On the nose this richly colored wine displays light red cherry and raspberry flavours, accompanied by a more prominent black pepper sensation. In the mouth it has a medium-light body, with a not very pleasant drying sensation (I would guess due to some not fully matured tannins). The aftertaste is basically absent.
Zweigelt is the most widely planted red wine grape variety in Austria. Among the characteristics that makes it popular with winegrowers is the fact that it dodges most seasonal threats and that it is a high-yielding variety.
Zweigelt is a crossing of Saint-Laurent with Blaufrankisch, both red varieties also widely planted in Austria. It has been developed in 1922 by Dr Friedrich “Fritz” Zweigelt, who originally named it “Rotburger”. In 1975, a few years after his death, the variety was renamed “Zweigelt”. More recently, this choice has been put into question due to the convinced adherence of Dr Zweigelt to the Austrian Nazis from 1933 to 1945.
The finest examples of Zweigelt have the potential to cellar, but the majority are best consumed within a few years of release as an everyday red wine. This classic version is produced by Pfaffl in the outskirts of Vienna and sells at Coop for 12.50 CHF. It would judge it a decent picnic red.
The bottle is sealed with a screw cap, an alternative to cork for sealing wine bottles, which has been gaining increasing support. Compared to cork, screw caps reduce the wine faults of oxidation and of cork taint. They are generally perceived as easier to open and they are much easier to reseal.
In markets such as Australia and New Zealand screw caps are by far the most common means of sealing bottles. The main reason is that historically these secondary wine markets were routinely left with inferior products, top quality cork from Portugal being reserved for Europe’s best and oldest winemakers. This led to countless batches of wine being spoiled by bad cork. In 2000 the Aussies had enough and started experimenting with alternatives. These days, 99 bottles out of every 100 produced by Australian wineries are sealed with a screw cap.
Country: Austria
Region: Weinviertel
Grapes: Zweigelt
Type: Red
Vintage: 2016
Producer: Pfaffl
Price range: Economic (<15 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5