Zweigelt – 2019

Organic Zweigelt from Gols by Weingut Gernot Heinrich

Zweigelt from Gernot Heinrich is a juicy organic red wine from Burgenland, spontaneously fermented and aged in wood for years. Not a jammy everyday wine, but a cool, cherry-scented bottle with grippy tannins and a light profile.

Zweigelt is a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent and is thus the most widespread red variety in the country; featured here is the 2019 vintage from Weingut Gernot Heinrich in Gols, in Austria's Burgenland region. The grapes grow on lime- and slate-rich soils on the Leitha Mountains, on sandy loam of the Parndorf Plain, and on humus-rich heath soil. With 12.0 percent alcohol, it is one of the estate's lighter red wines.

Sour cherry, heart cherry, and a cool fruitiness

The nose detects a whole range of cherries: sour cherry first, then black cherry and heart cherry, with a cool, almost herbaceous freshness behind them.

On the palate, the tannins are lean and grippy, laying over the fruit like a fine net. Nothing is covered up, as the wine remains consistently cool, clear, and pleasantly tart in its expression. It is precisely this coolness that keeps it fresh and light-footed throughout an entire evening.

The heritage of the two parent varieties can be traced in the glass, as the soft, dark cherry fruit is considered the contribution of the St. Laurent. The upright structure and fine spice, on the other hand, come from the Blaufränkisch, the second leading variety of Burgenland. This combination results in a red wine that you can also open in the summer and enjoy with lighter dishes.

Early harvest and years in wood

The grapes were harvested by hand as early as the end of August 2019, which is unusually early for a Burgenland red wine and explains the cool freshness in the glass.

The grapes come from both sides of Lake Neusiedl and remain on the skins for two weeks after harvest. Part of the process takes place in wooden fermentation vats and the rest in steel tanks before the basket press is used gently. Fermentation is spontaneous, meaning without added cultured yeast and without any outside help.

The wine then rests for over three years in wooden fermentation vats and 500-liter oak barrels before being bottled at the end of April 2023. Few wines in this price range are given so much time, and you can taste it in the calm fruit. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically, are Demeter-certified, and are registered with respekt-BIODYN.

What to pair this Zweigelt with at the table

A mushroom ragout with plenty of parsley meets this wine exactly where its earthy side begins and the cherry fruit has not yet ended.

Bacon dumplings on lukewarm cabbage go extremely well with the cool fruit because the tannins hold up against the smoke. A slice of bacon on toasted bread subsequently brings the herbaceous trace back to the fore. It is served slightly chilled, a little below room temperature, because this is when it shows its fine tannins most clearly.

The other leading variety of Burgenland can be found in the Blaufränkisch 2019, which comes from the same vineyards and has a darker structure. You can find the entire assortment at Weingut Gernot Heinrich, from magnums to verjus. More bottles for the long table can be found under Red Wine, organized by weight and origin.

Zweigelt – a wine and its values

• Origin: Wine from Austria
• Region: Burgenland
• Grape variety: Zweigelt
• Demeter, Respekt, and organic certified
• 12.0% Vol. Alcohol
• 5.4 g/l acidity
• 1.0 g/l residual sugar

Organic inspection body AT-BIO-402 – Austrian Agriculture