The new wine game:  animal, vegetable, mineral.

The term minerality is bandied around with gay abandon by winemakers and industry alike, who regularly struggle to define it precisely when probed. But “minerality in wine is difficult to define” said Kees van Leeuwen, Professor of Viticulture at ENITA – Bordeaux University, precisely “because it does not refer to a specific substance present in wine.”

This leaves us floundering with an imprecise language to describe the term. Among many, Andrew Jefford has described it as an “absence of fruit, animal, wood.” Others intone the chalky, flinty paradigm. So if it’s not animal, nor fruit nor vegetable, must it be mineral?

Minerality implies a quality innuendo

In trying to unravel minerality, we have to overcome ‘tasting by association’ which is trained into our understandings.  Professor Ulrich Fischer, at the department of viticulture and oenology at Neustadt in Germany said minerality is a “self fulfilling prophecy – you learn Chablis is flinty; Mosel is wet slate. You know you have heritage and you pick it up.”  But if you lick that flint or that piece of Mosel slate, there’s not a lot of direct flavour.

One thing’s for sure. It’s trendy. And there’s an implied quality innuendo when minerality is mentioned. So there is a responsibility not to abuse the term.

For analytical study, certain chemical compounds are attributed to certain aromas, for example the floral character of monoterpenes or the green pepper of methoxypyrazines. The chemical compound can be analysed to study how the character is formed. Yet no one compound has yet been attributed to mineral character, which explains why there is no consensus on its use.  

Sensory analysis

We move from analytical study to sensory study, where studies of sauvignon blanc by Dr. Wendy Parr, sensory scientist at Lincoln University in New Zealand, using experienced wine tasters and winemakers from both NZ and France identified “an aroma and flavour characteristic that they term ‘flinty’, ‘smoky’ (but not smoke ’smoky’), or ‘minerality’.” She added “French people also use the word ‘silex’ to describe this note.”

In an ongoing study of the terroir of riesling in the Mosel, Nahe, Rheinhessen and Pfalz, Fischer and his team “do descriptive analysis, evaluating wines on the intensity of ten aromas, such as citrus, pineapple and floral, and taste. People can perceive smell of mineral wine.  In order to be scientific we have to produce a standard, which is reproducible, so we took small stones, wet them, and we look for a smell which is reminiscent of wet slate, wet pebbles. For the taste we couldn’t yet find a standard, however.”

“The standard for minerality is wet pebbles, wet quartzite” Fischer added, “above all it is a smell. Also think about iodine smell at sea and maybe think about fresh oysters. Ozone is maybe coming close, it fits into the concept. “

The terroir connection

You can have terroir without minerality, but can you have minerality without terroir-expression?  Fischer thinks not, saying “minerality is appreciated by people because it relates to the character of the soil. Since the turn of the century, we’re wanting wines with more individuality . One way is to look for more specific terroir wines; another is to use more spontaneous fermentation. This is why wines are getting more mineral. Many wines are fermented warmer [above 18°C]. The fermentation esters are reduced, and other properties of wine are getting stronger, and one of these seems to be the mineral character.”

Parr concurs. “From our data, it is related to the wines from specific areas. All the wines in our studies are tasted blind in opaque glasses and yet the wines from Loire and Saint Bris, near Chablis, always show up with higher intensity ratings to the flinty notes.“

Another area that scientists so far agree that the root route does not exist, in that minerals taken into the plant are not replicated in the form or proportions they’re represented in the soil and bedrock.

And vines have pretty much the same requirements to photosynthesise wherever they are, and soil can be managed to provide these: liming an acid soil, adding drainage to soil in a region of high rainfall. Van Leewen said: “If wine quality was related to specific minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, iron, trace elements, then quality could be improved by addition of these elements. But viticultural practice shows that, except for the correction of severe deficiencies or the application of excessive fertilisation, wine quality is not easily manipulated in either way by these practices.”

