Grapes from 500-year old Austrian vine yield first harvest

VIENNA – Attention, oenophiles: a 500-year old Austrian vine has yielded its first batch of wine and experts say it’s a taste sensation.

The bad news is the supply is very limited.

State-run broadcaster ORF said Tuesday that vintners have produced 300 litres (nearly 80 gallons) from offshoots of a solitary vine they identify as an ancient form of white wine grape gruener veltliner.

But it took a while. The vine was discovered 16 years ago near the eastern city of Eisenstadt. Cuttings had to be cultivated before the first harvest last fall.

Regional vintner Hans Moser describes the wine as “interesting and very spicy” and says colleagues from as far away as the U.S. are impressed. He hopes for greater future yields through efforts to spread the vine to new slopes.