Looking for wine recommendations? May and June gave me plenty to choose from.
Some months are easy to sum up. Others leave you with pages of tasting notes and the impossible task of choosing just a handful of favourites.
May and June definitely belonged to the second category.
VieVinum brought some unforgettable Austrian wines, including mature bottles that completely challenged what I thought I knew about ageing wine. At the beginning of June, I travelled to Lake Garda for Garda Wine Stories, where I discovered a region full of fresh ideas, exciting wines and passionate producers. Back home, I also had the chance to taste some fantastic Hungarian wines that reminded me why I enjoy exploring beyond the country’s best-known labels.
If you’re looking for wine recommendations for the coming months, these are the bottles I’d happily recommend opening. Some of these wines have already inspired their own stories. My full report from Garda Wine Stories has just been published on Anne-Wies.nl, where I explore why Garda DOC is one of Italy’s most exciting wine regions. If you’ve been following WinEncsy, you may also have read my recent article about the famous Spitzerberg vineyard after visiting Michaela Riedmüller in May. And while I haven’t made it to Tűzkő Birtok just yet, they kindly sent me several of their latest wines to taste, and one of them immediately earned a place on this list.
Weingut Wieninger – Gemischter Satz 1975
If I had to choose one wine that completely stole the show over the past two months, this would probably be it.
During one of the VieVinum masterclasses, Fritz Wieninger poured his 1975 field blend and immediately challenged one of the biggest misconceptions about old wines.
He explained that although the wine was produced exactly like the historic Viennese field blends, with all the grape varieties planted, harvested and vinified together, it probably wouldn’t even qualify as Gemischter Satz under today’s regulations.
The blend included Bouvier, Muscat Ottonel, Pinot Blanc, Roter Traminer and Welschriesling.
If somebody had poured this wine blind, I would never have guessed it was fifty years old.
The nose was remarkably clean, showing dried stone fruits, delicate nuttiness and just a touch of honey rather than the heavy oxidative notes many people expect from older wines. On the palate it was completely dry, layered and incredibly vibrant, with apple, pear, white pepper, cloves and cardamom carried by beautiful acidity.
It wasn’t just one of my favourite wines of the past two months. It’s also one of my easiest wine recommendations for anyone who has never experienced how beautifully Austrian wines can age.
I’ll be sharing more highlights from the outstanding VieVinum masterclasses in a dedicated article soon.
Michaela Riedmüller – Ried Spitzerberg Blaufränkisch 2022
I visited Michaela Riedmüller back in May, and if you’ve already read my article about the famous Spitzerberg vineyard, you’ll know how unique this place is. Tasting her flagship Blaufränkisch again at VieVinum only reinforced that impression.
Produced from a single 500-litre barrel and limited to just 666 bottles each year, this wine comes from the limestone-rich slopes of Spitzerberg in Carnuntum. Constant winds, poor limestone and sandy soils, and naturally low yields all contribute to the wine’s remarkable concentration and freshness.
The nose immediately felt darker and more layered than many Blaufränkisch wines, with blueberry, plum, cassis, blackcurrant, cinnamon and black pepper alongside delicate floral notes. The palate is powerful without feeling heavy, combining ripe tannins, vibrant acidity and plenty of dark fruit supported by spicy complexity. Everything remains beautifully balanced and finishes long with remarkable precision.
If you enjoy elegant, site-driven Blaufränkisch, this is one of my strongest wine recommendations from Austria this year.
Read next: Michaela Riedmüller`s Down to Earth selection with natural, mash-fermented wines
Gozzi – Le Mattarelle Garganega 2025
One of the nicest surprises from Lake Garda was discovering just how many different personalities Garganega can have.
Le Mattarelle represents the more structured side of the variety. Produced from Guyot-trained vines with controlled yields, it offers more concentration while keeping the freshness that makes Garganega so enjoyable.
