If you are lucky and visit Vienna
during September or October you might want to experience some very
local tradition.
During those months the grapes growing
around Vienna's vineyards enter their last days of existence.
They are picked by hand and pressed and
as a result you will have a delicious Most.
This word derives from the latin
MUSTUM, meaning young wine.
As this young wine consists of natural
yeast, a chemical process starts, depending on the storage
temperature, quicker or controlled and slower (eg in the fridge)
Glucose and fructose are seperated into
alcohol and carbonic acid. The result is a sweet, slightly alcoholic
and sparkling grape juice, with yeast particles and therefore cloudy
As soon as the alcohol indicates to be
at 1% this easy-to-drink-juice becomes a Sturm. You will
notice that the alcohol raises quickly to 4%. This is the moment,
where Sturm is allowed to be sold in Austria.
The sweetness makes place the alcohol
and now it is not only a healthy beverage, but also an alcoholic one.
The alcohol will continue to raise and reaching the 11%mark indicates
the start of wine production.
The word Sturm (exact translation mean
storm) describes the cloudy yeast particles which have a constact
chemical reaction if you storage the beverage in a warm place.
Therefore never ever close a bottle of Sturm! It will explode within
some hours!
Enjoy the Most or Sturm with good,
traditional viennese food - visit a vineyard around Vienna to
experience these unique feeling of a fresh and healthy, natural
drink!
If you explore Austria's countryside we
highly recommend Styria in this time of the year. Wine lovers will
enjoy the vineyards and the different tastes of the new wines!
