Gernot and Heike Heinrich founded their winery in 1990 with just one hectare and steadily grew to 90 hectares today. Heinrich converted to biodynamics in 2006 and is a member of Respekt, a certifying body for biodynamic viticulture in Austria. Heinrich is today one of Austria’s most innovative wine producers.
All of Heinrich’s wines are fermented spontaneously and left with the skins for several weeks. The wines remain on their lees for an extended period and are vinified mainly in neutral oak casks. Gernot says, "we give the wines plenty of time to mature, the time that hardly anyone has today,” and adds, “it is above all else time that shapes our wines.”
Blaufränkisch comes from two areas: the limestone and schist soils of the Leithaberg; and the sandy loam soils of the south-facing slope of the Parndorfer Platte in Gols. The grapes were hand-harvested and fermented with wild yeasts in a combination of wooden vats and stainless-steel tanks before maturing in large oak vats and used 500-liter barrels.
Tasting Notes
Blaufränkisch (pronounced BLAU-frank-ish) is an important grape variety in central Europe where it is cultivated under the names Kékfrankos in Hungary and Lemberger in Germany. The grape achieves its peak in Austria’s Burgenland where it gives deeply-colored red wines with aromas and flavors of blackberries, herbs, and spices. It is highly expressive of terroir and shows the nuances of its origin when produced with care.
Food Pairing
Blaufränkisch features a moderate level of weight, bright acidity, and is firmly structured making it an excellent wine for the table. Blaufränkisch produced in a balanced style without excessive ripeness or oak can be paired with food like Pinot Noir and is excellent with game birds, duck, and veal. It is the classic wine to pair with a Hungarian goulash of braised meat and vegetables served with egg noodles or potatoes.