Last month, I had the opportunity to taste “The Princely Wines of Liechtenstein.” Quite honestly, I was not sure what that meant going into this. So…I began by looking up Liechtenstein.
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is a Principality located in the Alps between Switzerland and Austria. It is the 4th smallest state in Europe (6th in the world), covering about 160 square kilometers with a population of about 40,000.
The country is entrepreneurial, with one company for every 8 citizens!
The Family Liechtenstein
The country is named for the Princely House of Liechtenstein.
This monarchy has provided the country with a head of state for 300 years.
This small country balances a sovereign monarchy with a representative and direct democracy. Referendums are put forward for popular votes, but the reigning Prince can veto. The monarch is not just a figurehead.
History of the family…
It was 1436 when Otto IV of Maissau bequeathed Christoph II of Liechtenstein the Castle and Estates of Wilfersdof. This is where the winery began, in the Weinviertel region of Northeastern Austria in the Niederosterreich (Lower Austria).
So, the wines are the wines of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, and they come from the vineyards originally bequeathed by Otto IV and from the vineyards the family owns surrounding the winery in Liechtenstein in Vaduz.
The family acquired the fief of Vaduz in 1699 and Schellenberg in 1713. In 1719, they became an independent principality under the Holy Roman Empire.
The name…
The principality is named after the family, which took its name from Liechtenstein Castle in Lower Austria. The castle, built in 1130 by Hugo of Liechtenstein, was held by the family until 1295. Then it fell out of the family, with a marriage contract until in 1807 the family purchased the property again and turned it into a museum.
On to the wine…
The family vineyards are split between the vineyards in Lower Austria and those in the Principality of Liechtenstein.
The vineyard and winery in Liechtenstein is known as Domaine Vaduz. Here, they have 4 hectares where they grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. We will get to the Pinot Noir in another article.
The vineyards in Lower Austria are in the Weinviertel, in the upper northwest corner of the country, and the Hernbaumgarten vineyard is almost on the border of Czechoslovakia.
These cool-climate vineyards have been in the family since 1436. The winery grows cool-climate grapes, primarily Gruner Veltliner and Riesling.
I had the opportunity to do a virtual tasting with winemaker Stefan Tscheppe, who works closely with the family, and with Princess Maria, a Sommelier.
They look to the wines as an expression of origin, and their white wines tend to be blends of Riesling and Gruner Veltliner. They worry less about the percentages of each variety in the blend and more about making sure that the wine expresses the place.
10% of the wines they make stay with the family for official events, so a limited amount makes it into the market.
The White Wines
We enjoyed 3 of their white wines
The Ried Karlsberg Grüner Veltliner 2021, the Herrnbaumgarten Cuvée 2022 and the Ried Karlsberg Cuvée 2021.
Ried Karlsberg Grüner Veltliner 2021
The grapes for this wine come from the older vines of the Karls and Johannesberg vineyards that the family has owned for over 600 years. The soils here come from old riverbeds from the Danube. The limestone influences give the wines a Burgundian flare.
The wine is made in 500 liter Tonneaus and aged on the fine lees.
The wine is redolent with tart quince, green apple, and pepper. This is a fuller wine with subtle notes of lanolin and mineral notes. It was rich in color and almost had an oily texture on my palate.
12.4% abv – Residual Sugar 1.0 g/L
Herrnbaumgarten 2022
Coming from the Herrnbaumgarten, where the vines grow in deep loess and calcareous soils from the Danube Delta, this blend of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner is bright and fresh. Sharp and linear, it has lightness and brings bright stone fruit to mind with a bit of minerality. It is an altogether satisfying wine.
12.8% abv – Residual Sugar 1.5 g/L
Ried Karlsberg 2021
This is again a Cuvée of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, with the grapes coming from the storied Ried Karlsberg vineyard that overlooks the village of Herrnbaumgarten. These are old vines. The grapes do a spontaneous ferment with a small portion on their skins. You can tell by the slightly rosy color in the glass.
Look at this wine as the Herrnbaumgarten all grown up. The vines dig deep into the limestone layers, bringing structure to the wine.
12.5% abv – Residual Sugar 2.7% g/L – $50-$55 per bottle
They only make about 5000 bottles of this wine, of which 2000 bottles go straight to the Princely Family, so we felt honored to taste it.
This wine is complex and has excellent aging potential. They have rieslings from this vineyard that were made in the 80s and 90s and show at half their age. They carefully moderate any reduction, and these wines will age 30 years.
Pairing with the White wines
These aromatic white wines are beautiful with Thai curry, and I have recently been craving Thai green curry. What a perfect opportunity to do some recipe testing and see how the curry paired with the wines.
Curry
I’m no expert on curry, but I have always heard it spoken of like stew. Every mom has a family recipe for it. I like my curry mild, and I lean into green flavors, so I experimented with a green coconut curry with mild red, yellow, and orange pepper, carrot, baby broccoli, and spinach.
I was not so adventurous as to make my own curry paste. I did not have the time to search and shop for all the ingredients to do that justice, so I found a jarred paste and supplemented it with garlic, fresh ginger, ground ginger, ground coriander, and dried lemongrass. We used chicken for protein, but firm tofu would be a great option. We seasoned it with lime juice and toned the heat with some honey (or you could use brown sugar). We finished with a bit of basil, sadly not Thai basil, as we did not have that growing at the moment.
We enjoyed it with the wines, but most especially with the blends. I think I likely enjoyed the Herrnbaumgarten best with the food. It was bright, and the acidity and brightness were almost effervescent. I found it complimented the food beautifully.
I also enjoyed the Ried Karlsberg with the food, but…I really just wanted to sit with a glass of this wine on its own and savor its complexity.
I mentioned this was testing. What would I do differently next time? I served this with basmati rice. Next time, I would make coconut rice (Yes, RJ, you have inspired me!). In addition, I think I would add tamari to season the curry further. Michael added soy after the fact, which added depth but was a little overpowering for me. Also, I would use coconut oil to cook the chicken. I was out and used olive oil instead.
Green Thai Curry with peppers and baby broccoli
This green curry with bright vegetables and chicken is surprisingly easy to make. Creamy with coconut milk, it uses a simple jarred green curry paste to create a delicious dish in no time at all. This pairs beautifully with a riesling or riesling gruner veltliner blend wine.
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 lb of white meat chicken diced
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried lemongrass
- 3 small mild peppers (red, yellow, and orange) thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced into diagonal half-rounds
- 1 bunch of baby broccoli, thinly sliced (stems also)
- 1-3 tablespoons of Thai Green Curry paste (1 used 1 ½)
- 1 can of coconut milk
- Water to thin your broth if desired (I did not)
- 2 to 3 cups of fresh spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon honey (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon of soy or tamari
- ½ lime juiced (or rice vinegar)
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, heat the coconut oil.
- Cook the onion until soft and transluscent
- Add the chicken and cook through
- Add the garlic, fresh ginger, ground ginger, coriander, and lemongrass, and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Add the peppers and carrots and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the broccoli and cook 3 minutes.
- Add the curry paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the coconut milk, spinach, and lime juice, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook until the spinach is wilted and the vegetables are as soft as you desire. (5-10 minutes)
- Add water if the curry is too thick.
- Taste and season appropriately, adding soy, tamari, rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, or brown sugar to suit your tastes.
- Serve with basmati rice (or, better yet, coconut basmati rice!) and garnish with basil or cilantro.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 827Total Fat 60gSaturated Fat 42gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 126mgSodium 1036mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 9gSugar 9gProtein 50g
For more on The Princely Wines of Liechtenstein visit their website at https://www.hofkellerei.at/en/startseite.html
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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