Fun To Say, Fun To Drink: Blaufränkisch

The fruity and complex Blaufränkisch, a.k.a. "Lemberger" above. Not the stinky cheese below.

The latest installment of Fun To Say, Fun To Drink gives you something I have been missing since I started: a red wine! Even better, we get to make a deeper dive into Austria; the last time we drank this country up was back in April when we talked about how awesome Grüner Veltliner is. The goal with this segment is, as always, to get you to step outside of your comfort zone with something that is delicious, but maybe you were hesitant to plunk down the cash for it. Besides, when isn't it fun to check out a grape with umlauts in its name?

Let's talk about Blaufränkisch (blau-FRANK-ish). It is a red wine grape that was originally discovered in Germany back in the 1700s in the village of Limberg. This means the original name of this grape was Limberger, and is still sometimes referred to as "Lemberger" when grown in the United States. My guess is that the marketing departments of the wine world were thrilled to be able to call this grape Blaufränkisch, rather than have it associated with the stinky soft cheese (even though the wine actually predates the cheese).

Blaufränkisch (translating to "blue grape from France" from German) performs better in the warmer, more southerly region of Burgenland when compared to the northern regions like Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal that tend to be cooler and better suited for Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Blaufränkisch has deep color and substantial (but not overpowering) tannin. There is also a solid backbone of acidity to balance the tannins, and Blaufränkisch has a raspberry and cherry fruit flavor with a touch of peppery spice. The red fruit can creep into black fruit when the vines are planted on prime sites.

Not too many other countries are working with this grape variety, but Steele Wines' Shooting Star "Blue Franc" from Washington is one try for about $16. This wine shows itself with blueberry, fresh blackberry, and violets with a vanilla/baking spice finish.

It's difficult to try and map the flavor profile to a more familiar grape. I would say it can express itself similarly to an Old World Pinot Noir, but the color of Blaufränkisch is deeper. It has the acid and tannin of Syrah, but Syrah's flavors are almost exclusively "black" fruit (blackberry, black cherry). 

Really what you need to do is just get your hands on one of the three wines below (or the Shooting Star above) and go to town. 

Heinrich Burgenland Blaufränkisch ($19): Plenty of cherry fruit on the nose and palate. A little herbaceous and plenty of spiciness (think ground red pepper) on the finish. This would be a fun one to try with baby back ribs. 

Walter Glatzer Carnuntum Blaufränkisch ($19): Rosemary and black pepper complement the red and black fruit combination. Some oak aging in this one, so a little toastiness on the finish.

Prieler Blaufränkisch Johanneshohe ($25): Blackberry on the nose, but a raspberry fruit flavor on the palate. Spicy with noticeable tannins that are mellowed with some maturation in large neutral oak barrels, giving the wine a plush texture on your palate.