When I was in London a few days ago for my daughter Cornelia Schiller Tremann’s defense of her PhD thesis, I bumped into Franz Raith from Weingut Umathum at the trendy bistro “10 Cases” in the Covent Garden district. He told me that he was in London because of a major tasting of 100 Blaufraenkisch wines from Austria with Jancis Robinson, Willi Klinger and Gerhard Prieler, Weingut Prieler, on the following day at the Austrian Embassy in London. Of couse, the seated tasting with Jancis Robinson was fully booked, but I was able to join the trade tasting in the afternoon, where 100 wines were poured.
Let me quote Jancis Robinson: “What Austria can offer, however, is a trio of truly distinctive dark-skinned grape varieties. One of them, Zweigelt, is capable of making exuberantly fruity wines that, in their usual unoaked form, can provide charming drinking for less than £10 a bottle. … Another Austrian red wine grape specialty is St Laurent, whose origins are obscure but whose wines are unusually velvety. The wines tend to lusciousness and can taste a little sweet, lacking the structure and perhaps longevity of Austria’s finest Pinot Noir. … But the grape variety that is probably most likely to put Austrian reds on the map is Blaufränkisch, known as Kékfrankos over the border in Hungary, and Lemberger in southern Germany and Washington State. It has the most attractive, and currently fashionable, combination of medium rather than full body, a refreshing aroma, and the ability to transmit quite subtle differences in terroir with precision – in Austria anyway. The greatest concentration of fascinating Blaufränkisch is in Burgenland, with the wine produced in Leithaberg on the western shore of the Neusiedlersee being so distinctively mineral-soaked that it has earned its own special appellation.”
Blaufraenkisch
Origin: Austria. This variety was first documented in the 18th century in Austria. At that time, in what was then Germany, it had the name of Lemberger or Limberger, which was derived from the town of Limberg – today Maissau – in Niederösterreich.
Parentage: Natural crossing of the Heunisch variety and an unknown grape (probably a mutation of the Blauer Groben). Blaufränkisch was used as a crossing partner for Austrian new breeds like Zweigelt, Blauburger, Roesler and Rathay. Even breeding stations abroad used the variety for crossings.
Vineyard area: 3,225 ha, 7.0 %. An autochthone variety, Blaufränkisch is found especially in the wine-growing regions of Burgenland as well as in eastern Niederösterreich (Carnuntum).
Wine: The typical palate of this late ripening variety is characterized by deep wood berry or cherry tones, and reveals its characteristic acidity. Blaufränkisch can yield wines with dense structure and prominent tannins. The wines are often impetuous in their youth, but develop velvety facets when sufficiently ripe. Fuller, stronger versions have good ageing potential.
Importance, conditions: It is the leading variety in Mittelburgenland, which is also referred to as “Blaufränkischland”. This region delivers origin-typical wines. In fact, Blaufränkish bears DAC status in several wine-growing regions. In Niederösterreich, the area of Carnuntum is known for its excellent Blaufränkisch wines. The variety is highly demanding of its vineyard site. Coulure easily occurs if the weather is cool during the flowering period.
Schiller’s Favorites at the Tasting
It was an impressive selection of wines. The list of the wines that were shown is available on the web site of the Oesterreich Wein Marketing GmbH. Go to: http://www.oesterreichwein.at/ueber-uns/publikationen/ausstellerkataloge/ausstellerkataloge-2013/ and scroll down to “Discover Blaufränksich!”
Here are my favorites (in the order as they appeared in the tasting).
2010 Anita und Hans Nittnaus, Blaufraenkisch, Alte Reben, Leithaberg DAC
On Anita und Hans Nittnaus, see:
Meeting “John” Nittnaus from Gols, Burgenland, Austria
2010 Schloss Halbturn, Blaufraenkisch, Burgenland
On Schloss Halbturn, see:
A Wedding and a Wine Tasting at Schloss Halbturn in Austria
2009 Wachter-Wiesler, Blaufraenkisch, Reserve Pfarrweingarten, Eisenberg DAC
On Wachter-Wiesler, see:
Wine and Food from Burgenland at Wachter-Wieslers Ratschen, Deutsch-Schuetzen, Austria - with Tom and Christoph Wachter and Julia Sevenich
2009 Umathum, Blaufraenkisch, Joiser Kirschgarten, Burgenland
2009 Prieler, Blaufraenkisch, Goldberg, Burgenland
For more on Weingut Prieler, see:
Lunch with Silvia Prieler, Weingut Prieler, Schuetzen am Gebirge, Austria
2009 Leo Hillinger, Blaufraenkisch, Terroir, Burgenland
For more on Weingut Leo Hillinger, see:
Visiting Leo Hillinger, Michael Hoeffken and Edgar Brutler at the Leo Hillinger Winery in Jois, Austria
Leo Hillinger Wines and Alsatian Food with Hillinger’s Michael Hoeffken and Chef Jacques E. Haeringer at L’Auberge Chez François in Virginia, USA
Schiller’s Favorites
This posting is part of the Schiller’s favorites series. Here is a full list of all Schiller’s favorites postings so far.
Discover Blaufraenkisch! Top 100 Tasting in London, UK - Schiller's Favorites
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in St. Emilion, France
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Seattle, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Washington DC, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, France
Schiller’s Favorite Crab Houses in the Washington DC Region, USA
Schiller’s Favorites at the 2013 Riesling and Co Tasting in New York City, USA
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) on North America Tour in Washington DC - Schiller’s Favorites
Schiller’s Favorites from the VDP Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru – Presentation at Kloster Eberbach, 2012, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in London, UK
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in San Francisco, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City), France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Budapest, Hungary
Schiller’s 12 Favorite Restaurants of Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar
Schiller's Favorite Apple Wine Taverns in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Spots to Drink Wine in Vienna, Austria (2011)
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Places Where You Can Have a Glass of Wine in Healdsburg, California
schiller-wine: Related Postings
A Wedding and a Wine Tasting at Schloss Halbturn in Austria
Wine and Food from Burgenland at Wachter-Wieslers Ratschen, Deutsch-Schuetzen, Austria - with Tom and Christoph Wachter and Julia Sevenich
Lunch with Silvia Prieler, Weingut Prieler, Schuetzen am Gebirge, Austria
Dinner with Wine Maker Gerhard Wohlmuth sen., his Wines and the Food of Steierland’s Chef Ruth Stelzer, Austria
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Producing Wines in Austria and Hungary - Franz and Franz Reinhard Weninger
With the WienWein Winemakers in Vienna in the Heurigen Drinking Gemischter Satz Wine
Wine Producer Austria - Not Only Gruener Veltliner
Meeting “John” Nittnaus from Gols, Burgenland, Austria
Visiting Christine, Christina and Franz Netzl in their Weingut Netzl in Carnuntum, Austria
“Wine Ambassador” Klaus Wittauer Presented Austrian Wines at the Embassy of Austria in Washington DC, USA
Visiting Leo Hillinger, Michael Hoeffken and Edgar Brutler at the Leo Hillinger Winery in Jois, Austria
Leo Hillinger Wines and Alsatian Food with Hillinger’s Michael Hoeffken and Chef Jacques E. Haeringer at L’Auberge Chez François in Virginia, USA
At the Forefront of Biodynamic Winemaking: Visiting Werner and Angela Michlits and their Weingut Meinklang in Austria
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