red wines (austrian)

[dpriggs]

i received a 1970 bottle of an austrian red wine as a gift, St. Laurent is the name on the bottle along with other writings that i can't make out. should i go ahead and serve it or save it. i know nothing about wines

[tomstevenson]

St Laurent is the name of the grape from which the wine was made. It is a modest variety, although some people think it is related to the Pinot Noir, which makes the great red wines of Burgundy. Although there is much dispute over this heritage, certain winemakers have produced velvety red wines of remarkably Pinot-like character, especially in the last 10 years. Such wines can improve for 5 or more years, but most St Laurent are simply light, mild and quaffing wines that are best drunk between 1 and 3 years old. That said, I have come across exceptional Beaujolais (another wine that - generally - is best consumed young) of 20-25 years of age that have been drinking nicely, so who knows? The answer to your question is, therefore, to open it sooner rather than later. Some particularly successful producers of St Laurent are Gessellmann, Gipsberg and Umathum.