Brut Rosé Reserve 1500ml Magnum

Loimer's Brut Rosé Reserve is a dry rosé sparkling wine from the Kamptal, salmon-coloured in the glass with a cool, taut entry. The nose opens floral and red-berried: redcurrants, small, just-ripened wild strawberries, both tart and sweet cherries, along with hazelnuts and freshly buttered brioche.

The grapes come from sites in Langenlois and from Gumpoldskirchen, where Fred Loimer took over the Schellmann estate in 2004 and works on calcareous soils of the Thermenregion. In the Kamptal, the subsoil ranges from primary rock to loess to volcanic remnants; cool air from the Waldviertel to the north and Pannonian warmth from the south create wide temperature swings.

A cuvée of Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. Harvested by hand in early to mid-September in 20 kg crates. After whole-cluster pressing yielding 50 litres of juice from 100 kg of grapes and around 40 hours of settling, spontaneous fermentation follows at 18 to 22 °C over two to four weeks in steel tank, then more than six months on fine lees. About a year later the cuvée is bottled and remains sur lattes for two and a half years; riddling is done by hand, with a dosage of 3 g/l.

The cool notes carry through, the sparkling wine becomes fuller here and shows ripe, sweet nuances, red and slightly dark fruit, and a hint of gianduia. The mousse is fine and lively, the fruit held in check by delicate acidity.

With slightly spicy fried eggs on pumpkin, with smoked haddock cakes with leek and potatoes, and with courgette gratin with béchamel and Parmesan.

The Loimer estate is among Austria's most defining producers. Fred Loimer switched to biodynamic farming in 2006 and, a year later, co-founded respekt-BIODYN with colleagues, which also sets quality standards in the cellar. Sparkling wine made using the traditional method has been produced here since 2013, aged in 150-year-old loess cellars.