WCC Austrian Riesling Non-Blind
Jack's Oyster House, Albany, NY, 5/28/2026


My Albany-area group (the Wine Collectors Club) got together to taste Austrian Riesling non-blind at Jack's Oyster House in Albany. Dinner began around 7pm and ended around 9:30pm.

One member of our group, Salil provided all the wine.

Jack's Oyster House is under new ownership. It opened in 1913 and was a legendary hangout for the political folks since it is just down the street from the capitol. It is an excellent venue for these dinners since we get a private room and Executive Chef Nick Parker did a marvelous job of making wine-friendly, delicious food. Also the Beverage Director Josh Turo is someone we've worked with many times when he was at Yono's.


Click on any image with a border for a larger view of that image.


The Menu and the lovely room for our dinner:

The bread plate and a roll.


Flight 1: Nikolaihof Riesling Reserve Steiner Hund
Amuse Bouche of Foie Mousse, Crostini, Blistered Tomato.
What a yummy mouthful.

Flight 2: Three 2012 Alzinger Riesling Smaragds
Short Rib with Green Papaya, Citrus, Tamarind, Espelette.
Espelette is a mild chili pepper from the Basque region of France.
It wasn't super hot, but hot enough to interfere with the wine,
so I just ate the short rib which was delicious.

Flight 3: Two 2015 F.X. Pichler Riesling Smaragds
Chicken Française with Artichoke Purée, Spinach, Crab.
This was really delicious. The crab didn't add much but the spinach was tasty.
I brought some of the chicken home. My wife tasted it and said it was just like
what her Hungarian grandmother made. This is the highest praise from her.

Flight 4: All three 2015 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragds
Veal Milanese with Mustard Greens, Lemon.
This was so good. The veal was tender and flavorful. The crust was fabulous.

Dessert
Savory Cheese Course of Gruyère, Brioche, Truffle, Marcona Almonds.
Extraordinary texture and flavor. Just an amazing dish.
The world's greatest grilled cheese sandwich!

Summary
Under Salil's tutelage, I have grown to really appreciate these great dry white wines from Austria. I believe several members of our group gained a greater appreciate tonight. Great job by Salil of selecting the wines and organizing the flights.


All the wines:


My notes posted from CellarTracker. Here are Salil's notes on CellarTracker.


WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

RankPtsWine
1152015 Hirtzberger Smaragd Singerriedel
292015 F.X. Pichler Smaragd Steinertal
3(tie)82015 F.X. Pichler Smaragd Kellerberg
3(tie)82015 Hirtzberger Smaragd Setzberg
572015 Hirtzberger Smaragd Hochrain
652012 Alzinger Smaragd Steinertal
742006 Nikolaihof Reserve Steiner Hund
822012 Alzinger Smaragd Hollerin

 

 

 


All original content © Ken Vastola