Vineyard blazes a trail for Austrian red wines, beneficiaries of climate change
Weingut Heinrich produces biodynamic wines that are elegant and pure in style and without heavy oak influences
Austria is best known for white wines made from grüner veltliner and riesling grapes. Reds have long taken a secondary position. With climate change and warmer temperatures, however, grapes in the country are reaching fuller maturity and the quality of reds is improving.
On wine lists expect to see more wines with grape varieties such as zweigelt, blaufränkisch and St Laurent. The names of Austrian grapes and regions may be difficult to pronounce but if you can master them, you will be rewarded with very drinkable wines replete with fresh, vibrant fruit with moderate alcohol levels at an affordable price.
One wine producer setting the benchmark high with its quality red wines is Weingut Heinrich, by Gernot and Heike Heinrich. The couple established their vineyard with one hectare in 1990 and, over the years, have expanded to about 90 hectares. In 2006, Gernot Heinrich started to convert his vineyards to biodynamic viticulture. His goal is to make them “more resilient, more vital and more heterogeneous”. His winemaking method encapsulates his definition of a natural wine. “What we are trying to do is continue the biodynamic philosophy that we practice in the vineyard, which is minimal and gentle intervention in the wine cellar,” he says.
The resulting wines are pure in style, elegant and without heavy oak influences.
