NL 14: Austrian Wine Adventures
“You’re becoming our Austrian correspondent, Keith!” was the response from fellow Midweek Wines Guild contributor Richard back in November after I’d added yet another comment enthusing about Austrian wine on Brain Elliott’s MWW website. To be fair, I was pretty pleased at the time that someone had noticed my increasing fascination with Austria as a rising star in the wine world even if I was pretty much in the early stages of a new adventure.
A person of a certain age remembers Austrian wine suffering near fatal reputational damage in the mid 1980s when it was largely written off after a small number of winemakers were discovered adding diethylene glycol to wines in order to illegally enhance sweetness and body.
It’s hard to recover when the world’s press are reporting your wines are contaminated with antifreeze and there’s a serious risk to public health. The scandal nearly destroyed the industry at the time although ultimately led to the introduction of the much-needed tight regulation that underpins the quality and provenance of wines from Austria today. Every cloud has a silver lining …. etc!
Anyway, it’s only in the last year or so that I’ve started to appreciate the quality of Austrian wine. Initially I began to notice a proliferation of Austrian white Grüner Veltliner wines in supermarkets, competitively priced, refreshingly different and actually rather good. For example:
Exceptional by Asda Grüner Veltliner (£8.50); and
Waitrose No.1 Grüner Veltliner (£12.30).
I found myself drawn to the distinctive red and white striped bottle tops in the wine aisles in pursuit of further discoveries - while simultaneously appreciating what a subtle and clever brand identity had been created.
My fascinating journey of discovery then turned to Austria’s red wines. Surely we’ll see a significant increase in the availability of these wines in the UK in summer 2026. I certainly hope so.
Why? Because ….
They’re as good if not better than the white wines.
They’re attractive alternatives to popular light-bodied fruity red wine options such as Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Frappato etc.
I’m hoping many more people will turn to lighter red wines this summer and move on from the rosé boom of recent years.
Grapes for red wine production account for about 30% of vineyard area in Austria with the top five (of 15 total) black grape varieties being Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, Merlot, Pinot Noir and St Laurent.
Zweigelt accounts for 13% of this, Blaufränkisch 5.8%, but the other three varieties, mentioned above, account for less than 2% each. Merlot and Pinot Noir are immediately recognisable but it’s the three ‘local’ grapes (Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and St Laurent) I’ve found so refreshing – both in terms of their individuality AND literally their juicy red fruit.
Zweigelt is a hybrid invented in the 1920s by Prof Fritz Zweigelt through crossing Blaufränkisch and St Laurent.
The following two are native to central Europe and have been cultivated over many years.
Blaufränkisch has been documented in Austria since the 18th century and was cultivated throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire and Germany.
St Laurent (aka Sankt Laurent) has a long history too and is now thought to be from the Pinot family. It’s distinct from Pinot Noir though and generally darker and more intense but, as one source suggested “If you like a meatier, gamier Pinot Noir, try this – you will not be disappointed!”
ZWEIGELT
One of my first encounters with Austrian reds was with
Lentsch Zweigelt (£10.25 at Waitrose, 12.5%).
It’s an aromatic, easy-drinking medium-bodied wine with attractive black cherry and plum flavours. It comes from a well-established producer near Lake Neusiedl in the Burgenland wine region in the east of the country close to the Hungarian border.
Having got an initial taste for Zweigelt I was delighted to find a couple more bottles arriving on supermarket shelves in summer 2025.
Morrisons Block Series Zweigelt 12.5% and
Aldi’s Der Komponist Specially Selected Zweigelt,13%.
These two are from Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) the largest wine producing area in the country. Common features that make all three wines appealing are fruity red and black berry flavours, balanced acidity and minimal tannins.
The Lentsch Zweigelt is still available in Waitrose and based on further tasting experience I would also recommend
Christoph Bauer Zweigelt (£14.25 at Vintage Roots, 13%)
From Niederösterreich, a worthy comparison. You know what to expect by now: a soft clean fruit-forward wine with approachable tannins and a bit of bite.
BLAUFRÄNKISCH
After being pleasantly surprised by Zweigelt my research suggested Blaufränkisch to be generally considered Austria’s best red wine grape and capable of producing more structured and complex wines. Could things get any better?
I have tasted two of these wines recently, one from Waitrose Cellar, the other in Tony Rodd’s charming little restaurant Fifteen Square Metres, in Broadstairs. Both are from producers in the pretty wine village of Rust on the western bank of Lake Neusiedl, one of the warmest spots in the country and ideal for a late-ripening grape.
Feiler-Artinger Blaufränkisch 2020 (£13.75 at Waitrose Cellar, 13%)
100% Blaufränkisch. Plenty of blackberry, sour cherry and red currant flavours and interesting savoury notes. Medium tannins and refreshing acidity. Oak aged.
Heidi Schrock ‘Junge Lowen’ Blaufrankisch-St.Laurent 2023 (£18.00 at Hic! 13%)
80% Blaufränkisch with 20% St Laurent. Ruby red, medium-bodied, strong black and red berry aromas. Gentle tannins and a long finish.
ST LAURENT
Weingut Heinrich Hartl St Laurent 2023 (£15.25 at Waitrose Cellar, 12.5%)
Another fruit-forward and IWSC award-winning wine from a respected winemaker in the Thermenregion about 25km south of Vienna. This area, along with Burgenland, has a strong reputation for St Laurent wines. It’s a dense red wine with delicate spice and vanilla notes. 100% St Laurent, it has good ageing potential following time in oak.
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Coming up …
Newsletter No 14.5 (21st March)
Paul Davies - Introduction to the Languedoc - Roussillon
In our Sister Publication, MidWeek Wines (23rd March)
More Monday Top Tips from Brian Elliott
Newsletter No 15 (26th March)
Dave Cronin - The Joy of Sherry. And some Waitrose recommendations.
Note: Our ‘Thursday” Newsletters are usually published on Wednesdays at 19.00. And our new initiative, “Saturday” Newsletters will be published on Fridays at 19.00. Brian’s Monday posts are published early on Monday mornings.
Interesting article, thanks. I have been surprised how good the Zweigelt Roses are too. Aldi's version last year was a great value buy.
Great read Keith, I only really discovered Zweigelt a few years ago, and it was that Waitrose Bottle (Lentsch) , also my love of chilling red wines seem to match Zweigelt perfectly. I thought the Morrisons Block series was even better.