So there’s a thread about Austrian White Wines (https://www.wineberserkers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=131518&p=2084495&hilit=austrian+whites#p2084495)… how about recommendations for Austrian Reds? They don’t have to be budget busters… my son is spending the year there, and has started sampling the wines. He reached out to his usual wine expert (me), and frankly I don’t know all that much about Austrian reds or which producers are the best to try. Thanks in advance!
Sattler and Wallner are good producers, and Brundlmayer.
Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch,and St Laurent are varieties to look for. And Cabernet Franc.
Lots of very good wines over there which don’t make their way over here - after a year your son could be making recommendations!
There are a lot of them.
For example, Weninger, who is doing pretty good Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch and also has a property over the border in Sopron, Hungary, where he’s doing the same so it’s an interesting study in terroir.
Tinhof makes a good BF in the hills but it can be pricey. Moric is well-known but the lower end BF is a better value than the more expensive versions IMO.
I like BF but the other grapes can be pretty good. Paul Achs does well with many grapes but he made a wonderful Syrah at one point that I would look for. Steindorfer made a pretty good St. Laurent that wasn’t outrageously priced. Pretty much anything from Schloss Gobelsburg is going to be good. And Meinklang, always putting out great value wines.
There are plenty to look for, but those come to mind off the top.
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Great thread! I love Austrian reds. Moric is one of my favorites.
If anyone has a good source for Austrian reds, please let me know.
Claus Preisinger is one of my favorites. Very much on the savory side with huge freshness and drinkability yet by no means too simple or straightforward. Schloss Gobelsburg’s Reserve reds are also nice, quite Burgundian in style.
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With Austria’s central location in Europe it could be really interesting for your son to visit nearby countries (weekend trips/holidays), not much more than a couple of hours depending on where he is. Know Croatia and Slovenia quite well (Hungary is also close by). Zagreb is a lot of fun and a beautiful city / Ljubljana very pretty is highly recommended (and very safe), or the Dalmatian coast for the summer break.
Feel free to pm me in case he want some suggestions/recommendation (wine/wineries or places to visit).
Excellent Pinot Noir (Spatburgunder) as well.
You absolutely sure that you don’t have any kids? 
Sattler (if you mean Karl Sattler in Jois) and Wallner are good producers, but nowhere near the absolute top …
There are now so many fine producers in Austria - also for red wine - it´s hard to select only a few for recommendation. Moreover the top wines are getting already quite pricy …
Please search the forum, I have made quite a lot of recommendations in the past …
Generally - the major grape varieties for red wine in Austria are
Blaufränkisch,
Zweigelt,
Pinot noir,
St.Laurent
and a lot of cuvees,
usually with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in addition. (Cabernet Franc is rarely used, and only in small quantities),
also some pure CS and Merlot wines.
The best regions for red wine are
-
Burgenland (Land of Castles) a) Südburgenland b) Mittelburgenland c) Neusiedlersee-Hügelland (Rosalia, Leithaberg) d) Neusiedlersee
(the latter famous for sweet wines) -
Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), best terroir for Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, but good regions for reds are a) Carnuntum b) Thermenregion c) Weinviertel
-
Vienna (some very good reds)
-
Steiermark (Styria): great white wines from Sauvignon blanc, Morillon/Chardonnay and others, but some fine reds are produced in the eastern part (Vulkanland)
For each region a lot of fine producers can be named … some have been mentioned above, but not nearly most of the best …
Moreover I have absolutely no idea which ones are available in the US …
Yet you see no reason to disclose any?
Moreover I have absolutely no idea which ones are available in the US …
Does it matter if the buyer is in Austria?
Reason is simply lack of time. Throwing in only a few accidental names is a bit unfair … but some have been named already above my post.
I´ll see if I can do anything this week.
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I recently found very good (16/20) : Markus Altenburger Jugenberg 2009.
Good (15,5/20) : Autriche Moric Blaufränkisch 2013.
Feiler-Artinger Solitaire is interesting (with an addition of 11% merlot, 1% cabernet-franc).
In Vinexpo, I could discover 2 UFOs :
Willi Opitz Rot Beerenauslese (Zweigelt/St-Laurent) 1998
Willi Opitz “Opitz One” (TBA Zweigelt) 1997
Thanks, Gerhard. I was hoping you’d chime in here and share your vast knowledge.
Tom
Newbie here to the forum, though not to drinking wine. I would also recommend looking for some Moric wine as stated above. Roland is a great guy and really cares about making the grapes express the region/terroir. He has not applied for any labels but his process is bio-organic friendly. His 2016 Blaufrankisch could be had for about $30 USD and is a great wine in my opinion. He also has a “HouseMarke Rot” label that is a blend of Blaufrankisch, Pinot Noir and Zweigelt. He also has reserves and then his Alte Reben label which come from older vines in Lutzmannsburg or Neckenmarkt.
I was recently in Austria and did a tasting of 7 his wines (had tried 1-2 stateside before I left) and I was very impressed with the quality and breadth of his offerings. He also has some very nice white varietals too but that is out of scope for your post.
I am sure there are other good producers in the area and I enjoyed reading this thread to get some new names/ideas for my next trip to the local wine shop!
Thanks Gerhard, in case you have any leads for a nice winery to visit close to Innsbruck, that would be appreciated. Will be staying for a week close to there in June of next year. And a winery visit is on the list.
I’ve enjoyed wines from Umathum and Moric.
Thanks for the suggestions so far!
Jozef,
Innsbruck/Tyrol is absoltely no wine-growing region … there are high montains, much too cold for grapes.
So there are no producers to visit there.
There is a very well known importer/retailer in Innsbruck: Gottardi
… you might have a look at, but I never visited there, only his dependance in Vienna which is (I think) closed now.
Another one:
https://invinum.com
(a friend told me it´s nice …)
Thanks Gerhard, I was afraid of that - we are indeed going for the mountains. But will check these out!