Wine from Austria...

Date of Issue : 16 March 2017

Austria Post issued today a beautiful stamp featuring famous wine of Vienna,  Wiener Gemischte Satz .The stamp with an awesome design shows the light white wine in a wine glass and a view of Vienna's inner city with St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Austrian Wine Regions - Vienna

It is not the city itself, but the wine produced there that is the focus of this commemorative stamp from the "Austrian wine regions" series: the Gemischte Satz - or, to be more precise, the Wiener Gemischte Satz DAC - is the typical wine from the wine region of Vienna. 

Vienna is the only major city in the world in which an economically relevant level of viticulture is practised within the city?s limits. There are around 600 hectares of arable land within the city, with up to 80 per cent being used to cultivate grapes for white wine and 20 per cent for red wine. The annual yield amounts to over 20,000 hectolitres. The growing regions are distributed across several districts: wine is produced in Floridsdorf, Favoriten, Liesing, Ottakring, Hernals and Döbling, with Döbling being the best known wine producing region of Vienna. Grinzing, Kahlenbergerdorf, Nussdorf, Neustift am Walde - these are the homes of the best known "Heurigen" (this year?s wine), visited by just about every tourist.

A typical young vintage wine is the Wiener Gemischte Satz, which, with the right vineyard management and vinification, can even make its way into the ranks of the truly great white wines. What is special about it is that it is produced from a mixture of grape varieties, as indicated by the word "gemischte". However, these are not blended at production (as in the case of a cuvée), but between three and twenty different varieties of good quality white wine grapes are planted together in the vineyard and subsequently harvested and processed together. Since the Wiener Gemischte Satz was accorded DAC status (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) in 2013, its composition has been strictly regulated. The proportion of the main grape variety must not exceed 50 per cent, and the third largest contingent must constitute at least 10 per cent. The Gemischte Satz can be given a more precise geographic designation than simply "Vienna", but in this case it must have an alcohol content of at least 12.5 per cent and can only be sold from March of the year following the harvest. This single site wine does not have to be "dry".

The Gemischte Satz has a long-standing tradition. For centuries different grape varieties have been planted together in Vienna in order to ensure the quality and the yield: even in the event of adverse weather conditions, different flowering periods and varying degrees of ripeness ensure that they never lose the entire harvest. At the same time, this results in multi-faceted wines, which, thanks to enthusiastic young Viennese vintners, are today enjoying a renaissance. The typical Wiener Gemischte Satz without a more precise designation is dry, fresh and fruity, the flavour naturally depending upon the grape varieties which were used. It is versatile and is the perfect accompaniment for traditional Austrian cuisine.

As a high-quality, regional, sustainable and traditionally manufactured product, the Wiener Gemischte Satz has been included in the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity?s "Ark of Taste" and has, furthermore, been designated a "Presidium product".

New Stamps from Czech Republic

 

The bottle of wine with a bouquet in a funnel

 

Date of Issue : 15 October 2014

Czech Post is to issue a new stamp that will be part of an arranged print sheet of 9 stamps and 12 coupons. The issue is to be released on the 15^th of October. The 9 main coupons and 2 side coupons include a picture of a flamingo drinking from a glass of wine. The top side coupon in the right-hand section of the arranged print sheet includes the head of the Gorgon Medusa from Greek myths together with glasses of wine. A stamp identified with the letter A corresponding to the price of Ordinary Letter – Standard up to 50 g in domestic service.

St. Vitus Cathedral

A transposition of kneeling Ernest of Pardubice, the first Archbishop of Prague, from his gradual and the first picture of the cathedral from Schedel’s World Chronicle (Nuremberg 1494). The miniature sheet displays a stylised picture of today’s cathedral with invocating angels designed according to the painting of so-called Kłodzko Madonna. The painting was donated by Ernest to the Augustinian monastery established by him in his birth town.

