Modest people for the most part, the Austrians, they don’t do vintages of the century, and don’t understand the need to increase their prices, when they see other countries going collectively bonkers. I suppose it’s probably because they make wine to be drunk, as part of a culture of gastronomy and good living, rather than as trophies and objects of speculation in a dangerous game of one-upmanship.

The Austrian Wine Marketing Board sent out a mixed message in its annual report saying that the weather had been all over the place with extreme conditions both in Spring and Summer – “storms, floods and mud slides, record lightning and hot tropical conditions” – whilst maintaining that 2009 was an exceptional vintage in the long run of such vintages finishing in 9 right back to 1959. This is all very confusing and no-one I spoke to described a superb vintage triumphing over such an apocalyptic weather cycle.

It is clear that flowering was early and fruit set poor (especially for the Riesling) so reducing the potential size of the harvest. Also apparent is that there was a lot of rain towards the end of the summer, leading to botrytis, and smaller volumes of wine at Federspiel level, as sugar levels rose very quickly. At the same time, there is evidence of good concentration of acidity too, making for straight wines which are not immediately exuberant. Within my own tasting memory, I am most reminded of 2001 or of 2005 with slightly less intensity.