>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ ♪ Take me home where I belong ♪ >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

♪ ♪ >> [ Singing indistinctly ] ♪ >> This is a story of adventure, understanding that every step of the journey is vital.

This is the story of Evergood.

♪ >> My name is Liora Levi.

>> And I am Yolanda Añó.

>> Wine is my passion in life.

I am a sommelier traveling the world.

>> And I am a food enthusiast.

>> In each episode, we will travel through the most beautiful wine regions of Europe, selecting three wines that define the area.

>> And we will bring those wines to very talented chefs and challenge them to prepare amazing dishes based off the wine.

>> Will the chefs succeed in making a dish of such a quality that it matches the wine?

It all remains to be seen, as we put wine first.

In this episode, we are traveling through two of the most important wine regions of Austria -- lower Austria and the capital, Vienna, in search of signature wines and ingredients.

♪ ♪ We are in Austria, in Vienna, and we are in front of the famous hotel, Sacher.

And we have Mr. Sacher here.

>> And you know what?

Here is where the famous Sacher torte was invented.

>> Yeah, but we have no time to taste the cake this time.

>> Aw, I know.

>> We have a mission.

We need to find the wines for the chef.

Thomas Dorfer, right?

>> Exactly.

>> Thomas Dorfer is one of Austria's finest chefs and the main chef at Landhaus Bacher restaurant, which has earned two Michelin stars.

Impressive, but is he up for our challenge?

I will be finding three wines that represent this area of Austria.

>> Great.

>> And I will be finding three ingredients that reflect the area the best.

>> It's a great challenge.

So, we will do something nice together with these.

>> Well, I hope you like wine.

We're not traveling far today.

>> Where do we start?

>> Just outside the city center of Vienna.

>> Okay.

>> Fritz Wieninger claims to have all of Vienna in one wine.

The Weingut Wieninger vineyard, run by Fritz Wieninger, produces 10% of Vienna's total wine production, with high-quality wines from vineyards such as the area's most famous vineyard, Nussberg.

Many Viennese say that Vienna wines' prestige rests on Wieninger's shoulders -- quite a feat after 100 years of wine production.

>> Hello, there!

>> Hi, Fritz.

>> Hello.

You made it.

>> We did.

>> Yes!

Finally.

>> Hi.

>> This was a sweaty ride.

>> It's steeper than you thought, huh?

>> Absolutely.

>> Yes.

>> Come on.

Follow me.

>> While Yolanda gets straight to work on the food part, to find a local ingredient for the chef to use in his dish... >> I wouldn't mind having this office place here, eh?

>> Nice place to work here.

>> ...I joined Fritz in one of his vineyards, where a great variety of grapes grow side by side, producing field blends.

I think I have a good one here.

>> Yes, absolutely.

>> These are all golden.

>> That looks really good.

>> So, all of these grapes grow together, but they are different grapes.

So, is it like this is one?

>> Yes.

>> This is another?

>> Right.

This is the Pinot Blanc grape, and this is the Traminer with two arms, and here we have a Neuburger.

It's completely mixed.

There is not really a system.

>> So, when these are all mixed together, that is what we call a field blend.

>> Yes, field blend.

Or we call it Gemischter Satz.

>> Gemischter Satz.

>> When you look here, there's a few, they are already like raisins.

>> Yeah.

>> So, that is super-sweet.

That is really very sweet.

Maybe it doesn't look that great, and you could not use those grapes for a fruit market.

But this is the reason, what makes a difference between a regular wine and a great wine.

>> Fritz guides me around the old wine cellar, where the magic happens.

His focus is on an organic and biodynamic production, and he loves spending time with his wines, or his "babies," as he likes to call them.

>> I love to be up here at the later evening, when nobody is here anymore, and listening to my babies.

[ Airlocks gurgling ] >> Meanwhile, a bottle of Gemischter Satz and a feast of buschenschank local delicacies have been prepared for Yolanda to help her find the ingredient for the chef to use in his dish.

Sausages, cheeses -- it's all here.

But one ingredient seems to grab her attention more than the others.

>> You know what I love from the carrots is that they can be prepared in so many different ways.

And they have this natural sweetness.

In this case, with the acidity of the preparation, of the pickle-style, yeah, goes so well with the minerality of the wine.

If they're roasted, they call to the sweetness of the wine, and that character that can be brought on the table in so many different ways.

I like, really, the versatility of the product.

>> Yeah.

>> And they're all from around here, right?

>> Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

>> Mm.

And they work perfectly with this wine.

