13 Nov Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Hofkellerei des Fürsten von Liechtenstein Ried Herawingert 2021 Pinot Noir Liechtenstein

There are so many wine regions to discover and the newest one for me is in the country of Liechtenstein. I was barely familiar with this tiny country and until this past week, I did not know it was a wine producing country. It was fascinating to learn on a virtual tasting that the country of Liechtenstein was named after Prince Liechtenstein who has a winery and very old vineyard called Hofkellerei des Fürsten von Liechtenstein, The Princely Wines of Liechtenstein. Then I tasted the 2021 Ried Herawingert Pinot Noir and it was so delicious, it became the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About Liechtenstein

The country of Liechtenstein is a small country. A country just over 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) in size, it is Europe’s fourth smallest country after Vatican City, San Marino, and Monaco. And it is the world’s smallest country to border two countries, with Switzerland to the west and south and Austria in the east and north. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarchy headed by the prince of Liechtenstein of the House of Liechtenstein. With a population of 40,000 people, Liechtenstein is one of a few countries with no debt. It is a mountainous country, making it a winter sport destination. It also has an Alpine climate, calcareous soils, and an average of 1,500 hours of sunshine a year, making Liechtenstein an ideal place to grow grapes. And they do. There are more than 100 winegrowers in Liechtenstein.

About The Princely Wines of Liechtenstein

One of these winegrowers is the prince of Liechtenstein. The Liechtenstein family name was first mentioned in 1136. Hugo von Liechtenstein had named himself  after the Liechtenstein Castle, situated south of Vienna, Austria. Centuries later, in 1719, it was decreed that the counties of Vaduz and Schellenberg, both owned by Liechtenstein, would be promoted to a principality which took the name of the Liechtenstein family.

Today the Princely Wines of Liechtenstein includes two properties. One is in the town of Wilfersdorg in the northeast of Austria where they have owned Domaine Wilfersdorf since 1463. The other is Domaine Vaduz in the County of Vaduz which the Liechtenstein family acquired in 1712. It is at Domaine Vaduz that the Herawingert vineyard, one of the most important vineyards in the Rhine River Valley for 1000 years, is located. The Herawingert vineyard covers four hectares (10 acres) and is one of the oldest vineyards in the Principality of Liechtenstein. The vineyard is meticulously farmed and is converting to organic. The soils are schist and limestone. The 45-year-old vines are planted to Pinot Noir.

About The Hofkellerei des Fürsten von Liechtenstein (Wine Cellars of the Prince of Liechtenstein) Ried Herawingert Pinot Noir 2021

The wine is an Alpine-style Pinot Noir. It may not seem like Pinot Noir, locally known as “Blaubergunder” or “Blue Burgundy”, can ripen in the Alpine mountains. But there is a warm wind from Italy that blows through the region that ripens the grapes. The grapes were hand-harvested, fermented with partial whole cluster, and aged in French barriques and tonneaus. The mineral-driven wine has aromas of white strawberries, raspberries, sour cherries, and dried fruits, and a savory mineral finish.

Food Pairing

The mineral-driven Pinot Noir is a food-friendly wine with a variety of dishes, including Asian cuisine, grilled and fried dishes, and spicy fish courses. I enjoyed it with oven-roasted salmon, air-fried potatoes, and steamed broccoli.

Where to Purchase

The wine retails for $45-$60. To find it in the U.S., visit www.wine-searcher.com. Also check out The Princely Wines of Liechtenstein wines from their Austrian properties. The 2021 Gruner Veltliner is fresh and textured with ripe pear, apple, and quince aromas and mouthwatering acidity. And there are two Gruner Veltliner/Riesling blends. The 2022 Herrnbaumgarten Trocken Niederosterreich is a village wine offering stone fruit notes and beautiful minerality. The 2021 Reid Karlsberg is more refined and structured with salty minerality.