Date of Issue : 15 October 2014

St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert Cathedral is the dominant structure of Prague Castle. It is a three-nave Gothic cathedral with three residential towers and the church of the Archbishop of Prague. The present building was built in several stages, in the years 1344–1419, 1490–1510, 1556–1593, and 1873–1929 (its western part). In the years 1060–1920 it was dedicated to three major Czech saints: St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas and St. Adalbert. Until 1997, the name of St. Vitus Cathedral was used; that is why the abbreviated name became well-established and the cathedral is known by it even in the present time, even though in 1997, the former Archbishop of Prague, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, restored the original full name.

Date of Issue : 3 September 2014

 

Stamp Booklet 

The front page of the booklet features four cars: Škoda Popular 1935, Škoda Popular 1939, Škoda „Tudor“ 1101, 1947 a Škoda Rapid 1937. Located on the back side of the booklet is a short text in the Czech and English language, the designer’s self-portrait, V. Zapadlík’s signature, barcode, the Czech Post´s logo and a security feature, i.e. a hologram with a Czech Post’s motif.
Václav Zapadlík was born in Prague on 23th September 1943. In the 90s, the whole world started taking notice of his art. He cooperated with the Blackhawk Museum, a prestigious car museum, his work is exhibited in San Francisco and in Pebble Beach.

Club News

Bookmarks from  Karnataka Postal Circle.

 

Karnataka Postal Circle has brought out five sets of beautifully made bookmarks, each set containing 12 bookmarks and in all  60 bookmarks. The sets comprises of the themes - Birds of India, Miniature paintings, Flowers and Wildlife. Each Bookmarks are measuring 51 mm x 204 mm (approx.) On each bookmark individual stamp design is imprinted with detailed information about the theme and stamp imprinted on it. Issue date of the stamp is also mentioned on the bookmark.

Each set of 12 bookmarks costs Rs. 35 per set. Cost of 5 Packs (60 bookmarks of 12 each) is available at cost of Rs 175. Bookmarks are available at Post Shoppe , Bangalore GPO. (Contact No. +91-80-22850058)

Courtesy   : Jagannnath Mani – Banglore,  Indian Philately Digest

Stamps on Viticulture from Luxembourg

 

 

 Date of Issue : 17 May 2011

On 17 May 2011 Luxembourg Post issued two stamps on Viticulture.The one features wine bottle and grapes commemorating 100th Anniversary of the ‘Wenzerverband’ and the other commemorates 20th Anniversary of the Cremant de Luxembourg.

100th Anniversary of the ‘Wenzerverband’

On 28 May 1911, the district commissioner invited winegrowers to a meeting with the aim of combining all the regional viticultural associations into a single federation. At the time, there were 39 winegrowing associations, of which 30 accepted the invitation. The fundamental objectives of the federation were defined at this constitutional assembly.

They were:- to protect the interests of the profession, that is, to preserve and maintain the interests of viticulture and wine distribution;- to specifically provide continuous up-to-date education and practical training for its members and - to organise the centralised sale and distribution of different viticultural products.

20th Anniversary of the Cremant de Luxembourg

Creating a crémant requires constant vigilance, rigorous control and specific know-how, beginning with the vine. The etymology of crémant originates from the word “cream”, which underscores the consistency rather than the vinosity of a festival wine combining fruit, freshness and smoothness.

A crémant is the qualitative pinnacle of a traditional method controlled for a long time, which involves extra effort in the vineyard and a rigorous selection process of grapes and base wines. To produce sparkling wine, one may use any one of the types of vines certified in Luxembourg. The grapes must be very clean, quite ripe and intact until pressed. The “Crémant de Luxembourg” is made from the best types of vines of the Luxembourg Moselle region. Each winegrower chooses his own blends, which results in a great variety of wines and their specific flavours.

Club News

Colorful envelops used by Jabalpur Philatelic Bureau

Now a days Jabalpur (M.P.) Philatelic Bureau is using a beautiful multicolored envelop for sending supply to it's Account holders. It is also thick and durable.

- Sudhir Jain, Satna (MP)