Showing posts with label Zweigelt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zweigelt. Show all posts

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Have You Tasted Zweigelt?



Zweigelt is not a grape name you hear often, let alone are familiar with. It’s a grape I always wondered about. I knew of its Austrian roots and for the first time tasted a Zweigelt from the Finger Lakes not too long ago. But still, knowing a bit about grapes, I knew Zweigelt’s home is in Austria.

For the final episode in Season 2 of Winephabet Street, Lori and I chose Zweigelt to learn about. Lori reached out to Christina Artner-Netzl of Winery Franz & Christine Netzl in Austria. She grows Zweigelt and produces some great wines featuring the Zweigelt grape.

Watch or listen to the webinar and learn about the Zweigelt, especially the Zweigelt planted in Carnuntum and how special it is.

We had the opportunity to taste two Zweigelts and here are the tasting notes as we tasted. I will tell you I am really liking the grape!

Netzl Ried Haidacker Zweigelt 2016 - Aromas of blackberry and black cherry lead to a palate of soft tannins, black cherry and nice spice on the finish. It is a little heavier on the palate than the below 2019.

Netzl Rubin Carnuntum Zweigelt 2019 - Aromas of red fruit in particular fresh raspberry showing that lead to a palate that has soft tannins, juicy plum, raspberry fam, hit of chocolate and a burst of white pepper on the finish.


Listen to the podcast or watch the webinar.


Watch the Webinar

 

  Listen to the Podcast

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Wine Word Wednesday: Zweigelt


Monday, June 25, 2012

The Zweigelt Project - Austria meets the Hudson Valley

Tucked away in Coxsackie, New York on Flint Mine Hill rests 5 year old Zweigelt vines grown by Hudson Valley Wine Magazine publishers Robert Bedford and Linda Pierro.  It all began as an experiment in 2008 and they teamed up with artisanal winemakers Paula Cereghino and Fred Smith of Cereghino Smith to produce Hudson Valley's first Zweigelt.


The vineyard is located on the historic Flint Mine Hill Archeological District of Coxsackie.  The site is on the former flint quarry known as the "Great Algonquin Flint Mines. The rocky terrain provides great vineyard drainage and adds minerality to the soil.


The vines obtained from Double-A Vineyards were grafted onto Couderc 3309 rootstock.  Eighteen rows of Zweigelt vines were originally planted in April of 2008 with two additional rows planted this past April.


Why Zweigelt? It all began with a trip to Austria to track down long lost relatives. A few purchases of Zweigelt stashed in Bob's suitcase and the love affair began.


Zweigelt coverage increased  48.9% between 1999 and 2009.  It is the most widespread red wine variety in Austria. Zweigelt is a cross between the St. Laurent and Blaufrankish grapes created by Dr. Fritz Zweigelt in 1922. The variety has high yields and grows well in colder climates. It buds late and ripens early which will in a perfect world, avoid spring frosts and early freezes.  The climate in the Hudson Valley resembles many of the regions that Zweigelt is planted in Austria, so why not give it a chance.  


Their first vintage in 2010 tasting notes:


Zweigelt Project Wine
Release 1.0:  2010 Vintage

 Vintage/Harvest: September 26, 2010
Varietal: 100% Zweigelt
Producer/Grower: Robert Bedford & Linda Pierro
Wine Maker:  Paula Cereghino & Fred Smith of Cereghino Smith
Region:  Coxsackie, Hudson Valley, NY
Vines: 3 years old
Soil: Decomposed Normanskill shale embedded with clay, cracked shale, chert and hornstone
Climate:  Microclimate produced by the Hudson River
Sugar: 20.6 brix
Grape treatment: Cold soaked, hand-sorted and de-stemmed by hand
Fermentation: Languedoc yeast added and fermented to 0 brix in 10 days
Aging: Racked 3 times and aged in glass with no oak for 9 months before bottling
Malolactic: No
Alcohol:  11.33%
Total acidity: .6 TA
Residual sugars: None


For more information on the Zweigelt Project visit www.zweigeltproject.com