Zweigelt From Neusiedlersee DAC Shows That Austria Is So Much More Than White Wines (Plus A Bonus)

Austria is finest recognized for its white wines and never least the Grüner Veltliner. However the nation has extra purple wines than you may suppose. Go to Burgenland, the easternmost a part of Austria, and you’ll discover loads of them. And as a bonus, you’ll uncover a plethora of pretty candy wines. We’ve got tasted wines from Neusiedlersee DAC, essentially the most well-known appellation of Burgenland. Right here, the star is Zweigelt, a grape price attending to know.

Pink grapes are grown all through Burgenland. Austria’s purple wines got here into vogue within the Nineties. Then, they had been primarily blends. We now see increasingly single grape wines from Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, St. Laurent, Pinot Noir, Merlot and others.

The purple grape varieties

Zweigelt is a profitable crossing between Blaufränkisch and Sankt Laurent, which was made in Austria in 1922. It’s now Austria’s most cultivated purple grape, in style not least in Neusiedlersee DAC.

Zweigelt offers fruity wines with aromas of ripe cherries, plums and heat spices corresponding to cloves. The wines are sometimes darkish in color, typically elegant in type, typically highly effective with loads of tannins, and at all times with refreshing acidity.

Blaufränkisch, usually tannic and full-bodied, is Austria’s second most grown purple grape. It’s the primary grape in Hungary, the place it’s also referred to as kékfrankos. St. laurent is an thrilling selection, a bit difficult to develop however usually elegant in type and paying homage to pinot noir.

Neusiedlersee DAC

Neusiedlersee DAC is the most important and most well-known appellation in Burgenland. Lake Neusiedl is a shallow lake; at its deepest, it’s barely two meters. The lake and the encircling space have lengthy been a nature reserve and a well-liked hang-out for hen watchers. The local weather across the lake is delicate, and the realm has the most important variety of sunny days in all of Austria. However cool nights make sure that the wines retain a superb acidity, one thing we seen throughout our tasting. And this goes for each the reds, the dry whites and the candy wines.

Zweigelt is the massive identify right here, and when Neusiedlersee DAC was created in 2012, it was determined that this appellation would apply solely to zweigelt for dry wines. Semi-sweet and candy white wines may use the designation Neusiedlersee DAC in the event that they meet particular necessities. However purple wines with a grape selection aside from zweigelt, in addition to dry white wines, have to make use of Burgenland as their designation of origin.

Candy wines

The local weather across the lake is appropriate for candy wines of assorted sorts. Due to the nice and cozy and humid autumn local weather, you can also make wonderful late harvest wines and deliciously candy beerenauslese and trockenbeerenauslese. The mists that develop across the shallow lake favour the event of the noble rot.

A wide range of grapes are used for the candy wines, usually Welschriesling but in addition Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc), Chardonnay and others.

The tasting

Dry white wines

Weissburgunder 2020 Trocken, Allacher Vinum Pannonia, Burgenland, Austria

Weissburgunder is German for Pinot Blanc. This can be a pleasantly fragrant wine with aromas of pear, melon and white flowers. The nostril is sort of intense, and it’s unusually full-bodied for a pinot blanc.

Grüner Veltliner 2020 Trocken, Kummer Weine, Burgenland, Austria

It has the everyday white pepper aromas and a pleasing, distinct style of white flowers, apples, citrus and a stunning freshness with an acidity of just about 6 grams per litre, a superb wine.

White semi-sweet and candy wines

Traminer Spätlese 2020, Preiner Wein, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

Fragrant with intense flavours and refreshingly excessive acidity. Floral aromas, citrus, and it reminded us additionally of a specific dessert with apples made within the oven with butter and spices. Alc. 11.5%.

Weissburgunder Spätlese 2020 Kummer Weine, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

Aromas of ripe melon and apricots, mild and contemporary on the palate. Alc. 10%. The excessive acidity makes it a stunning before-dinner drink.

Cuvée Beerenauslese 2017, Johannes Münzenriede, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

Intense and concentrated with ripe apricots. Fairly mild in type however very tasty: spices, cinnamon, slightly buttery. The alcohol content material is 9% and the grapes are welschriesling, sämling (scheurebe) and grüner veltliner.

Welschriesling Beerenauslese, Artisan Wines, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

It is extremely candy but in addition very contemporary so the stability is great. Honey and marmalade from the botrytised grapes, a excessive viscosity. An excellent wine with dessert, cheese or by itself. 9 % of alcohol.

Pink wines from Zweigelt

Zweigelt Reserve Ried Luckenwald 2018, Gebrüder Nittnaus, Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve, Österrike

Darkish, dense fruit, some oak and a pleasing spiciness. Comparatively mild in construction with a superb stability. Extremely pleasing.

Zweigelt 2018, Weingut Pöckl, Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve, Österrike

Very darkish and dense color. It is extremely concentrated and intense, with loads of tannins and contemporary acidity. There’s cherry fruit and a few oak aromas. It’s full-bodied sufficient to be balanced however would profit from being rather less concentrated. However I prefer it however.

Zweigelt 2019, Allacher Vinum Pannonia, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

Comparatively mild in color. Nice mild and fruity type however with good depth within the aromas with ripe berries. It’s structured with a somewhat comfortable end.

Zweigelt 100 days 2018, Keringer Massiv Wines, Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve, Austria

Dense, concentrated fruit. Good size, acidity, spicy and natural aromas. The wine has 100 days of extraction, which provides focus and a slight dryness within the end.

Zweigelt Ried Seeweingärten 2017, Weingut Lentsch, Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve, Austria

Mild in type with a dominance of purple berries and a few oak on the nostril. Fruity, spicy and chic on the palate. Wonderful.

Zweigelt 2019, Hannes Reeh, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

Pretty mild in color, with purple berries, ripe fruit, nearly overripe, however not an excessive amount of, there’s a superb stability and tannins for the construction. Fairly pleasing.

Zweigelt 2019, Salzl Seewinkelhof, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

Contemporary and fragrant, plenty of fruit, full-bodied, refreshing in style. Wonderful.

Zweigelt 2019, Moser Weine, Neusiedlersee DAC, Austria

Ripe, crushed cherries and prunes on the nostril. Savoury, spicy on the palate, barely risky.

Artisan Wines 2018 Neusiedlersee DAC Reserve, Austria

A number of darkish cherries and purple berries, good construction though mild and chic in type. Very balanced and really drinkable.

Different purple wines

Sankt Laurent 2019, Ried Herrschaftswald, Markus Iro, Burgenland, Austria

Contemporary herbs and darkish fruit mingle with some oak aromas. It’s refreshing on the palate. Nice and unpretentious.

Blaufränkisch Ried Ungerberg 2017, Georg Preisinger, Burgenland, Austria

Concentrated aromas, dense fruitiness, black currants, contemporary herbs, bitter cherries. It’s structured with noticeable tannins and, within the end, pretty refreshing fruit with mouthwatering acidity.

To finish this tasting, we had one thing fairly particular: a glowing purple Zweigelt.

Reehbellion Zweigelt Schaumwein, Hannes Reeh

This barely odd glowing wine with added carbon dioxide has a very darkish color and numerous foam while you pour it. It’s full of darkish fruit; it’s dry and fairly structured. A flexible selection, Zweigelt.

—Britt Karlsson