Get rid of those hearty reds at room temperature. We now drink lighter red wines and... chilled! You taste the fruit flavours better and can pair them well with food. Austrian winemakers excel at making fresh reds.
Text: Marjolein Schuman / Photos: Austrian Wine/WSNA + Carletto Photography
The fresh side of Austria
In delicate red wines with a little less alcohol, you can really taste the character of the grape varieties. In Austria, zweigelt, blaufrankisch and sankt laurent lend themselves well to a light and refreshing style. So it can be kept in the fridge for a little longer. Very different from the intense, dark-coloured wines with a lot of alcohol from the 90s and 00s, which were served at room temperature.
Pour at what temperature?
At 12 to 14°C (and that includes international varieties like pinot noir) you will be rewarded with new aromas and exciting juiciness. Do check the style before chilling. The lighter and fruitier, the better the wine is suited to lower temperatures. Powerful reds with strong notes of wood and higher alcohol content can also be chilled. These wines benefit from a temperature between 14 and 16°C.
Cool climate
Austrian red wines are known for their fruit, freshness and structure, and those qualities benefit from refrigeration. How can this small wine country make them?
The climate there is cooler than in more southern wine countries. So it takes Austrian winemakers less effort to get fresh grapes. Nor is maximum sugar gradation the cue to harvest, but rather harmonious acidity and moderate alcohol content.
Short in the basement
Austrian winemakers also choose differently in the cellar: shorter maceration. A shorter maceration on the skins and stalks means fewer tannins end up in the grape juice. This makes for paler, transparent red wine that can be drunk younger.
What do you eat with it?
Zweigelt, Austria's most widely grown red grape, is full of juicy cherries and has soft tannins. Goes perfectly with grilled vegetables, pasta and platters of charcuterie or cheese. Blaufränkisch and the aromatic St. Laurent, both grown in Burgenland and Lower Austria, give powerful wines that are at the top, but can also deliver more finesse and elegance, depending on the winemaker's direction. St Laurent then combines nicely fresh with spicy Asian dishes. In summer, how about a Gemischter Salat With a glass of cool red? Just do it.
Why not try it yourself? 5 wine tips
1.Domäne Wachau Blauer Zweigelt Terrassen / GALL.CO.UK / €12.99
Easy drinking from steep terraces on the banks of the Danube. Juicy through fresh acidity and supple tannins with strawberries, blueberries, cherries, spiciness and freshly ground black pepper.
2.Claus Preisinger, Puszta Libre! 2023 / PIEKSMAN.COM / €16.71
Pure steel-aged wine from Zweigelt, Sankt Laurent and Pinot Noir in which you can taste the terroir of the young Claus Preisinger who is pioneering natural wine in Burgenland. Cheerful raspberries, cherries, pink pepper and only 11.5% of alcohol.
3.Lenz Moser Selection Blauer Zweigelt / Albert Heijn and AH.NL / €6.49
This one from Weinkellerei Lenz Moser is nice and light, distinctly fruity and very smooth. As a result, you can safely pour it chilled. Perfect for drinks and highly recommended with wok vegetables.
4.Kurt Angerer Zweigelt Ried Sand / FAVOURITEWIJN.CO.UK / €13.75
Wine from the Kamptal valley from a classified vineyard. A fuller version but still fresh and fruity with flavours of cherry, plum and blackcurrant. Laurel, cocoa and silky tannins finish it off. With pork roast with ricotta and pesto. Chill lightly.
5.Birgit Braunstein, Blaufränkisch Heide 2022 / OKHUYSEN.NL / € 15.80
Energetic biodynamic wine. After spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks and some wood ageing, you get sweet cherries, blackcurrants, a pepper and bay leaf. Mild tannins and a pleasant bite in the finish. Fresh enough for 15°C.
Want to know more about Austrian red?
Want to know what experts say about Austrian red wine styles and learn about their aromas? Then click here.
Read more about chilling your wines here
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