La Cave Has Closed

How a Wine Shop Closes

I had already written about La Cave in the past, including its interesting tastings and producers such as Domaine de l’Accent in Terrasses du Larzac. It was an intriguing wine shop in the Viennese scene—a city very focused on excellent local wines and sometimes reluctant to look beyond national borders. The wines offered by La Cave were always off the mainstream, often economical alternatives compared to the big names – not always memorable bottles, but frequently interesting.

The family-run wine shop often sent very personal newsletters introducing the tasting of the month. In the summer, however, the owners announced that the shop would close due to the faltering health of its manager. The communication was, as always, informal and pleasant, but the news was sad.

It was not an immediate closure. In fact, the newsletter clearly stated that no fixed date was set. The owners aimed to sell as many of the remaining bottles in the catalog as possible, with further updates to follow.

Subsequent communications over the following months showed me a lot about how a wine shop winds down. The monthly tastings continued – in fact, they even increased as the need to empty the cellar became more pressing. Greater discounts on the catalog bottles were offered gradually, as the months passed and the closing date took shape. Eventually, even the barrels that adorned the shop were put up for sale. Notably, posters, magazines, and enological literature were also sold, with the proceeds donated to charity.

Finally, on February 14, 2025, after thirty years of honorable service, La Cave closed. After all, Valentine’s Day isn’t exactly the patron saint of drinkers. The last newsletter announced that the stock had run out and hinted at a possible final tasting – although nothing ever came of it.

As far as I know, the venue is now closed (even though I see on Google Maps a shop called Weine Englitsch with a rather outdated website – who knows?) and, should a new wine shop open, perhaps it won’t be in the underground premises formerly occupied by La Cave. Viennese wine enthusiasts feel a little lonelier—not only because of the quality of the wines, but especially for the jovial atmosphere of the monthly tastings. Wine is a refined hobby, not widely diffused, and it was a pleasure to find friendly faces and shared interests at Bacherplatz. Let’s hope someone, somewhere in Vienna, picks up the baton so well carried by the owners of La Cave.

Tasting: Bordeaux / Southwest

The last tasting I attended at La Cave was in December 2024, and it focused on wines from Bordeaux and the Southwest of France. Here are my impressions.

BYO No. 21 Organic Blanc Sec 2023 – “Uby”

Verbena, pink grapefruit, cream. On the palate, it has almost no body and acidity replaces density. The finish is entirely pink grapefruit. Powerful, persistent, and uncompromising.

Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec 2017 – “Domaine Labranche Laffont”

Oxidized. Sultanina raisins, walnuts, mold, ultra-ripe apple. Everything I dislike about macerated wines. A splendid saline finish. The palate is consistent with the nose—almost sharp or even unpleasant.

Bordeaux 2018 – Château Janoy Bellevue

A superb quality–price ratio, truly remarkable. On the nose: cherry, blackberry, ripe plum, and even red flowers. Fresh on the palate, simple with notes of plum. The finish offers an attractive savoriness with assertive yet non-intrusive tannins. Simple and excellently executed. It’s strange that it received such low ratings.

Libertae 2021 – “Château Lamothe-Vincent”

Plum, garrigue, cloves. More elegant and less overtly sweet on the nose than the previous wine. On the palate, it is silky, full-bodied with energy and spice. It finishes with an explosion of blueberry supported by precise, sandy tannins. Very balanced.

La Pie Colette Rouge 2019 – Mouthes le Bihan

A matter of taste: blackcurrant, wood, pepper – so French that it excites me. Not very vibrant, but with a floral and herbaceous palate that is perfectly balanced. It closes with an engaging blackcurrant finish that exudes class.

Madiran 2019 – Domaine Labranche Laffont

Rich red jam-like notes with hints of cinnamon, tomato leaf, and black olive. A slim, light body. It recalls the style of Château Phélan Ségur. On the palate, a very precise red currant emerges, accompanied by sandy, engaging tannins that leave the sip intriguingly incomplete – inviting food.

Malbec 2020 – Château Ponzac

A spectrum of reds: from the lush pulp of red fruit, through cherry and kirsch with coffee notes, supported by powerful, hourglass-shaped tannins on the sides of the mouth that push the blueberry, which—guided by acidity—arrives at a plum finish. A journey through fruit. Concentrated, dense, and powerful.

Médoc 2016 – Château l’Eden

Here begins a new qualitative step. Blackberry, blackcurrant, French oak. On the palate, red currant. Dry, serious, and focused. It offers fine, chalky tannins on the sides of the mouth and a finish that can even wait—closed, with green blackberry and an austere character.

Castillon – Côtes de Bordeaux 2019 – Château Cap de Faugères

Notes of wood toast, damson, and slightly underripe nuances; aromatic and fresh. Raspberry appears on the palate, with a fine, sandy tannin at the center of the mouth. The finish is of fresh blackberry throughout the sip. A pleasant, silky body, although the wine is somewhat mute.

Cahors 2020 – Château du Cèdre

Cherry, plum jam, cloves. On the palate, a nice cherry and mature Malbec fruit. Soft and fine, with a slightly floral touch. It presents granular yet gentle tannins in the lower part of the mouth.

Listrac-Médoc 2019 – “Château Fonréaud”

Already softened. Blackcurrant, blackberry, tart – very much reminiscent of Cabernet Sauvignon. On the palate, it is direct with engaging, sandy tannins encircling the mouth, a delicate and supple body with blueberry notes, and a long finish of blackcurrant. Already well-prepared.

Madiran 2018 – Château Montus

Cherry, red fruits, spices, raspberry, perhaps blackberry. The nose is more elegant than the previous ones. On the palate, it is very fine, ending with fleshy plums followed by a return of red currant. Very fresh to balance the rich fruit, with tannins that hit sharply.

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2019 – Château Haut-Segottes

Very good. Rosemary, licorice, stewed strawberries, tomato leaf. Excellent concentration of fruit, juicy with a herbaceous palate and a licorice finish. Then, chunky tannins linger for a long time—almost balsamic.

Best Wine: Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2019 – Château Haut-Segottes