Ökonomierat Rebholz, Muskateller 'L' trocken, 2009

Ökonomierat Rebholz is certainly a very Germanic sounding name for a winery. 'Ökonomierat' is an old-fashioned German and (not so old-fashioned) Austrian title of honour that literally means 'economical councillor'. The original Ökonomierat Rebholz, Eduard, received it for his impact on viticulture. Now in the third generation, the Rebholz estate is still dedicated to his idea of 'natural wine', shunning practices such as adding of sugar to increase alcohol content and instead focussing on organic methods. It may be best to forget about all this though as the Muscat in front of you is anything but stuffy Germanic or organically preachy. It is just a highly enjoyable wine.

I have said this before, but I love the whole Rebholz brand, in particular the bottle and logo design. What I also love is the bouquet of the Muskateller (Muscat). It starts very flowery, with elderflower leading the way, shows great fruit, pear and cassis, and then turns more crisp and apple-y later. And then some nutmeg to spice things up. Refreshing and enticing. On the tongue the wine is less flowery and more crisp than you might expect, a very fresh wine with nice citrus notes and good minerality too. Very easy to drink and yet in no way dumbed down. What's not to like.