Discovering the Uncharted Reds of German-Speaking Europe
They go by many names, most of which are long and hard to pronounce, but the red wines of Germany, Austria, and other German-speaking regions of Europe don’t merely merit a closer look—they demand respect! More familiar but no less overlooked is Pinot Noir, called Spätburgunder in Germany and Blauburgunder in Austria, which has always been a great fit for cooler, more northerly European growing zones. Some of the best Pinot Noir values on earth right now are German, which inspired us to create this selection.
Here is what is in the box, Prost!
Abbazia di Novacella, Alto Adige Schiava 2022
The name Alto Adige refers to the “upper” Adige River Valley, a picturesque landscape of vineyards and orchards climbing from the valley floor up toward the Alps and Dolomites that surround it. Abbazia means “abbey” in Italian and this is indeed a historic monastic winery operated by the Augustinian order since 1142. 100% Schiava (Vernatsch) grapes harvested from vineyards in the village of Cornaiano—where vineyards face north and climb to altitudes of about 350 meters. This wine is a mash-up of lots of woodland berry fruit, mountain wildflowers, and a faint whiff of woodsy smoke in a softly contoured, easy-drinking format.
Bio-Weingut Schreiner, Burgenland Blaufränkisch 2020
Burgenland is centered around Lake Neusiedl near Austria’s border with Hungary and Gernot and Victoria Schreiner organically farm six hectares of vines in the celebrated Burgenland village of Rust. Hand-