Well, cheers to flavors!

>> Cheers.

[ Glasses clink ] >> Carrot is Yolanda's choice as the main ingredient for our chef, Thomas.

It is now time for me to decide which wine to bring him.

The famous Gemischter Satz -- it's a blend of many grapes, right?

>> Like, here we have nine different grape varieties completely mixed, planted in one of the same vineyards.

Everything together gives a very distinct wine -- wiener Gemischter Satz.

>> Because every grape is different... >> Yes.

>> ...and they all ripen differently.

>> Yes.

The one brings the sugar.

The other brings the acidity and freshness.

This is the match together.

>> "And grape variety is a violin, but the mix set is an orchestra" goes an old Austrian saying.

I guess that's true for the Gemischter Satz.

But for our next wine, we go red.

Very light in color.

>> Pinot Noir is light in color.

If it's not light in color, I would not trust.

>> It's not a Pinot Noir.

>> Yes, right.

>> Well, I think that this is absolutely lovely.

It has the flavors of all the berries I can think of.

>> Yeah.

>> But it still has a very nice spiciness and acidity.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> It's very, very fresh.

>> Yeah.

>> When you take a sip... you immediately get very, very dry on the palate for just a few seconds... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...and then you get lots of almost like -- it's a little bit of a saline touch, a little bit of a salty touch.

>> Yeah.

>> And then you start producing saliva right away, and your mouth -- >> Yes, and you want to eat something.

>> Exactly!

You made this very, very difficult, Fritz.

>> [ Laughs ] So sorry.

[ Both laugh ] >> But I have to make a decision.

As much as I love the red, I think I would like to go with white, since that's more of a typicity of the area.

I'm gonna go for the Gemischter Satz.

>> I thought so.

>> Now that we figured out our wine and ingredient, we deserve a bit of rest and hit the fabulous Naschmarkt, Vienna's most popular food-and-drink market.

♪ Look at that one.

That's funny.

>> [ Laughs ] Actually, when you cut that, it smells really, really strong.

>> This is a durian.

I love this.

This is the biggest market in Vienna, the Naschmarkt.

Cheers!

♪ >> So, for today, mission accomplished -- one wine already chosen... >> Yeah.

>> ...one ingredient, but two more to go.

So, where should we go?

>> I think we go big.

>> What do you mean "big"?

>> We go to a castle.

To find our next wine and ingredient, we travel to the wine region Kamptal.

Schloss Gobelsburg is one of the oldest wineries in Austria, with many historical vineyards around the castle.

Organic wine growing has always been the approach, ever since the monks managed the winery in ancient times.

>> Current custodians Eva and Michael Moosbrugger aim to continue this tradition.

>> This is really your home.

How long have you been living here?

>> Well, we're here since the '90s, really.

Originally, this hill was already settled since 3,500 years, approximately.

It was always linked closely to the Cistercian monks, who originally came from Burgundy.

And they have always run this place.

It was their estate.

But since the middle of the '90s, my husband, Michael, and me, we have had the chance to take over the responsibility.

>> While Yolanda joins Michael to meet the local food maestro to find her ingredient, I join Eva in the ancient wine cellar to taste my way to the ultimate wine from the area.

>> Here we go.

>> The golden drops!

>> [ Laughs ] Yeah, we start with Gruner Veltliner.

It's a very versatile grape.

>> And Gruner Veltliner, that is the Austrian grape of all grapes.

>> Yes, it's true.

It's typically Austrian.

It is a very versatile grape.

>> Because normally, when I think about Gruner Veltliner, I think about very crisp, acidic, fresh wines that taste a lot of green apples, limes, minerals, things like that.

But this is much more opulent.

>> Yes, and one of the reasons for this is that the wine has been fermented in big, oak casks, oak from Austria, and then we left the wine for one and a half years in the cask.

>> I find that this is more ripe.

It has more yellow fruit almost.

>> And some pineapple, doesn't it?

>> Absolutely!

>> Yes.

>> Yeah.

While tasting my way through the wine cellar, Yolanda is tasting her way through a myriad of local sausages and cheeses.

And a certain kind of jam keeps popping up.

>> What is exactly this?

>> One of our famous products of this region is apricot.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Even for the very classical chicken, for example, that my grandmother was cooking for us, there was always an apricot that we have been eating with it.

So, this is very typical for us.

>> There's so much fruit identity... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...without the overwhelming sweetness.

>> Yeah, yeah.

Sugars, acidity, everything -- it's the fruit.

