red Magnum – 2015

Aged red Magnum red wine cuvée from the Gernot Heinrich winery

red from Gernot Heinrich is an organically produced cuvée of three Austrian red wine varieties, presented here in a 1.5-liter magnum bottle. This is not a young wine for quick consumption, but a mature vintage that has spent time in the cellar and shows it.

red is the entry-level cuvée from the Gernot Heinrich winery in Gols, in Austria's Burgenland region, bottled here as a 1.5-liter magnum. Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and St. Laurent grapes for this wine are grown around Lake Neusiedl on lime and slate, humus-rich heath soil, and sandy loam. With 12.5 percent alcohol, the vintage remains pleasantly moderate.

Ruby red, pepper, and sweet tobacco

The wine sits in the glass a rich ruby red, its color matching the label, which adopts the same depth and promises nothing less.

The fruit has remained red-berry, but after years in the bottle, notes of pepper have joined it, underscored by a sweet tobacco aroma that only time can produce. A good decade lies between the harvest and the moment this glass is filled. The acidity continues to enliven the wine, the tannins have long since softened, and the alcohol remains pleasantly restrained.

A mature vintage like this needs air, so the opened bottle should be allowed to stand for half an hour before pouring. Maturation happens more slowly in a large bottle anyway, because the double volume of wine is exposed to the same amount of oxygen, and it is precisely from this that this format draws its advantage.

From wooden fermenting vat to large bottle

From mid-September to the beginning of October, the hand-picked grapes travel to the cellar, where the work is limited to a few traditional techniques.

The berries spend two weeks on the mash, where color and tannins transfer into the must, and fermentation begins naturally without the addition of any yeast. Zweigelt makes up the largest proportion, complemented by Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. The wine then matures for over a year in a wooden fermenting vat, an open barrel that does not mask the fruit.

The work in the vineyard is organic and biological, using manual labor instead of chemicals and maintaining low yields. The winery calls this cuvée a "Landwein with high standards," and the 2015 vintage still holds true to this description today. A sophisticated drinking pleasure, without the fuss.

What to serve with the large bottle

A pot roast that has spent hours in the oven finds the perfect companion in this aged red—something often missing with younger wines.

Pan-fried mushrooms pick up the earthy tones, and an aged mountain cheese provides enough salt to counter the softened tannin structure. Cold-smoked ham also pairs with it effortlessly. The magnum is easily enough for a larger group, and rarely does a half-empty bottle remain at the end. This large format is not about showing off, but is simply the better vessel for long maturation.

The Blaufränkisch Leithaberg 2014, which has also undergone aging, shows how the same winery crafts a wine from a single vineyard site. You can find other reds from Gols in the red wine collection, and if you would like to see the entire range, you can find it under Gernot Heinrich winery.

red Magnum – a red wine and its values

• Organic vineyard management
• Hand-picked from mid-September to early October
• Spontaneously fermented
• Two weeks maceration time
• Aged for over a year in wooden fermenting vats
• Grape varieties: 60% Zweigelt, 30% Blaufränkisch, 10% St. Laurent
• 12.5% ABV

Organic inspection body AT-BIO-402 – Austrian Agriculture