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Blaufränkisch: Story of an export success

In 2003 Günter and Regina Triebaumer took over his father`s winery. The Austrian red wine boom had just reached its peak and powerful red wines were sought after. The market was very sensitive to prices and absorbed huge quantities. Particular success had cuvées with “fantastic” names – particularly if the wine producer blended regional grape varieties with international ones. In this way, the Blaufränkisch of the Triebaumer winery which contained 10% Nebbiolo was sold under the name “First Fog” (=nebbiolo in Italian).

According to the motto “Keep it simple!” Günter and Regina Triebaumer made their first in-house decision: they stopped to blend their best Blaufränkisch with Nebbiolo. It was unthinkable for the young vintner couple to hide the characteristics of their best wine from their leading variety behind a cuvée.

From the „First Fog“ to „Blaufränkisch Reserve“

Until 2003 their most powerful Blaufränkisch originated exclusively in the single vineyard “Pandkräftn”, vine planting year 1965 and the “Altem Riegelpand”, vine planting year 1968.

The varietal Blaufränkisch Reserve was born. Meanwhile it has rightly set itself up to the prestigious number one wine and displays increasing potential from year to year.

A decision against the trend

When Paul Triebaumer still ran the winery, the classic Blaufränkisch bore the designation of the single vineyard “Pfarrergmärk”. At that time the grapes originated in a vineyard with deep loam soils in the central part of the Blaufränkisch site Gmärk (alias Gemerk, comment 1). Meanwhile Günter and Regina Triebaumer possess an area of 15 hectares under vine. Eight and a half hectares are planted with Blaufränkisch vines distributed among 15 vineyards (among them several in the same site). This guarantees a wide selection for Blaufränkisch – classic or Reserve.

Anyway, stating a single site origin on the label would be somewhat dishonest: the production figures are considerably higher as the 2,3 hectare “Pandkräftn”, the 1,1 hectare “Gmärk” and the 1,9 hectare “Oberer Wald”, from 2010 on in full yield, would allow. It has also to be considered that nowadays manual vineyard work leads to a strong reduction of red wine yields. That`s why Günter and Regina Triebaumer do not write the name of the single vineyards on the labels – purposely and against the trend.

In 2003 Zweigelt still outplaced Blaufränkisch by far

Before the young couple took over, the winery was oriented towards cellar door sales. Günter and Regina Triebaumer made use of their experience of the wine trade to establish a wide-spread distribution network. At the beginning of the first decade, the price lists of retailers who predominantly delivered to the gastronomy, contained masses of high-priced wines. Regina Triebaumer employed a comprehensive analysis of this product range and could consequently base her negotiations on the information gained. Zweigelt dominated the sales-hit parade. The most popular Zweigelt-style: gentle and complaisant, preferably from warm, sandy soils. The Blaufränkisch range, however, remained still rather unstructured.

Consequently the retailers at that time listed the following Triebaumer wines: Merlot, World Wide (a cuvee of both Cabernets and Merlot), Syrah, Muscato, sweet wines and white wines with a good price-performance-ratio with distinguished fruit-typicity. Admittedly, this was good for the cash flow but did by no means mirror the natural conditions the ambitious Rust winegrowers could face.

A short time later but with the same commitment Günter and Regina Triebaumer started their export offensive. Because outside of Austria the situation was completely different: right, it was first also Muscato and TRIE red (Zweigelt, St.Laurent, Cabernet Sauvignon) (comment 2) which functioned as door openers into the international markets but the classic Blaufränkisch completed any starting package. It became rapidly evident that the importers looked for grape varieties and styles which typically represented Austria and the Burgenland. The Blaufränkisch classic with its cherry-like black pepper fruit and spicy fieriness encountered immediate acceptance in those countries where this grape variety was rather known as Lemberger (Germany, USA). But Switzerland as well as Sweden, the Netherlands and England showed a sustainable interest too and consequently the classic Blaufränkisch was soon followed by Blaufränkisch Cabernet and Blaufränkisch Reserve.

The one-of-a-kind Blaufränkisch fruit

The reasons for the strong Blaufränkisch fruit originating in Rust, unique also in Burgenland, is based on the heavy loam soils of the single sites “Gmärk”, “Untere Pandkräftn” and “Untere Mitterkräftn” (comment 3). The soil type delays ripening, thus accentuating fruitiness and enabling a prolonged vegetation period. However, soils alone do not account for that one-of-a-kind style. It is the special topography of the Rust vineyard-arena which in spring noticeably accelerates budding and therewith allows for early blossoming. Blossoming begins around May 25 (comment 4) almost every year accompanied by a rainy and cold weather period leading to some kind of blossom dropping. This is a natural way to keep yields low. Simultaneously it lets the juices flow and enhances the development of power and strength.

The individuality of Günter and Regina Triebaumer`s Blaufränkisch is emphasized by another fact: Blaufränkisch vineyards are exclusively planted and replanted with their own, blossom-sensitive, loose-bunched vines. A high-yield, blossom-stabile Blaufränkisch vine would be a nightmare for the Triebaumers!

Blaufränkisch en vogue: in the media and in sales

Over the course of time the Blaufränkisch, Blaufränkisch Cabernet and Blaufränkisch Reserve wines of Günter and Regina Triebaumer repeatedly gained good rankings in American specialized media. This promoted sales, at least in the USA.

Blaufränkisch is a grape variety with unbelievably large potential which, at the moment, is reinvented throughout Austria. Therewith the Blaufränkisch is - not only as a wine but also as an ambassador – on everybody`s lips – in Austria and far beyond the country’s frontiers. So, a winery which has defined this vine as its leading variety can be extraordinarily pleased with the intensive discussion around Blaufränkisch. “Prowein”, the specialized trade fair in Düsseldorf which closed its doors at the end of March, confirmed these impressions. Admittedly, Blaufränkisch is not yet a global player but in any case a flagship wine.

Comments:

The name goes back to „Gemarkung“, that is frontier (to Oggau). As soon as individual and individually grafted Blaufränkisch vineyards grew up, the “Pfarrergmärk” was handed back and immediately lifted by the owners (sic!).
The first TRIE white was introduced into the market in 2007.
The classic Rust Blaufränkisch has always been cultivated on the sites Gmärk and Pandkräftn. However, in the sixties and seventies the traditional site/variety combinations of the previous centuries were thrown over. That means: all varieties were planted crisscross without taking the site characteristics into account. For several years now, the traditional, above mentioned, single vineyards have turned “blaufränkisch” again, a right and worthy decision.
This means that the medium and late ripening Blaufränkisch belongs to the grape varieties with the longest vegetation period and most intensive fruit expression.