The sulphide connection

Nonetheless, many nutrient-poor soils exist. Indeed the heritage of viticulture is on soils that were too poor or mountainous to grow other crops. An indirect relationship between poor soils, stressed vine growth, and winemaking may come into play, with winemaking accentuating or accessing a terroir effect.

Winemaking consultant Sam Harrop MW said “In Pouilly-Fumé, if you bang two bits of silex together, you get an aroma reminiscent of gunflint. Locals believe these flavours come through in the wine and I’ve tasted plenty of wines from this region with such aromas.  But a sulphide is responsible for this aroma, which occurs during fermentation, so the relationship of terroir and minerality is an indirect one. You can’t get the smell of silex banging together directly into the final wine.”

In addition, he said, winemakers in the classic Loire sauvignon blanc regions “have a less interventionist approach – for example, spontaneous fermentation, extended lees contact, not using nutrient supplement – and working with more turbid juices, which offer a greater concentration of precursors for thiol production. All of these work towards greater sulphides some of which can be really positive, and others not quite so tasty. For example I see guava-like thiol expression from ferments of well-managed turbid musts.”  So thiols are terroir-originated, and expressed by a well-managed fermentation process.

Fischer agreed, adding minerality is “more related to terroir than winemaking, though winemaking has an impact.  It seems to be a reductive character, so keeping wine longer on lees enhances the mineral character.”

A thiol called benzenemethanethiol has been reported by Denis Dubourdieu and colleagues at the University of Bordeaux as one source of a mineral/flinty note in sauvignon blanc. Parr said: “It is assumed that these thiols develop their flavour characteristics during fermentation as the precursor compounds in the grape itself need yeast to produce the thiol and the volatile aspects.”   

While there’s a long way to go, minerality clearly does exist sensorially, though current industry usage of the term is highly individual, and without shared meaning. Until more is known, its use as a means of communication may advisedly be used only under caution.

Rainbow on Montsant

The microscopically concertina-ed hilly landscape of remote, picturesque Priorat (Catalan)/ Priorato (Castilian) is not for the faint-hearted or travel-sickly, but it is well worth the pain and consequences of both to appreciate the scenery and the wines.

The small region is located in the province of Tarragona. It’s about 90 miles and a couple of hours’ drive south west of Barcelona, tracking the coastline before finally heading inland.

It’s roughly 10 kilometres across at its widest point, by about 12 km north to south, and is protected by the Sierra de Montsant in the northwest. The mountain gives its name to another DO, Montsant, which almost completely encircles Priorat (separate article will follow shortly). The vineyards range from 100m to 700m above sea level, necessarily on terraces due to the tightly-folded mountainous terrain. The river Siurana runs through Priorat into the river Ebro on its way from the Rioja region to the Mediterranean sea.

Scala Dei

Priorat takes is name from a priory – the Priorato de Scala Dei (Priory of the Stairway of God) – after an Order of Carthusian monks arrived in 12th century.  The winery in this tiny settlement, Scala Dei, is now owned by Cava house Codorníu).

So vines have been grown in Priorat for centuries, but the wines achieved acclaim as recently as the 1990s, after a ground-breaking group of growers moved in to the tiny hilltop village of Gratallops to make wine. In 1979, it was René Barbier of Clos Mogador, whose family business was relatively nearby in Penedès, who first recognised the region’s potential to produce top quality wine. The friends started by producing a wine each labelled ‘Clos’ to distinguish themselves from the traditional rustic, baked fruit style of wine from the region.

They were, with the current names of their properties:

1989 was their first vintage, at which time the vineyard area had dropped to a low point of about 600 ha. After phylloxera, and after the Civil War, the region was quite isolated, and during the 1940s and ’50s people were migrating to the industrialising cities of Tarragona and Barcelona.

