Weekday Dinner Drinking: Burgenländer Rot

Burgenlander Rot

First, let’s answer the obvious questions: I can tell you that “rot” means “red” in German (and it rhymes with “goat”) and that Burgenländ is a renowned wine region in Austria. Now that’s out of the way, and here are five reasons why we liked this wine.

It’s a blend of Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt, and Pinot Noir, which means it’s equal parts familiar (Pinot’s berry fruit, medium acidity and body) and exotic (spice and tannin and cherries from its Austrian pals).

The label says “I’m hip” but the screwcap says “I’m easy.”

It’s from a biodynamically farmed vineyard, so eco-points are duly awarded.

Much like your neurotic roommate freshman year, it’s a little tart and not so great at being alone. When you put some food on the table though – for example, dark meat chicken pot pie, slow-cooked elk in tomato sauce, black beans with rosemary and chorizo, or even gingerbread cookies – it’s a wine you could take home to mama. “Easy drinking,” as a hang tag in a wine shop might say.

It’s only $13 for a liter.

Pittnauer Burgenlander Rot 2009, 1 L, $12.96 at Astor Wines in NYC

We begin with good friends and good wine…

If you’re a fan of this website, you already knew that Scott and I like to cook and eat.  Now you know that we like to drink, too.

We’ve been doing a series of wine tastings with friends every other Wednesday night, now cheerfully dubbed The Humpday Tipples.  Tasting notes on all of the wines we drink there will go up in our brand new wine section on The Blue Cleaver, and we’ll also link to them here.  For example, you can go check out our first five tastings – Pinot Noir, Merlot,  Chardonnay, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc – right now. 

These tastings were the inspiration for creating this blog, but it will include much more than just those evenings’ notes.  We’ll make it a home for all manner of musings on wine, beer, spirits, and all the things that go along with them, from adventures while visiting wineries to checking out restaurant lists to reveling in finding the right bottle to pair with Jersey Shore episodes On Demand.  Cheers!