Wine of the Week! 12/11/23

Leo Hillinger Pinot Gris

Normally $16.99 / Now on sale for $12.96
(100% Pinot Gris)

Based in Austria’s Burgenland, Leo Hillinger is on his way to being not just a winemaker but a lifestyle brand. Though that might be a facetious exaggeration, it’s not much of one.

Hillinger grew up in Jois, the son of wine merchants, but while mom and pop were running their mom & pop operation, Leo was in Germany training as an economist and winemaker. Then it was off to California for wine internships before returning to Jois in 1990 to make wine and make waves.

Today, Hillinger owns over a hundred hectares of vineyards spread over Jois, Rust, and Oggau, growing red and white grapes (organically since 2010). On top of that, there’s his ultra-modern winemaking estate built in 2004 with room for events and seminars, the Hillinger stores in Parndorf, Vienna, Kitzbühel, and Münich, the HILL office space and room system, the protein soda, and, oh, did we mention the cosmetics line? Yes, the cosmetics line. “More than wine,” that’s Hillinger’s market-crafted motto.

However, Hillinger remains an emperor in Armani and not an emperor with no clothes. At the core of all his business ventures are tasty, organic wines. “My methods are characterized by deep respect for the grape and the specific nature of the soil, as well as the climatic conditions. The fruit has to be perfect and should find its way into the bottle unaltered.” (Hillinger)

Fermented in stainless steel, this Pinot Gris gets just a few hours of skin contact before spending four weeks on (fine) lees. The result is a lovely, round white with a tiny hint of spice to keep it from being too flabby. It’s just begging to be paired with lychee nuts and seared scallops sprinkled in lemon.