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Umathum, Zweigelt Classic

Burgenland, Austria 2017 (750mL)
$24.00
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Umathum, Zweigelt Classic

If I saw this wine on a restaurant list (it made regular appearances on mine back in the day), it would jump off the page. That’s partly because I know Umathum and how reliably delicious the wines are, but even if I didn’t, I’d be drawn like a moth to flame to that Zweigelt lurking among the usual-suspect Chardonnays and Merlots. Why? Because the sommelier took a slot away from an easier wine to sell to champion something unfamiliar—and to do that successfully, the wine needs to deliver.
Here at SommSelect, we’ve been giving more and more airtime to red wines from Germany and Austria—not just some of the best Pinot Noir values on the market right now but other reds from native grapes like Blaufränkisch, Sankt Laurent, and today’s Zweigelt. There’s a wild-berry fruit component, and a crushed-rock minerality, to this red that reminds me a little bit of Cru Beaujolais, and a tiny bit of the violet-scented Syrahs of the Northern Rhône, but really, the whole point of this wine is that it is its own thing: A classic red wine of place that simply doesn’t have as much international exposure as those others. Josef “Pepi” Umathum is, in fact, one of Austria’s great red wine specialists, crafting impeccably pure, biodynamic expressions of Zweigelt and the other inimitable reds of the Burgenland region. And I’d argue that it’s wines like this—not the ultra-expensive trophies—that get sommeliers the most excited about their work. Get some for your by-the-glass list at home!
As noted above, Umathum’s production is predominantly red wine (85%) grown in the rolling hills around Lake Neusiedl, a subzone of the broader Burgenland DAC. Called Neusiedlersee, this subzone is at Burgenland’s northern end, not far from Austria’s border with Hungary. It is considered Austria’s premier red-wine growing zone, effectively part of the broader Pannonian plain, with hot, dry conditions in the summer and relatively mild winters. Soils are predominantly sandy loam with some gravel and silt, and in addition to red wines, the Neusiedlersee is a source of some of the world’s best botrytis-affected sweet wines.

Zweigelt (a.k.a. Rotburger) is now the most-planted red grape variety in the region, having been created from a cross of Blaufränkisch and Sankt Laurent (the latter thought to share parentage with Pinot Noir). It typically produces reds with a very deep, ruby-purple cast, which, if assessed on appearance alone, might lead you to believe the wine is going to be intense and full-bodied. In fact, color notwithstanding, the wines are reliably bright, buoyant, floral, and fruity, with lip-smacking freshness but soft, barely perceptible tannins. Today’s 2017 is a textbook example: juicy and joyful, low in alcohol, and underpinned with palpable minerality.

Josef Umathum applies organic and biodynamic principles in farming his 60 hectares of vines, which are situated on the north and east sides of Lake Neusiedl. Today’s wine is his ‘entry-level’ Zweigelt bottling, sourced from gravelly soils and aged in large Austrian oak casks before bottling. It then spent additional time aging in bottle before release. Sealed with a glass capsule and exceedingly fresh and pure, this is straight-up deliciousness for near-term drinking: Pour a glass of this inky red and soak in the aromas of dark black and purple woodland berries, violets, black pepper, juniper, and crushed stones. The texture is at once pleasingly plump and refreshingly tangy, melding fruit and mineral sensations seamlessly. When natural wine advocates talk about a wine being “alive,” this is very much what they’re referring to: Pop off the capsule about 15 minutes before serving this in Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees and enjoy it with a good old-fashioned mixed grill of sausages, ribs, chops, etc. This is prime “house wine” material, so consider stocking up. Cheers!
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Country
Austria
Region
Burgenland
Sub-Region
AustriaNeusiedlersee
Soil
Sandy Loam w/ Gravel & Silt
Farming
Organic & Biodynamic
Blend
Zweigelt 100%
Alcohol
12.5
OAK
Large Austrian Casks
TEMP.
60
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2022
Decanting
Optional
Pairing
Sausage Mixed Grill

Austria

Northeastern Austria

Weinviertel

Considered by most to be the oldest growing zone in Austria, Weinviertel is also, geographically, the largest in the country and covers the vast, northeastern expanse of Lower Austria, stretching from the western border of Slovakia, following the Danube inland and veering up to the southern border of Czechia. Its name, which translates to “wine quarter,” reflects the region’s rich, ancient wine heritage and, according to the Weinviertel DAC website, there are “7,000 years of artifacts to prove it.”

Northeastern Austria

Wachau

Austria’s Wachau appellation is the country’s most acclaimed region. About an hour northwest of Vienna along the Danube River, the vista of the steep, terraced vineyards of the Wachau creates a magnificent landscape akin to a verdant, ancient amphitheater—it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, after all. With rich and unique soils here of löess and gneiss, which lend vivid minerality to the wine.

Eastern Austria

Burgenland

The Burgenland appellation, running along Austria’s border with Hungary southeast of Vienna, has a diverse topography and a mix of soils, with more primary rock and slate at higher locations and dense loams in the rolling hills that extend toward the Pannonian plain.

Southeastern Austria

Steiermark

The region of Styria (Steiermark) is in southeastern Austria which sits near the border with Slovenia. This area is studded with long-extinct volcanoes whose deposits are a key component of the local soils and the vineyards benefit from a classic Austrian push-pull of cool Alpine air and warmer “Pannonian” currents from the east.

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