Howling of the wolves

It was at the hilltop village, and heartbeat of ‘new’ Priorat, Gratallops, that these late 20^th century pioneers congretated. This is a village that has barely changed for years, but has seen a regrowth in population to 300 thanks to Priorat’s revival. Gratallops translates as ‘howling of the wolves’, reflecting the fauna of its original remote location; local art installations pay homage to this heritage.

Their early success in crafting top quality wines, often from very old vines and small yields, has drawn in numerous other people to the region, both Spanish and foreign investors. Further acknowledgement was achieved when the DOQ (Catalan)/ DOCa (Spanish) was awarded in 2000, effective from the 2000 vintage. Up till then only Rioja DOCa had the highest quality level of the Spanish wine system.

Mechanisation is virtually impossible in this terrain, and it is the combination of soils and grape varieties that create the serendipitous conditions for strong, muscular red wines that yet retain a certain amount of attractive freshness that is not often found in the warm, sometimes hot, Mediterranean climate of much of Spain.

There are 1,600 hectares (ha) of vines, 40% planted to garnacha (grenache in French), another 30% planted to cariñena (carignan in France), plus 20% to international interlopers cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah, thought to ’soften’ the dense, dark, spiciness of the other two. There’s also 100ha of garnacha blanca and macabeo (a.k.a. viura, as in Rioja). Alvaro Palacios, of the eponymous winery, may be drawing away from the international varieties, but Carles Pastrana with his Clos de l’Obac is happy that the three comprise more than 50% of the blend.

Llicorella with root network

The llicorella soil, a local name for the rocky slate and schist which is rich in sparkly quartzite, provides one of the defining characters for Priorat wines. Palacios, who is now more famous for his top L’Ermita wine, said the llicorella is a “metamorphic rock, formed under the earth’s crust where two horizons of limestone had compacted a layer of clay. It has three times more metals and minerals than sedimentary rock [that has not undergone metamorphosis]. The slate is red brown at Finca Dofi, with lots of iron oxide, and very warm. At L’Ermita, there is cooler green slate, which has higher aluminium and zinc.” The exposition and altitude of these two vineyards is also different, but the llicorella is argued to have a primary role in each wine’s flavour profile.

Thin clay layers are important. The region has less than 400mm annual rainfall, which would usually demand irrigation for vineyards, and some irrigation does exist here. But not everywhere. Palacios added: “we have 35% clay in the licorella. The layers of slate have clay powder in between which retain moisture.” Barbier added that vine roots penetrate the llicorella, and a fine mat of roots develops in the layers where the moist clay powder resides, able to draw on the moisture. With the tiny yields garnered by top producers, it would seem that this is sufficient to keep the vine watered through the dry Mediterranean summer.

Clos Mogador

For producers such as Barbier and Palacios, working the land as naturally as possible is important. The amphitheatre of the narrowly-terraced Clos Mogador vineyard is covered with grasses and flowers in Spring, which are mown by hand-held strimmer after they’ve flowered, to give the vine more air. The foliage is then ploughed into the soil over the summer. Barbier is a man convinced by the benefits of biodiversity, and retains the traditional cherries, almonds, peaches, and olives interspersed with his vineyards.

Over the past three or four years Priorat producers have been developing a ‘village’ concept for some of their wines. Called ‘Vi de Vila’ (wine of the village), all the fruit used must come from the property of the producer and be within the newly-defined viticultural boundaries of the village (which differ from the administrative boundaries). The idea is that each village may have (or become to have) its own identity. Thus Palacios’ new Vi de Vila is called Gratallops, as the vines are within the Gratallops borders. The first vintage, 2007, will be released during 2009. Other villages include Porrera, Poboleda and Bellmunt.

Vintage conditions are also important in this warm area. 2003, 2004 and 2005 were very hot. 2006, 2007 and 2008 were a little cooler. This shows in the wines, with greater elegance and freshness (acidity) in the more recent vintages. The wines retain their famed muscularity and broad shoulders, but a little coolness seems to tone their brute strength and slim the waist to more attractive proportions.

