Blauer Zweigelt

Variety: Zweigelt

Region: Neusiedlersee, Burgenland, Austria

Winery: Artisan Wines

• Organic and sustainable farming

• Natural yeast fermentation

• Easy drinking, delicate tannins, fruit forward with cherry notes.

• 13% ABV

• 750ml

Sustainable Viticulture is Artisan Wines strategic approach in optimising grape quality. Franz Schneider is the man behind these forward thinking and low intervention focused wines. An ex aeronautical engineer turned winemaker, his wine making is geeky, adventurous and forward thinking. This is a family run project, using integrated cultivation of the vineyards they apply a combined mix of biological and mechanical actions to minimise the intervention and CO2 output.

All their vineyards have natural cover crops which haven’t been plowed for 15 years with copper use well below the biodynamic thresholds (1.5kg per season).

This wine hails from 37yr old vines, sourced from the southeast-facing Cru Ried Römerstein, which is divided into 3 parts with distinct soils and microclimates due to the length of the vineyard. Each of these 3 blocks creates Zweigelt grapes.

Fermented exclusively in traditional open vats with several daily, manual punch downs of the skin cap by hand, with 100% malolactic fermentation.

The wine has spent 3 weeks on skins post fermentation.

Further maturing for 14 to 20 months in large barrels. They use old 2000L Acacia barrels (approx 35 year old barrels).

This is an easy drinking and very approachable Sweigelt, with soft and light tannins, and delicate dark cherry notes.