An Austrian Wine Love Story
I first met Martin and Anna at Vinitaly this spring, they shared a booth with a group of wine makers that have come together out of a similarity in wine making philosophies, small production quality wine… and most important, a deep and respected friendship.
 Martin and Anna had recently become engaged (they are high school sweethearts, and a couple so well suited they almost seem hard to believe, and too sweet to be envious of). After spending the week in Verona together, we became friends quickly and naturally and I was invited to their wedding a few months later this past summer in their hometown in Austria. The wedding was incredible, and full of customs, incredible food, waltzing, and of course great wine. There were guests from all over the world, Australia, London, New York, Italy, and France, and everyone there shared a love of wine, as well as love for Anna and Martin.
Martin Arndorfer comes from a long line of wine makers, and his father still has his own wine and label. Anna Steininger is the daughter of one of the best and most respected wine makers in Austria, Karl Steininger (http://www.weingut-steininger.at/), quite simply, they are a match made in ‘wine’ heaven. Both born with a natural, and it seems in that region, almost genetic understanding and love of the Riesling and Gruner Veltliner grapes.
I tasted through their wines at the fair in Verona, and was immediately and completely fascinated. I’ve always loved Gruner Veltliner and Riesling as they are both varietals that are perfect and fun in food and wine pairing. What I was not prepared for was the diversity that Martin and Anna have managed to incorporate into their wines. They had an almost overwhelming number of labels and vintages to taste through, and each one had an absolute purpose to exist. Eight wines, all with German names that I butchered in an embarrassing manner (my German leaves everything to be desired)…but each one left me captivated, and excited. These wines have spirit, are young and fresh, and have an incredible amount of work, thought and detail that go into each un-pronounceable label.
Martin fell in love with winemaking at the tender age of 12, and even before tried to play sick from kindergarten because he preferred to stay in the vineyards with his mother, and on the tractor with dad. Anna was basically ‘born in the cellar’ and has been helping with the wine making since the time she could walk.
 After attending a winemaking school that has been teaching future winemakers since 1860, Martin headed off to Italy to get some practical training (and thought he might eat quite well while there as well). Martin still lends much of his inspiration to two Italian producers; Ronco del Gnemiz run by Serena Palazzolo where he experienced his first full bodied whites matured in small oak barrels, and Fabrizio Iuli (yes the same Fabrizio Iuli that was my inspiration to start Indie Wine). With Fabrizio he learned how to make, “complex and straightforward red wines of outstanding quality”. These two wineries sparked his interest in thrilling red wines and his passion for barriques. He said in both cases, he has also found friends for a lifetime. Thanks to Anna’s gentle persuasion he then attended the University of Austria and graduated with a degree in “International Wine Management.” He is currently studying for his master degree in the same major.
When Martin returned from Italy, he and Anna moved in together, and not only did they unite their living spaces, but also their love, ideas, passion and knowledge for winemaking starting their own label, ‘Arndorfer’. The M & A on the bottle stand for, yes you guessed, Martin and Anna.
Although I love all eight of the Arndorfer wines, I have decided to start with bringing in just three. The Strasser Weinberge Riesling and Gruner Veltliner, and the Die Leidenschaft Riesling. Go ahead and pronounce these however you would like, no one is judging, and neither will they. The experience you have when you are not speaking, but instead with a nose and mouth full of their wines is what they are after invoking.
About the Wines…
The Strasser Weinberger Riesling and Gruner Veltliner are named after Strass, the village where Anna and Martin live, and are a selection of particular vineyards from the best sites in Strass. The 30+ year old vines for both varieties all take different characteristics from the different soils in the varying vineyards, hence giving different flavors to all the grapes. What we’re left with are wines with complexity, structure, balance and minerality. Yes, everything you want in a white wine!!
Finally, the Die Leidenschaft is Martin’s passion. All the wines under this label are fermented and aged in French oak. To work with oak is simply put, Martin’s biggest passion (and what makes him also extremely unique and cutting edge for this region). Martin states that you should try to find and recognize the personality of this wine, and in doing so will get to know much more about Martin himself.
What to look forward to? Martin and Anna have already planted a bit of Pinot Noir, and are very interested in playing with and understanding Pinot in the Kamptal region. He promises to let me know as soon as he has a Pinot ready to be released!
On a final note, for the wine at Martin and Anna’s wedding, each of them chose a vineyard and selection of grapes. Anna from her family’s vineyard, and Martin from his family’s vineyard. They each fermented, aged and cared for their special selection separately and secretly from one another – neither having any idea what the other was doing with their ‘part’ of the wine. They blended and specially bottled the two parts shortly before the big day. It was the wine we enjoyed during the reception, and was still being poured generously well into the waltzing afterwards.
The wine was as exquisite as are Martin and Anna and we all have an exciting and delicious future to look forward to with these two side by side in the vineyard.
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