Such is the region’s stellar reputation that producers are still coming to Priorat, with the number reaching nearly 100, from about 70 in the last quarter of 2008. But they pay the price for land. What cost less than €1,000/ha 30 years ago, was costing something like €60 to €80,000 /ha a couple of years ago.

This article was inspired by a visit to the region sponsored by Wines from Spain.

Palacios was one of René Barbier’s group of friends who resurrected the wines of Priorat in the late 1980s and 1990s with his Clos Dofi (later renamed to Finca Dofi). His Priorat property was founded in 1989, when there were only 600 hectares (ha) of vineyard left in the largely abandoned wine region.

His Priorat property is 30 ha. He also works with 110 producers and 150 parcels.  The densely-folded mountain terrain necessitates terraces and vineyard parcels can be quite tiny.

L’Ermita is his most famous vineyard. It’s a north-facing, so away from the sun in the northern hemisphere, single vineyard slope at 400 to 520m above sea level, planted only to garnacha.

With more than 20 years experience in Priorat, Palacios has begun to move away from using international grapes such as cabernet sauvignon in his wines.  He says he’s favouring more of the traditional garnacha. His wines still contain the international varieties, but, he said: “all the wines will be more and more garnacha.”

Alvaro Palacios

He is also reverting from trellised vines to the bush training of the original vineyards. He said: “I’ve realised in the last years of heat and drought the bush vineyards are better.  The ‘bush’ is close to ground, so the sap does not have far to travel. And there is no humidity to avoid.” Trellis training is usually higher, as it is traditionally found in areas where humidity needs to be avoided.  Also, he added: “On trellises, grapes are exposed to the sun. On bush vines, the fruit is in the shade,” so in a warm to hot Mediterranean climate, the fruit does not burn and become raisined on the vine.

Priorat wines:

• L’Ermita. 100% garnacha on a north facing granite slope of 1.75ha.
• Finca Dofi: a ‘modern’ style, according to Palacios, coming from young vines and fruit he doesn’t use for L’Ermita. North and east facing slopes on limestone.
• Gratallops. A new wine in 2009, from the 2007 vintage. A wine from the village.
• Les Terrasses: 9ha estate in Gratallops. North-east/south-west and east aspect. 250 to 350m asl.
• Camins del Priorat: a new wine in 2009, from the 2007 vintage.

Tasting notes (tasted March 2009, at the property)

Camins del Priorat 2007: 55% carinena, 35% garnacha, rest cabernet sauvignon and syrah.  Fresh, supple, red fruits, silky texture, really approachable. Sweet fruit.

Les Terrasses 2007: For the first time in 2007, the wine is made from old vines, 60 years plus. 60% carinena, 30% garnacha, some cabernet sauvignon and syrah. 12 months in barrique, 25% new.  Spicy, red berried fruit, with attractive fragrance.  Elegant, defined. Rich fruit.

Gratallops, Vi de Vila, 2007: 35% garnacha, 40% carinena, cabernet sauvignon. Chewy, bright, fresh, linearity and poise, good concentration, and depth of fresh fruit. Balance and deportment. Long finish, vg

Finca Dofi 2007: 55% garnacha, rest cabernet sauvignon, syrah. Bit of merlot in cooler vintages such as 2007.  Deep colour, fresh, bright, crunchy berry and cherry, finely grained youthful tannins. Long palate length. Sensual texture. Medium full body, smoothening mid-palate.

L’Ermita 2007: medium deep colour; cherry, bitter chocolate, liquorice. Sweet spice to the red berry fruit. Succulence of fruit, no massive bulk/hulk; elegance and finesse. Fine textured sweet tannins.

L’Ermita 2008: bright medium cherry colour. Pure cherry and strawberry, light yet with concentration, finely grained tannins, very serious wine with intellect.

This article was inspired by a visit to the region sponsored by Wines from Spain.

