Emmanuel Rouget – Bourgogne Aligoté – 1992

A wine made from Burgundy’s other white variety, Aligoté – I was amazed to discover there is such a thing as a varietal (not purely geographic) appellation: Bourgogne Aligoté AOC covers any Burgundian white wine made from Aligoté (officially allowing up to 15% Chardonnay as well, although – I am told – it may be common practice to use rather more than that).

A mature colour, almost a pink blush to this wine. Oak, almond, and quite a whack of acid – ironic that 1992 was a plump vintage producing wines that by and large weren’t for aging; this must have been very sharp when it was young. Aligoté does produce very acidic wines. No fruit left bar a hint of lemon; a texture that comes close to suggesting fizz. It feels very unusual to find so much acid in a such a mature wine. Reminiscent of old-style white Rioja.

Gran Sasso – Pecorino – Terre di Chieti IGT – 2005

Pecorino is not here a cheese, but a white grape variety purported to be shaped like a sheep’s head (hence the name) produced in ever-decreasing quantities in the Marche and, in this case, Abruzzo, in the Terre di Chieti IGT.

Amber coloured, this is bone dry with a pithy orange peel note and a slightly oxidised character. We’d thought we were getting an entry-level wine, but it turns out this was the good stuff at a bargain rate. A lot of drinkers would say this was past it, but I love these wines that show the onset of age.

Viña Tondonia – Blanco – Gran Reserva – 1976

Dense amber. A first impression of candlewax on the nose, then with half an hour’s airing it’s going nutty. On the palate, the bitterness of Seville orange. I always forget how acidic Tondonia can be.

Although I’d have judged this was beyond developing much, over the evening walnuts become almost as prominent as the orange, and eventually a slightly oxidised style foregrounds itself, hinting at amontillado and even salt and vinegar crisps.

Dense, orangey, not quite as outstanding as the 1981.

Weingut Willi Bründlmayer, Riesling, Zöbinger Heiligenstein 2004

Weingut is winery in German; Zöbinger Heiligenstein is the vineyard in the Austrian region of Kamptal where this wine comes from. We were briefly worried we might have picked up a sweet wine but, unlike Germany, almost all Austrian Rieslings are made in a dry style.

Quite a developed dark gold colour. The bouquet is a classically Riesling blend of petrol and honey; the sweetness of the honey is not represented on the palate, quite dry. From 2004, already with the weight and dimension of a more mature wine; very classy. The texture is unusual; oily, but also with a suggestion of spritz. There are citrus notes that clarify into lime. With time, there is a suggestion of toasted hazelnuts (which I try to write off – this is not from the Mâcconais! But it is certainly there). N1 keeps saying “banana and moisturiser”, but I certainly don’t get banana; eventually she settles on coconut. A very fine Riesling; enough to keep us arguing about its identity right through the bottle.

Kleines Café – Vienna

The aptly-named “Little Café” is a charming institution on the lovely Franziskanerplatz, with table seating outside for the good weather. Inside, small tables crowd up against upholstered benches and mirrored walls. It really seems busier in the evening, when there are crowds drinking beer and wine, but on the morning we were there they did do the best coffee we’d had so far in Vienna (admittedly, that wasn’t actually saying so much – the Viennese may have had Europe’s earliest coffeehouses, but they don’t seem to have mastered the art of milk yet). A charming ambience, though, and we were pretty much the only non-Austrians – one gentleman in full Tyrolean fig stopped by for his morning coffee while we were there.

Franziskanerplatz 3

Café Tirolerhof – Vienna

Another Viennese institution: looks a little tawdry and run-down these days, but I found that added to the charm. It was quiet and pleasant in the afternoon, with old Viennese men and women reading the paper outnumbering tourists. Once again, the coffee is not superb, but it beat Café Central. Go here for your dose of Viennese past glories.

8 Führichgasse, Vienna, Austria

Café Central – Vienna

Supposedly a Viennese institution, and it certainly is pretty, with faux gothic vaults and brocaded benches. But the coffee is dire, and where it once might have been the haunt of Austrian intellectuals, it is now a nasty tourist trap. Our waiter turned very assertive when the bill came along and made it damn clear that we had better leave a tip. Boorish behaviour unworthy of his institution – no one else in Vienna ever did that to us, and as a result, everyone else got tipped properly.

Go halfway round the block instead, and find the shopping gallery that runs right through it (from Herrengasse to Freyung) – there is a delightful small Paris-style café which is far more charming.