Blaufrankisch is a red grape that is native to the Burgenland in Austria (about 1 hour south of Vienna). You can’t write about this grape without saying, ‘You probably haven’t heard of this grape’ so I’ll let the another very good article about Blaufranksich do that. Eric Asimov- NY Times Review of Blaufrankish – September 2011
Blaufrankisch is a very enjoyable red that comes in a variety of styles: light and easy or very complex and terroir driven. What is exciting about this grape, and other Austrian grapes like Gruner Veltliner, is that it thrives in one very small area of the world, the Burgenland. I really appreciate varietals that find a home and don’t leave.
As Mr Asimov notes in his article, the pronunciation challenge is one of the biggest reasons someone wouldn’t order this. So here you go- Blaufrankisch- pronounced BL-AU (rhymes with cow) FRANK (think Swiss currency, go nasal on the A) ISCH (ish- that simple).
The easy and accurate comparison to this grape is Pinot Noir. Blaufrankisch is thought to have orriginated from Pinot Noir being brought to Austria from monks in the Burgundy region. According to growers that I’ve spoken with it behaves in the vinyard in a similar way as Pinot.
I encourage you to go out and find a Blaufrankisch. If you buy an expensive one make sure to let it breath or decant it- they do take time to open up.
Here are a few producers that I recomend:
Paul Achs– Personal favorite and the most terroir obsessive
Heinrich– Very precise style- very clean and modern winery
E.T. Triebaumer– Old world world with a capital O. Best in class and one of the most collectable
Claus Priesinger– A young gun to keep your eye on