Friday Wine Tip - 26.04.24

Luft & Liebe by Diwald

Friendly Allrounder

Wine: Luft & Liebe

Winemaker: Diwald

Origin: Wagram, Austria

Grapes: Grüner Veltliner

Method: Old vines, fermented in terracotta and stored for 18 months in old oak barrels before bottling.

This week's Wednesday Wine Tip has turned into a Friday Wine Tip because of how life suddenly gets chaotic. The wine is a great allrounder and intro orange wine with only 3 days of skin contact and a taste that most people will be able to enjoy. It's a safe bet both in terms of price and versatility.

Luft & Liebe, meaning Air & Love, is exactly what this wine get's in the making. It has a slightly oxidative style from the time in old oak barrels, and lots of love have been given to these vines which are some of Martin Diwalds oldest plants. If you are unsure about orange wine, or know someone who is, try this one!

Martin and Ulli Diwald are winemakers behind the winery in Grossriedenthal, known for their dedication to organic practices since 1976 and adopting biodynamics in 2023. Diwald Wines reflects the unique character of the Wagram region, famous for its calcareous loess soils. The Diwalds produce expressive wines true to their origin, utilizing hand-picking and natural fermentation techniques to highlight the personality of each variety, from Grüner Veltliner to rare local grapes.

Comtè, sourdough bread, and butter

Let's be honest, I think a lot of us could survive on cheese, bread, and butter alone. A true peasant diet, but make it fancy. It's no secret that orange wine and cheese is a pairing made in heaven, and Luft & Liebe works very well with a lot of cheese. Not the strongest ones, but a nice comtè is a great pairing. The wine becomes a fresh sidekick, they match with the nutty taste, and bring out a lot of good from each other.

You of course need some nice bread and butter on the side, just because.

Sharing a bottle in the sun

It's funny how in the Nordic countries, once the sun comes back and shines on us, we realize how depressed we get without it. Drinking good wine in the sun is never a bad thing, but you normally want to have a lighter wine for outdoor sipping. Luft & Liebe is great for being outside in the fresh air and sharing it with someone you love, or just someone who loves to drink wine as well. It's as easy as that.

A La Sala by Khruangbin

Sometimes you just want some nice background music that doesn't take the focus, but fill the atmosphere in a good way. The new album A La Sala from Khruangbin is exactly that, and in many ways very similar to this weeks wine. They are both very good supporting actors, not necessarily great main actors that wants a lot of focus.

Therefore I suggest having a bottle of Luft & Liebee while listening to this album. You can even do it while having your peasant diet outside in the sun.

Enjoy!