What a nice find – two dusty bottles on the lower shelf in the back at a small liquor store out in Whiterock, BC. Lucky me…

The Chorus is an old fave – a blend of 6 white varieties including Pinot Blanc, Muller Thurgau, Schonberger, Kerner, Pinot Gris and Viognier. There’s a heavy emphasis on Austria in this bottle, although the wine is from a small boutique winery in Canada’s Okanagan Valley.

Austria’s most planted variety is Gruner Veltliner followed by Muller Thurgau. Pinot Gris is usually called Grauburgunder (or Rulander) and Pinot Blanc is referred to as Weissburgunder. Kerner and Schonberger are also grown in Austria, but Viognier’s homeland is the France’s Southern Rhone Valley (which doesn’t preclude it from being in someone’s Austrian vineyard!).

Of the four Austrian wine law regions, Weinvertel is part of the Weinland Osterreich and is the largest and a DAC (Districtus Austria Controllatus). Widely referred to as the ‘wine quarter’ and the most dynamic region, it produces a lot of fruity, spicy, dry 12% abv Gruner Veltliner. Austria has a landlocked cool continental climate that can easily be compared to that of the Okanagan Valley.

Clear and bright, pale lemon with legs the nose on this wine is clean and youthful with medium intensity, aromas of minerals, lemon drop, Asian pear, apricot and Granny Smith apple.

The palate is ever-so-slightly off dry with medium acidity and a bigger-than-usual body.  Flavours show peach and ripe apricot, pink cooked grapefruit, ginger and the wine offers a lovely finish.

Solid WSET Good – well balanced fruit concentration and alcohol, fruity and spicy from the Gru-Vee and significant stone fruit from the Kerner and Viognier. The medium level of acidity is a little low, perhaps from the Pinot Blanc. Drink now, if you can find some – refreshing and tasty.