>> I just love the color of it.

>> So, what's the last treat that we have here?

>> The last wine is a Riesling.

>> Riesling.

>> A Riesling from the Heiligenstein.

>> Now, this is completely different.

>> This is true.

Riesling originally comes from Germany, but it has been at home here in Austria since a century or longer.

It's one of the most important grape varieties for us, next to Gruner Veltliner.

>> Because it has all these wonderful fruit notes -- you have the apricots, you have the elderflower -- but you have lime.

You have citrus.

[ Slurps ] See?

Saliva is just building up.

[ Both laugh ] Well, down to business.

I have to make a choice, and I think it's quite clear to me, actually, after tasting these two wines because I really loved the tradition, how it actually shows us what the monks made 200 years ago and that you can still maintain this beautiful work of art, I would say.

And the Gruner is of course Austria.

It is Austria in a nutshell.

And I love that.

But the Riesling?

Can't help it.

I just love Riesling, and I think this is a wonderful example of a Riesling.

>> So, then, we'll take the Riesling to the chef.

>> I think that's a great idea.

Thank you.

♪ ♪ >> So, gents, I -- I could stay here forever... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...drinking, eating these lovely flavors, but I have a task.

I think apricot represents the region the best.

>> Yeah.

>> It grows all around here.

You say that there was the harvest shortly ago, and everyone came here.

>> Okay.

>> And because it matches so many of other local products here.

We have the absolute proof here.

So, I'm really rooting for the apricot.

So, do you agree with me, gents?

>> Of course.

>> Yes, I agree.

>> Ah!

Thank you for having it, really.

Cheers to that.

>> Cheers!

>> Cheers!

>> The world-famous Wachau apricot it is -- fit for queens.

>> Well, we have our wine.

We have our ingredients.

I think we need to get really even deeper into the core of the region, and I know where to go to get that help I need.

For our third and final wine, we travel to the Domane Wachau winery.

Wine has been cultivated here for centuries, and its wines are world-renowned for their tremendous quality, specializing in dry wines made from Riesling and Gruner Veltliner.

♪ We're at the Domane Wachau, and they produce a third of this region's wines.

>> And we are gonna meet a Master of Wine.

Impressive, huh?

>> Master of Wine, indeed.

Roman Horvath is not just the winery director of Domane Wachau but also only the second Austrian in history to ever achieve the coveted Master of Wine title.

Wow!

This is beautiful.

This is the Danube!

>> Yes, down there the Danube, very, very important for the Wachau region because the Danube is here an extremely fast-moving river, and it moves the cooler airstream from the west to the east.

So, there's a constant permanent air mixture here in the region, which enhances the flavors in the wine -- so, very, very important here.

>> Fun fact -- while most of Austria and Germany follow the same wine-classification system, Wachau wines have their own system, divided into steinfeder, federspiel, and the most exclusive, smaragd.

>> So, Gruner Veltliner Smaragd Kellerberg is a Gruner Veltliner with a lot of opulence, with very deep flavors.

>> Even the color is quite opulent and rich, quite yellow.

>> Yeah, it's really deep.

So, a very juicy Gruner Veltliner.

>> Mm!

>> We are east in Wachau.

So, it's slightly warmer microclimate here.

The wines always have this extra texture on the palate -- so, a lot of juiciness.

>> Smaragd wines are named after the shiny emerald lizard living in the vineyards and tend to be the most critically acclaimed Wachau wines, having the potential to age for more than 20 years.

Prost!

>> Prost!

>> It is time to choose the third and final wine for our chef's challenge.

♪ >> We are going to start with a Gruner Veltliner federspiel.

So, this is a regional Gruner Veltliner.

The grapes come from all over the valley.

So, we have this typical spicy aromas -- white pepper, a little bit of green apple.

>> What I like about the Austrian wine-grape varieties is that they are often so clean and pure, and they have this herbaceousness that I like very much.

>> Yeah, it's the cool climate, and also the rocky soils that we have here, they also enhance these brighter flavors, the fresher flavors.

>> But it has a very nice minerality, also, because I can feel my tongue is all dry.

Should we try another one?

>> Let's try another one.

Again, it's smaragd from 2018, but now we have the single vineyard Achleiten.

And Achleiten is located in the central part of Wachau.

So, slightly cooler than the Kellerberg, and it's always the Gruner Veltliner with the strongest mineral core with the strongest character of wet stones and minerality.

>> I see what you mean.

It's less focused on fruit, more on that minerality, as you explained.

