Natural Selection

In other parts of the world, natural wine production can be raw, wild, and a little messy. But a road trip through southeastern Austria reveals that, in a land where order and understatement reign, even the low-intervention bottles are elegant and refined.

- KEVIN WEST

"AUSTRIA'S TUSCANY" was my destination: the wine region of Sudsteiermark, or Southern Styria, in the foothills along the Slovenian border. But in this small country known for alpine sports, high culture, and Weiner schnitzel, all roads lead to Vienna. So the day before I set out on a spring driving tour of wine country, I found myself in the imperial city, opening the windows at Hotel Sacher to take in the delicious weather. My elegant suite was a composition of eau de Nil wall fabric, ecru silk curtains, and molded panelling in eggshell hues, and it gave me an idea to try out over dinner.

At a relaxed farm-to-table bistro nearby (Restaurant Schubert, sadly now closed), the twentysomething proprietor seated me on the terrace and suggested I let him handle the ordering. I agreed, and asked him to also choose two Austrian wines. My idea, I explained, was to compare one "classic" from a landmark Austrian winery, something in the faultless Hotel Sacher manner, with an equivalent "natural" wine. The proprietor's eyes lit up. He knew what to do. (There is no exact definition, but typically wines sold as natural, or low-intervention, come from organic or biodynamic grapes fermented with wild yeast and treated with minimal sulfur.)

Out came a progression of beautiful seasonal dishes. White asparagus with grilled romaine and diced rhubarb in a pool of pea emulsion. A frilly salad of sheer carrot ribbons. Delicately poached salmon trout. Jerusalem-artichoke sorbet with preserved quince for dessert. It was a culinary sketch of springtime in Austria: the taste of nature, and a perfect counterpoint to the refinement of the Hotel Sacher.