Autumn Austrian Reds
11/14/25 -
It is now officially cold in New York which means it is time to move towards smooth, soulful, spicy reds. While my mind goes to Blaufränkisch first, many Austrian red wines fit the bill here. I find the reds from Austria to be some of the most versatile, from fresh, light, and juicy, to deeply spiced and bold. Even with the same grape from the same winemaker you can see two very distinct styles of wine. There is something here for everyone! Today I have compiled a really fun selection of wines that show the range of not only Blaufränkisch, but Austrian red wines as a whole. Temperatures aside, these are incredibly food friendly wines, especially alongside the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
-Hanna Krilov Cohen
Stefan Wellanschitz
Kolfolk
The word Kolfolk comes from a regional dialect that describes an unconventional thinker. This perfectly describes Stefan Wellanschitz' goal when he began making his own wines with an entirely different view from his family's more traditional winemaking. "I want to show those exceptional conditions in my wines. That's why I work naturally both in the vineyards and in the cellar. To prevent monoculture the vines are growing organically together with other herbs and plants. In the cellar it's very easy - the wine leaves the press without the use of pumps into local oak barrels which can be from 600 liters (Halbstueck) to 1200 liters (Stueck), this is where the stays without fining, moving or even sulfuring. At the optimum time, they are bottled unfiltered with minimal addition of sulfur." Stefan's explanation of his philosophy is a very clear sight into his wines, they are thoughtful, distinct, and lively. Today we have two completely different Blaufränkisch from him, the first is his Intra! The Wild, sourced from a cool, north facing vineyard. Destemmed, intracellular fermentation with aging in large used 1200 liter Austrian barrels. The nose has beautiful notes of cherry and plum. It is an incredibly lively wine with juicy fruit and a light, fresh finish! The second is his Guterweg Neckenmarkter, a blend of 3 vineyard sites grown on limestone, slate, and granite soils on steep, south-facing slopes in Neckenmarkt. It is fermented in big open casks before being aged for 18 months in large 1200L Austrian oak casks. There is a lot of earth and spice tones here alongside cranberry and blueberry. It is a very smooth and joyful wine, one that could convince anyone to love Blaufränkisch.
Moritz Ott
CSW has proudly been showing off the Ott family's wines long before I began working here, and I am excited to highlight the newest addition to their fantastic wines! Bernhard's son, Moritz, was inspired by his internships and made the estate's first red wine. His Blaufränkisch is made in Wagram from the vineyard Wolfsgruben on loess soils. It undergoes spontaneous fermentation and is aged in used Stockinger barrels. It is reminiscent of what I would call "new kid Burgundy," bright and juicy with cherry and cranberry. It is lively, fresh and a truly energetic red wine!
Roland Velich
Moric
Roland Velich comes from a white wine making family and in the early 2000's decided to break off with the intention of bringing more serious acclaim to Blaufränkisch. Over the last 20+ years he has continually shown that Blaufränkisch can make just as serious of a wine as Pinot Noir in Burgundy, or Nebbiolo in Barolo. Today we have his Hausmarke Rot, which is a great introduction to Roland's wines. Here, he uses Cru Beaujolais as his inspiration, a blend of 50% Zweigelt, 30% Blaufränkisch , and 20% Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir). It is a blend from every vintage from 2012 to 2022 except 2013. It's a fun, playful red wine with currant and juicy red cherries that has a hint of spice and is very easy drinking.
Georg Prieler
Georg Prieler’s family estate in Schützen, on the western side of Lake Neusidl was once a historic farm dedicated to all different types of agriculture. In 1972, his parents focused in on quality production of grapes, mainly Blaufränkisch and Burgundian varietals. Since taking the helm Georg has taken the estate to incredible heights year after year, showcasing incredible, pure, and very serious white and red wines. Farming is taken very seriously as Georg works to preserve freshness and control alcohol in his wines when they are in the sunniest region in central Europe. His Oggau Johanneshohe Blaufränkisch is a blend from 9 different parcels in Schützen on limestone, mica schist, and slate soils. Fermented in stainless steel and then racked into stockinger barrels. This is an excellent, approachable representation of Blaufränkisch ! Notes of dark berries with an earth edge. The palate is soft and juicy with a bright finish.
Früg
Josef Wurzinger took over his family winery in 1991 and gradually began changing all viticulture to organic, receiving certification in 2014. His goal is to make traditional, everyday drinking wines. Across the lineup, are "wines that are kind to both nature and your budget," as their importer Jenn & Francois Selections describes, and they're delicious to boot! Their Zweigelt is a blend from several different sites, that are mainly on gravel, chalk, and sandy clay soils. It undergoes spontaneous fermentation in tanks and then spends 10 weeks on its fine lees. The resulting wine has beautiful notes of blue and black fruit that is bright with a touch of spice. This is fresh, easy drinking Zweigelt. You'll be glad to hear it comes in a liter bottle because I'm not sure that 750ml would be enough!
Christina Netzl
The Netzl family has farmed the same village since 1650 and when Christina returned home to Carnuntum in 2007 she was concerned with soil conditions and nature in her vineyards. So, by 2013 she and her husband began transitioning to organic farming. After years of experimenting with low-intervention methods in the cellar, Christina began her own range of wines alongside the more classical ones she ‘inherited’ from her father. Her St. Laurent is carbonically macerated in a very slow and cold fermentation. After 10-20 days the whole bunches are pressed and finish fermentation with native yeast. The resulting wine is incredibly playful while still being clean. It is full of ripe sour cherry, cranberry, and blueberry alongside a hint of spice and earth. Perfect served with a chilled on its own or with barbeque.
Hanna Glatzer
Hanna is the daughter of Walter Glatzer, who not just helps her father at the family domaine, but also created her own label in 2021. She was studying pre-law before realizing she had a passion for winemaking and transferred to Geisenheim and slowly began making wines from her family’s certified organic vineyards. Her goal is to create playful, delicious, drinkable wines and is clearly doing that well! This Pinot Noir is drinking beautifully right now, with lovely notes of juicy red fruits and a floral touch. This is easy drinking and simply delicious!