>> Yeah, you don't find this intense, opulent fruity flavors, like in the Kellerberg.

>> No.

>> It's more restrained in fruitiness.

>> You know, I think I made my choice.

Well, you didn't really persuade me, but I really love this one because I like the fruity, very fresh style of Gruner Veltliner very much, and this wine is more elegant, and it has this extremely fresh acidity, together with that herbaceousness that I think of when I think of the Wachau.

>> I'm very, very happy with your choice.

>> Yeah?

>> Achleiten is really a great vineyard, and it will be a challenge for the chef.

>> Very good.

Cheers.

>> Cheers.

[ Glasses clink ] >> The last wine is selected, but Yolanda is still searching for an ingredient.

Maybe some tasting and cooking will do the trick.

Roman invites us to steak and challenges Yolanda to a chimichurri-cooking competition.

>> Chimichurri?

>> Yes, chimichurri.

>> Well, I'm Argentinean.

Of course we are gonna have chimichurri with meat.

[ Laughs ] So, I have my own family recipe.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> How about we make a competition, and let's see who prepares the best chimichurri.

>> I take the challenge.

>> Chimichurri is an Argentinean uncooked sauce, or a pesto, if you will, used with grilled meat.

The sauce comes in a green and a red version.

It is obvious both Roman and Yolanda have their own versions, but basically it consists of chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and red-wine vinegar.

These two have added some personal choices, and I'm the judge, apparently.

And then the spicy one is yours... >> Yes.

>> ...with a big chili on top here?

Whoo!

This one has a very nice, fresh acidity, but this one has chili.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> I'm sorry, Yolanda.

I'm going for Roman's.

>> So sad I lost.

But it's okay.

It's okay.

Yeah, I decided to go with marjoram.

>> With a marjoram?

Wow.

>> Yes, it's quite intense.

I know.

I know.

>> Mm.

>> I want to make it challenging for the chef to cook with it.

And, you know, it's a cousin of the oregano, which is actually one of the main ingredients of my chimichurri.

And it grows all around here, around the vineyards.

>> We love to say it.

I know it.

Come on.

Say it.

Say it.

>> I know.

I know.

I know.

Well, what grows together goes together.

>> Goes together.

>> Obviously.

>> So, cheers, and you can share my glass.

>> I'll share.

>> Cheers.

>> Yes.

Uh, cheers.

Salut.

>> It's settled.

The wines and ingredients are chosen.

It is time to get really serious as we get into the tasting ceremony, where each wine producer will taste and decide if Thomas is successful in pairing our three local ingredients with our three chosen wines.

We start off with the Gemischter Satz from Fritz's vineyard.

>> It's not very heavy.

>> But complex.

>> Complex, very complex.

It needs a complex dish, as well.

>> This wine is for me extremely important.

It's like my child.

>> What would be the worst ingredients that he could put in a dish together with your wine?

>> Green vegetables or extreme spices.

>> For the first wine, Thomas starts off with a vegetarian dish, using a variety of locally grown carrots from the region.

Thomas adds lemon chili for spiciness, and for the exotic flavors, kirschpflaume -- local Austrian cherry plum and tongue-twister -- for a fruity taste in the dish.

Underneath it all, a tapenade of peanuts with white miso.

♪ The dressing is made from lemon verbena.

>> And you're sure that this vegetarian dish is gonna actually match it well.

>> Yes, I think so.

It's one of the favorites of my wife, so... >> Okay.

Well, let's see if I agree with your wife, then, yeah?

>> Alright.

>> Will the dish do justice to Fritz's baby, the Gemischter Satz?

♪ ♪ So, Fritz, you were saying that you were afraid he would be using green vegetables.

>> No, what I was afraid of is not on this plate.

>> No.

[ Laughter ] >> Good point.

>> If I -- my first impression of the evil side, peanuts?

What the hell has this to do on this plate?

>> Okay.

So, the addition of peanuts is not a success.

For Roman's Gruner Veltliner smaragd wine, Thomas decides to go for a ravioli dish, inspired by the Hungarian-Austrian empire, mixing both the Austrian, Hungarian, and Italian cuisines.

>> I brought even more marjoram from the garden.

[ Laughs ] And what do we have here?

Pasta!

Oh!

>> Yeah, you told me your grandmother is from Emilia-Romagna.

>> Oh, that bring me back really, really back in time, my childhood, when I used to help her make cappellettini.

>> With pasta on the table, even Yolanda can't help herself and offered Thomas some help.

