Heinrich Zweigelt 2017, Burgenland, Austria

Gernot and Heike Heinrich founded their winery in 1990 with just one hectare and have steadily grown to 90 hectares today. Heinrich was one of the first in the region to transition from simple white wines to high-quality reds in the early 1990s. All of Heinrich’s wines are fermented spontaneously and are often left with the skins for several weeks. The wines remain on their lees for an extended period and are vinified mainly in neutral oak casks. Gernot says, “we give the wines plenty of time to mature, the time that hardly anyone has today,” and adds, “it is above all else time that shapes our wines.” Zweigelt is a crossing between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent created by Dr. Fritz Zweigelt at the Klosterneuburg in wine college in 1922. It produces soft and fruity wines that are generous with flavors of cherries, herbs, and spice, and features medium-weight and fresh acidity, making it an ideal wine for the table.