Granted, it is not the most touristic area of Austria. There are no snow-capped mountains, no ski elevators, no edelweiss or alpine meadows. But: there is wine! Very good wine, and it is served in restaurants, in Heurigen and Buschenschanke, at wineries and, very important, in Vinotheken. Moreover, there are castles, historic villages, a big lake to sail upon that is also a wild life preserve, and miles and miles of bicycle paths and walking trails. I am talking about Burgenland, the area in the southeast of Austria, close to the Hungarian border. In fact, to get from one part of Burgenland to another, the road through Sopron in Hungary is the shortest. But beware: I learned that Hungary has a zero-tolerance policy regarding driving after alcohol consumption.
Last week, I made a super-short visit to this Burgenland, having a look at the harvest at a winery in the Rüster Hugelland. But before I checked in there, I decide to visit a friend from the EWBC, Anna Zell, who is in charge of the Vinothek in the little village of Horitschon. Horitschon is one of the four wine villages of the Mittelburgenland, were one grape in particular rules: Blaufränkisch. As the name already suggests, Blaufränkisch is a blue grape, with a DNA that leads back to an origin in Burgundy maybe. It is related to Gouais Blanc and the Pinot family, according to my bible, Wine Grapes.
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laufränkisch is responsible for very structured red wines, very often matured in wood, but not always in small barriques. There are several styles, from fruity to mineral and from lighter to big and bold. To get to know these wines, definitely one of Austria’s treasures, you can always visit a winery in Mittelburgenland. But if you are hard pressed for time, or simply want to try several wines next to each other, with good advice to come with it, then I have a suggestion for you: go to the Vinothek in Horitschon, where Anna will gladly explain you everything about Blaufränkisch. There are always several bottles open, and there is a choice of some 20 wineries, all from the village. The prices at the Vinothek are exactly the same as ab Hof (the prices at the winery)!
Anna also organizes guided tastings for groups, walks in the vineyard and special events, together with the participating wine growers. An example is the upcoming Horitschoner Rotweinherbst on October 26 and 27.
If you visit the Vinothek in Horitschon, say hi to Anna from me and enjoy her hospitality! You will fall in love with this area of Austria too, if you spend some more time to discover the region. I will tell you more about that later on… but for now: zum Wohl!