Country Blaufränkisch: Austria’s ABC

Rust architecture

Austria, with less than one per cent of global wine production is a hot-house of innovation and aspiration for its red wine producers, who account for about 35% of production, and increasing.  It is only in the last generation that any sort of serious red wine tradition has developed. And as was seen, for example, with the rapid evolution of Australian chardonnay from heavily worked and highly oaked to increasingly moderated expressions and unoaked styles, so Austria is in the midst of revolution with its reds, finding its best expressions, and all on a microscopic scale of vineyard holding and vineyard site which seems more reminiscent of Burgundy, also with family-owned, family-named wineries. Factor in the different indigenous grape varieties that bless Austria and a jigsaw puzzle of minutiae emerges to delight the connoisseur and confound the debutant.

Just a generation ago, Austrian wine was made to be drinkable straight away, and reds were vinified almost as white wines – low tannins, some residual sugar – a red coloured liquid without any of the features of red wine, often to meet market demand, especially from Germany, which has undergone a parallel red wine reform. Dr. Josef Schuller MW, managing director of the Austrian Wine Academy said: “the tradition of producing great red wines was not there, so what evolved in the 80s and 90s were deep, darkly coloured wines. Through the 80s, the trend was to stop producing reds with residual sugar, and to start using new wood. It was in the 80s that malolactic fermentation was a hot topic in Austria” Schuller added that the taste of new oak – ‘neuerl’ used to be considered a fault by the wine quality board, and that this changed only in the 80s. A mid 1980s visit by Burgenland producers to Bordeaux helped revolutionise the red wine landscape. Structure, earthy dryness, tannin, power, oak became the new bywords for quality, and the evolution of style and place continues.

There are fewer than 12,000 hectares (ha) of red grape vineyards in all of Austria. While there are smatterings of red vineyards throughout the country, even in the whiter than white renowned growing districts,  Burgenland is the heartland, homeland and hero region for red wine production with over 40% of red plantings. The vast Weinviertal, to the north of Vienna, also has big holdings, mainly of zweigelt and portugieser.

The four areas of Burgenland comprise the key red wine areas, and all are influenced to a greater or lesser extent by the continental Pannonian climate coming from the Hungarian steppes to the east, and by the large, shallow lake Neusidedl.

• Neusiedlersee – to the east of the lake
• Neusiedlersee-Hügelland – to the west of the lake
• Mittelburgenland – to the south of the lake
• Südburgenland – a little bit further to the south of the lake

Neusiedlersee

Neusiedlersee

Neusiedlersee is the only middle European steppe lake, and it is right at the western edge of the Pannonian plains. This large shallow lake, with an average depth of one metre, at about 100m above sea level, lake regulates climate in an important way. While up to 40% of the lake evaporates each year, creating humidity for botrytis to develop for sweet wines, a little further around the lake, black grapes come into their own. Zweigelt and blaufränkisch dominate, with some pinot noir, sankt laurent, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

While the axis of Apetlon and Illmitz conjure images of rich, sensuous sweet wines, it is the trapezium of Gols, Mönchhof, Podersdorf, and Frauenkirchen on the north east perimeter of the lake that is the core of red production.

From the northernmost tip of the lake a distinct ridge runs from the north west to the south east immediately above Gols and Mönchhof, 30-50m above the plains. On the gentle slopes of this ridge are some of the best vineyard sites for reds on this side of the lake, such as Ungerberg, Altenberg, Salzberg and Gabarinza.  The ridge leads up to the Parndorf plateau, where, Axel Stiegelmar of Weingut Juris says: “It’s slightly cooler because of the wind, therefore earlier ripening varieties such as pinot noir and sankt laurent are better suited.” The slopes on the other hand are deemed best for later ripening blaufränkisch, and merlot.

