Blaufränkisch is, in my none-too-controversial opinion, Austria’s best black grape, and this region its heartland.
Not only that, but Roland Velich of Moric is—as Eric Asimov of the New York Times rightly put it—“a star in this world”.
We used to have a healthy debate at my former employer CellarHand—the German and Austrian wine specialist that imports Roland’s wines—about which three grape varieties earned a vertex on “the Blaufränkisch triangle”.
We thought this geometric approach might guide wine-lovers towards the character of this grape.
We all agreed that Nebbiolo and northern Rhône Syrah were two reference points, but disagreed on the third. Someone suggested Pinot Noir, but I reckon that was just because it’s easier to sell stuff if you claim it’s like Pinot. Barbera was, for me, a more plausible suggestion, as was Gamay. Maybe Cabernet Franc.
Perhaps we should have gone with all three and called it the Blaufränkisch pentagon. No, STAR!
Anyway, it’s a great variety, and the wine featured in the video is the perfect introduction. It comes with an RRP of AU$59.
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