusual in Moravian reds. These are on a comparable level to the best Austrian red wines. Most of the production is destined for the high-gastronomy trade.

For more details, check www.spielberg.cz

September Events Diary

Lucio Mastroberardino from the famed Terredora winery in the picturesque hilltop town of Montefusco near Benevento in Campania, Italy, will visit Prague Sept. 6–7. On both days, a three-course menu with accompanying wines will be on offer at the Grand Cru wine bar (Karoliny Světlé 37, Prague 1). The price is 1190 Kč. In the same location Sept. 7, there will be a presentation of the wines by the master starting at 3 p.m. Admission is 200 Kč.

From Sept. 6–8 at Ambiente Ristorante (Celetná 11, Prague 1), a Campanian menu with Terredora wines will be the order of the day. For further information, call 272 706 887-8.