This is the home of the Pannobile group of growers. One of the features of Austrian wine growing is the number of growers’ groups, where usually a dozen or so growers have banded together to promote their wines, or to set a standard for what they think is the best that they or their area can produce. So for a wine to carry the ‘Pannobile’ label, it must be a minimum 85% local varieties.  It is usually a blend, from different soils and different grape varieties. Gerhard Pittnauer, relative newcomer to the Pannobile group said: “North Burgenland changed to a red wine region about 20 years ago. It is a perception of minimum quality, with group dynamics and competition for quality, and shared costs of marketing.  It’s a good way to  make a region better known. Pannobile should express quality and typicity, also personality of the winemaker. It is a good climate for discussion.”

Helmuth Renner one of the founding members of the Pannobile group, typifies the small scale of production in Austria.  Renner is the first generation of the family who works only with wine.  Their business used to be mixed farming, as in much of this area. His grandfather, who was a miller, started wine production in 1950. And his father was one of the first to plant chardonnay, in the 60s. Renner said of the region “production is split 50:50 red and white, but in the next 10 to 20 years, it will be 70% red.” Their own production is 80% red, with nearly all his vineyards up and near the slopes.   

A new group – Select Gols – has recently established itself, focusing purely on indigenous grape varieties: zweigelt, pinot noir, sankt laurent and blaufränkisch.  Pinot noir has been in Austria for long enough to count as indigenous.

The growers’ groups reflect more general winemaking trends, especially whether to blend solely indigenous varieties, or to add the likes of cabernet sauvignon, merlot or syrah. The Pannobile, for example, can have up to 15% of international varieties in the blend. Debate on these style differences will continue: as elsewhere in the world, when it is blended with indigenous varieties, there comes a point at which cabernet sauvignon dominates a blend and indigenous flavours are lost.

On this subject Josef Umathum says: “I want to have Austrian fruit in the wine. In the 80s and 90s there were lots of blends, now the trend is back to single varietal, and back to Austrian varieties, back to blaufränkisch and sankt laurent and less to pinot noir.”

Gernot and Heike Heinrich, are master craftspeople of both varietal wine and single vineyard wines (blends), with that international twist. They own 10ha of the 14ha Gabarinza vineyard, as well as part of the Salzberg vineyard. Heinrich says he uses “the upper slope, with gravel and more humus for zweigelt, the middle slope, with sand, clay, no humus for blaufränkisch, and the lower slope again for zweigelt. Zweigelt needs more humus as it does not like to suffer, and blaufränkisch does better on heavier soil.”

Heinrich says: “zweigelt has darker fruit, more black cherry, softer tannin, fuller body, lacks the length, tannin, structure of a good blaufränkisch, therefore it´s good for blending.” Both his Salzberg and Gabarinza single vineyard wines are blended with merlot, which he says offers ripeness, power and ageing potential.

Neusiedlersee-Hügelland

Over on the west side of the lake, Rust is the centre for sweet wine production, with red wine producers located here too, and the Leitha Hills to the west of the lake provide vineyards for dry whites and reds.

Leitha Hills soils

The slate and limestone Leitha Hills, where a mix of red and white varieties are grown, range up to 300-325m above sea level, and provide a 35km border to the north west, protecting the vineyards of Neusiedlersee-Hügelland from cool northerly winds.  Vineyards are located on the gentle south and south east facing slopes, garnering warmth from the lake.

Hans Nehrer said “Blaufränkisch is late ripening so not found so high up the slopes. Zweigelt can go higher and pinot noir, because both are earlier ripening. The sun goes down pretty fast too, so we have good diurnal temperature variations which can be up to 20°C.”

Mittelburgenland

To the south of the lake and into the pre-Alps, this hilly, forested region is pitched as ‘blaufränkisch country’, and wine production, on 2000 ha, three quarters of it red, is concentrated in a west-east running series of slopes from Neckenmarkt and Horitschon in the west to Deutschkreutz in the east, right on the Hungarian border. Before 1921, the region’s main city was Sopron, which has remained Hungarian. Here soils are deep, heavy sands and loams, and some of the vines qualify for old status at up to 80 years.  

