Richard goes to Austria

The Austrians don't do things by halves. Unless you count sweet wines. Otherwise, as I discovered on a recent trip to the Niederösterreich region, no expense was spared in accommodating a group of industry professionals. Several fascinating days were spent visiting the wineries and vineyards, with plenty of tastings along the way.

There is evidently a native predilection for clinical efficiency, judging by the faultless organisation of the tour – and the wines shared something of that national character, especially the Grüner Veltliners. On the one hand, this leanness of fruit might suggest food-matching, but it seemed to me as...