In this dish, Thomas uses Austrian pork ribs, which has been barbecued and grilled to produce rich flavors.

>> I'm having so much fun helping you here.

But I still don't know where the marjoram comes in the whole recipe.

>> Alright, so, here we got a sauce of the pork.

And in this stock, we glaze the ravioli.

>> Mm.

>> And of course some of these very nice, small leaves, and these we leave on the ravioli, as well.

>> After the ravioli is fried in the pork stock, it's time to add the rest of the ingredients.

Chef Thomas adds some homemade kimchi, with cabbage and fermented vegetables, including onion, with the ravioli and marjoram, a local herb with citrus flavors, a bit similar to oregano.

Will the dish pair successfully with the wine, or is it too ambitious in its complexity?

So, what do you think about that, marjoram for your wine?

It's kind of a difficult herb.

>> I was irritated when I heard about the ingredient, about the herb, and using just a tiny, little bit of kimchi, marjoram that needs the dish.

>> So, you would say that he was kind of gambling a little bit?

>> Yes, there was a certain risk in this pairing.

>> The next wine is the Heiligenstein Riesling from Gobelsburg.

>> So, what's the plan for our Riesling?

>> I would like to make a fish, the pike perch.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> It is a very typical fish for Austria.

We combine this fish together with apricot vinegar.

We got a confit of apricots.

The apricot Marille goes... >> Mm-hmm.

>> ...a little bit sweet and sour.

The balance is very important.

And these flavors you can find in this wine, as well.

That's why you always say for fish, you have always to drink Riesling.

And this fits very good together.

>> Chef Thomas makes a dish with a rather surprising combination -- apricot and fish.

The local Marille apricot goes so well with Riesling.

You can find the same flavors in the wine, and Riesling is also added to the sauce, as the acidity in the wine creates a freshness to the fish-and-wine combination.

The apricot is made into a chutney, adding sweetness to the dish.

On top, he adds porcini and stone mushrooms.

♪ >> Oh, but I can already see the apricots.

This is a very bold dish -- what a combination.

>> And it's true.

♪ ♪ >> Apricots, fish -- hmm.

What do you think about it?

>> It's an absolute no-go.

What I don't like so much is the onion.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> There is acidity in the wine.

There is acidity in the apricot, in the sauce.

So, I would have left that away.

>> For me personally, what worries me more are the porcinis.

>> Mixed reactions -- will it all work together as the meal progresses?

Excitement's in the air, as it's time for the final verdict.

We start off with Fritz.

>> Well, in the beginning, I was a little confused by your inspiration.

I thought the carrots and the way of making them, that's perfect.

But the peanuts?

What the hell did he think about this?

[ Laughter ] Then, I mixed it a little bit with the carrots and this quite flavored verbena, and it worked.

Yeah.

I think you met very much the fruit of the wine.

You met the acidity of the wine.

And you made it really shine.

You made it elegant, and I think you made a very good job.

>> A dish that shines?

Wow!

Bravo!

It's time for Eva and Michael to give their response.

>> I was so shocked when I heard apricots.

Apricot with fish?

I thought, "That will not go together."

But it was so harmonious -- the sauce made with the Riesling, the same Riesling we have in the glass.

So, the acidity was just wonderful, and it took very well the sweetness of the apricots.

So, it was beautiful.

Only one thing -- I would have left the onion.

I think that was the bit acidity too much, for my taste.

>> Well, it wouldn't be Thomas, you know, if he would go for the easy way.

[ Laughter ] >> And last but not least, the master of wine himself, Roman.

>> Gruner Veltliner is a very versatile variety that you can challenge it.

And you -- yeah, you took this challenge.

Very boldly you approached it -- that was my impression -- with a lot of intensity, with the smoky flavors from the pork.

I'm not sure if so many chefs would have done that well, but I'm very, very happy with the wine and with the dish -- really great.

>> Well, cheers to a great journey through these wine regions and all these beautiful wines.

>> And beautiful flavors -- magic ones.

>> Salut!

[ All laughing ] >> Auf wiedersehen, Austria.

♪ ♪ >> For more inspiration, visit us at winefirsttv.com.

>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... >> Up Norway curates Norwegian travel experiences in the footsteps of "New Scandinavian Cooking."

>> ♪ No, take me home ♪ ♪ Take me home where I belong ♪ >> Vgan, the full taste of chocolate.

♪ ♪ >> [ Singing indistinctly ] ♪ >> This is a story of adventure, understanding that every step of the journey is vital.

This is the story of Evergood.

♪