Red the Future: Modern Vinification
With the global exchange of knowledge, Austrian winemakers now have the full gamut of the newest winemaking techniques and technologies at their disposal and the progression in quality over the last twenty years has been momentous, and over the last ten phenomenal.
Despite records of Cabernet Sauvignon being re-imported by the French from the Austro-Hungarian imperial gardens during the phylloxera epidemic, the variety was first reintroduced to Austria in 1981 by Anton Kollwentz. Following the prevalent white wine making practices of the times, nearly all the reds were initially light, fruity varietals. All of that has changed and complex blends and single-vineyard varietals now play the leading role. Austrian wine laws are extremely strict in regards to quality control, but allow vintners a fair amount of freedom in the choice of grape varieties for both varietals and blends. A very recommendable group of nine vintners in Burgenland make typical oak-aged Austrian blends they brand Pannobile, which is made predominantly from Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch, and St. Laurent with the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.
Although leading Austrian wine makers had long been maturing their best wines in new small oak barrels, enologist Andi Kollwentz states, "The malolactic fermentation was not fully understood by a broad number of the country's winemakers until the historic 1990 vintage." When reflecting on current vinification, Josef Pöckl, the vintner of some of Austria's most sought-after reds summarizes "All the newest techniques are used with precision --- or intentionally not used, depending on the vintner's philosophy, the grape variety, and the conditions of the vintage." Austria's red wine country is truly a treasure trove for wine lovers searching for extraordinary artisanal wines with flavors beyond the standard Cabernet.
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Franz Reinhard Weninger - Quiz
Anton Kollwentz set the standard high and instilled perfectionism and innovativeness in his son, Andi, before handing over winemaking tasks.
