Review : Exclusive Wine Experience : Taste the best of Austria in a wine cellar in the heart of Vienna

I don’t know about you but whenever I travel, I want to taste the local wine (heck even in Japan, I tasted wine! and it tasted good by the way, but that’s a story for another time

So of course, Austria is no exception. And by the way, Austria used to be the 3rd wine producing country in the world! Today, it is the 17th. So Austria has many wines to offer. With its climate and its local grape varieties, these are wines you will not find anywhere else.

So how can you discover Austrian wines in Vienna? This is where Exlcusive Wine Experience steps in!

Let me give you my honest review of this experience I have done several times now.

Name: Exclusive Wine Experience

Website: Exclusive Wine Experience

Price: 99€

Overall Rank: 10/10

What to expect

You sign up on TripAdvisor and choose a date and a time and show up at WeinClub7 (Siebensterngasse) in Vienna.

You will be greeted by Stylianos, who comes from Greece and has spent over 10 years in Vienna by now. He is passionate about wine and has studied for WSET3. He will teach you about wines in a fun way and make you discover Austrian wines in a wine cellar in the heart of the city.

You will get to taste six to seven different wines and typical Austrian delicacies.

My experience of Exclusive Wine Experience

I met Stylianos one rainy Thursday afternoon at Weinclub 7. There, a nurse from Las Vegas and a couple from San Francisco were already waiting. We were soon joined by another couple from the USA and the tasting could begin!

We had a short visit of the cellar (can you guess what it used to be?)

We then proceeded to the tasting part!

Stylianos explained how wine is produced and presented the different wine regions of Austria.

We started off with a sparkling wine from Schloss Gobelburg, a blend from Grüner Veltliner, Chardonnay and Welschriesling. This wine comes from Kamptal. It had a yellow-gold color and an intense smell of brioche, butter, lemon, almonds, baked apple and splash of cinnamon. On the palate, you find the same flavors. The grapes were grown on limestone soil giving the wine high acidity. Its residual sugar of 7g gave it a medium body and length is incredibly long.

The second wine (which is one of my favorites) is a Sauvignon Blanc from Südsteiermark from Erwin Sabathi. It presents aromas of grass and green apple. If you’re familiar with Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, you could compare it. On the palate, it has high acidity is light-bodied with a medium length, with sage flavors.

The third wine is a 2018 wine from the Wachau from the winerie Weinhofmeisterei Greif Smaragd. It is only made from Grüner Veltliner. The yellow-green colored wine presents aromas of pepper, peach, hay and lemon. On the palate, it is very fruit, something you would not expect much from a Grüner Veltliner, with a bit of white pepper at the end. It is medium bodied with high acidity and a disappointing medium length.

The fourth wine is made from Riesling from Kamptal from the winerie Gaisberg. It presents aromas of vanilla, cooked apples, peach, thym and white tea. This is a very straigthforward wine with high acidity and very intense. It has a very long finish with a little bit of residual sugar.

The fifth wine is a Zweigelt from Umathum which presents a rubis color. It has aromas of red fruit with eucalyptus and meat notes. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine has high acidity, low tannins and medium finish.

The sixth wine was one of my favorites too. It is also made from Zweigelt. This single-vineyard wine comes from the winerie Johannneshof. It has aromas of pepper, black fruit, cherry and vanilla. This full-bodied wine from 2017 has high acidity and its tannins are melted making the wine velvety.

The seventh wine is a Blaufrankish from the same year from the winerie Prieler in Leithaberg. It presents black fruit and vanilla aromas and has high acidity with a very long finish. Its tannins are not all melted. I would recommend letting this wine age for a few more years?

The eighth and last wine was a Greek wine! (also one of my favorites!) from Naoussea. It has a grenate color and aromas of red and black fruits with notes of leather, eucalyptus and pepper. It has high acidity, fruity flavors. The tannins are still present meaning this wine can be drunk now but could age also a few years more.

So 8 wines with four cheeses and charcuterie (salami, proscuttio…). This was clearly a magical moment, where we were all able to share about the wines.

Why should you sign up

This is also the occasion to meet people from all over the world with very different backgrounds, but who share a common interest : wine! You will able to share your thoughts on the wine, exchange addresses, tips and basically, share a magical moment.

The selection changes every time so you can do it over and over again (I have a session every time I come to Vienna).

Don’t miss out!

I actually have no negative points on this experience, it’s an excellent value for money and you will be sure to learn lots, whether you know (or not) about wine. I definitely would say this is a must-do while in Vienna.

If you’re still hesitating, check it out for other reviews (34 excellent reviews, at the time I’m writing the article) and the photos (Stylianos uploaded over 65 pictures so you’ll know what you’re getting into)

>> Book my exclusive wine experience now! <<