This broad valley range, 230 to 350m above sea level is surrounded on three sides by hills, the Odenburger Hills to the north, Rosalien Hills to the west, and Geschriebenstein Hills to the south, with the weather mostly coming from the east, unless rains and storms come up from the south. For this reason, cover crops are more likely to be found in this region.   Franz Weninger of Weingut Weninger said: “The climate is influenced by Neusiedlersee, but there is no direct contact. Warm air seeps up the valley from the east.”

Mittelburgenland

As befits its moniker, blaufränkisch is the main grape of the region, late-ripening, during the middle to end of October.  It’s cooler here, a bit higher, a bit wetter, harvest is maybe a week later, so the acidity of blaufränkisch is a bit fresher, and fruit characters trend to crisp red and sour cherry, with a peppery and sometimes herbaceous note; tannins can be more linear. But the degree of freshness and lift offered by a hint more acidity adds an element of elegance to the best wines that’s not always found closer to the lake. 

There is more chalk in the soil at Neckenmarkt, vines are on the higher slope, up to 350m, and the top site, qualitatively and altitudinally, Hochberg, has deep water storage capability in its loam soils. On the south side, Horitschon, 100m lower, has loam and loess soils.  Over to the east, Deutschkreutz has more gravel, with lighter, loess soils and stones which retain moisture and warmth, giving fuller wines with creamy texture and heavier tannin.

Anton Iby’s red wines come from the three main Horitschon vineyards: Hochäcker, Dürrau, Gfanger. He spoke of the extreme content of clay in the heavy soil, saying these are the oldest vineyards in Horitschon, because they could not grow white varieties in the heavy soil, and so had not been replanted. He said:  ”fruit and high ripe phenols are important. I learnt a lot in Priorat about fine ripe structure – most is fruit, next is tannin and the acid level should be present, but not dominant.”

Roland Velich, of Apetlon renown, is working with some aplomb in Mittelburgenland under the Moric label with blaufränkisch. He said: “we´re in a northern country, the aim is cool, elegant wines driven by finesse. It’s warmer than Burgundy. Blaufränkisch ripens a little before cabernet sauvignon. Sometimes we get the spicy expression of syrah but we can get the silky textures of pinot noir”

“Burgenland has a Pannonic situation; it is more connected with wines of Hungary. We aim for origin, typicity, the character of the grape varieties and not of oak; elegance of fruit, a mineral nerve which keeps freshness in the wine and makes it ageworthy. A classic European expression. should be drinkable, we don’t want to produce monsters.” They are using notably tiny amounts of new oak.

Südburgenland

About 100km south of Horitschon, and with 450 dispersed hectares, Südburgenland is the small southern settlement of red wine production in Austria. With a mild Pannonian climate, old blaufränkisch is grown in iron-rich soils, adding an element of spice and concentration in the best examples.  Production is focused on neighbouring villages of Eisenberg and Deutsch-Schützen. 

While there are about 500 producers in Südburgenland, many of them hobbyists, Krutzler is the most noted producer, especially with the Perwolff blend of blaufränkisch with 10% cabernet sauvignon.

The overt oak odyssey: over and out?

For sure there are plenty of tasty styles of wine made in big old wood and other inert vessels, but it is the top cuvées that make the noise for Austrian reds.  For these, the honeymoon period is probably not over yet for ostentatious, overt oak, but some of the best producers seem to be drawing back a little from its sometimes dominating vanilla and cream, toast and spice notes, letting the fruit shine through.  Moric may be one of the vanguard in this respect.

Franz Weninger says “you have to be really careful with wood.  Blaufränkisch is the great red variety of Austria, with great ageing potential. It is mainly the fruit-acid balance which holds the wine, not the tannin. Barrique was quite heavy in the last 10 years, most winemakers are now finding the right way of using wood.”