The nose opens with ripe stone fruits, white pepper, gentle spice and a subtle creamy note. Citrus, green apple and pear take over on the palate, creating a wine that is dry, balanced and wonderfully refreshing. The finish is long, energetic and keeps inviting another sip.
It’s exactly the sort of wine that makes you look at a familiar grape from a different perspective, and one of my favourite wine if you’re looking to discover Garda DOC beyond the well-known names.
Prendina – Cuvée Maison Metodo Classico
Lake Garda also introduced me to one of the finest sparkling wines I tasted this spring.
Made from 90% Chardonnay and 10% Corvina, Cuvée Maison is produced using the traditional method and spends 24 months ageing on its lees before disgorgement. The vineyards lie on the north-eastern side of Lake Garda between 100 and 130 metres above sea level, where constant breezes help preserve freshness throughout the growing season. The vines are trained using the spur cordon system and grow on clay-limestone moraine soils with gravel and sand.
The grapes are hand-harvested during the cool mornings of the third week of August, then gently pressed as whole bunches. Only the finest free-run juice is used. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures with regular lees stirring before the wine undergoes its second fermentation in the bottle and continues ageing on the lees.
The result is a sparkling wine that manages to combine precision with generosity.
The nose opens with stone fruits, lemon and tropical pineapple alongside just a delicate hint of brioche. On the palate, the lees ageing becomes more apparent, bringing vanilla, pastry notes and beautiful texture, all lifted by vibrant citrus and a wonderfully fine mousse. Fresh, elegant and beautifully balanced, this is a sparkling wine with excellent ageing potential.
If you’re searching for sparkling wine recommendations beyond Prosecco and Franciacorta, this bottle deserves a place on your list.
If you’d like to learn more about the region, you can also read my article “Garda DOC: A Wine Region Looking Towards the Future” on Anne-Wies.nl.
Tenuta Polvaro – Lison Classico DOCG 2021
Out of all the Lison DOCG wines I tasted, this was the one that impressed me the most.
Part of the wine spends four months in French oak barriques while the remainder matures on its lees. It’s a small detail that makes a noticeable difference, adding complexity without taking away the identity of the grape.
The nose combines ripe peach, lemon, almond, acacia blossom and elderflower with subtle spice and a gentle creamy texture. Everything feels beautifully integrated on the palate, finishing with the characteristic bitter almond note that makes Lison so distinctive.
Elegant, layered and incredibly food-friendly, this bottle completely changed my perception of Lison DOCG.
Tűzkő Birtok – Válogatás Gewürztraminer 2025
Although I haven’t had the chance to visit Tűzkő Birtok yet, they recently sent me several of their wines to taste, and one bottle immediately stood out.
Gewürztraminer often divides wine lovers. When it’s too aromatic, it can quickly become overwhelming. This one takes a completely different direction.
The nose bursts with lychee, grapefruit, orange, apricot, pineapple and pear, while the palate remains fresh, elegant and surprisingly light on its feet. Careful temperature-controlled fermentation preserves all those beautiful aromas without letting the wine become heavy. Every flavour promised by the nose appears on the palate, finishing long, tropical and incredibly refreshing.
For anyone who thinks Gewürztraminer is always too perfumed, this is one of my easiest recommendation to change your mind.
Read next: Why Tüzkö Birtok is one of Hungary’s wineries worth discovering.
Conclusion
Looking back through my notes, what connects these wines isn’t a particular country, grape variety or style. It’s that every single one showed a strong sense of place.
A fifty-year-old Viennese field blend that still feels remarkably alive. A Blaufränkisch shaped by the winds of Spitzerberg. A structured Garganega that reveals another side of the variety. A sparkling wine that captures the freshness of Lake Garda. A Lison DOCG that deserves far more attention. And a beautifully balanced Gewürztraminer that proves aromatic wines can still be elegant.
These wine recommendations reflect exactly what I enjoy most: wines with personality, a clear sense of origin and producers who aren’t afraid to let their vineyards speak. I’m already looking forward to seeing what the next two months have in store.
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