Blaufränkisch is not the most important red wine variety in Austria, neither in economic terms nor due to its cultivation area, that is clearly the Zweigelt. But when it comes to real top quality, independence and character of origin, there is no way around Blaufränkisch. And this despite the fact that it only plays a significant role in two wine-growing regions: in Burgenland and its sub-zones, where it is indeed by far the most cultivated red wine variety, and in the neighbouring Carnuntum to the north, although here it is limited to the area around the Spitzerberg.

The variety is often referred to as Austria's Pinot Noir, but the two varieties are not at all as similar as is often rumoured. Blaufränkisch tends to have dark fruit aromas, often associated with blackberries, present, mostly tart tannins, noticeable acid bite and likewise dark, finely bitter, often somewhat ethereal spice reminiscent of pepper and juniper. Blaufränkisch has something challenging about it; charm is therefore, with a few exceptions, not the first quality that would come to mind.

For a long time, people counteracted the natural coolness and astringency of Blaufränkisch by harvesting its grapes particularly ripe and giving the resulting wines, which are often full of alcohol and almost thick, intensive treatment with new small wooden barrels. The style is still widespread today and enjoys a loyal following. It works because the acidity and tannins of the Blaufränkisch are still able to lend backbone and a certain freshness to the mighty examples - at least if one does not completely overdo it. Nevertheless, with all the jammy, juicy fruit and the spicy, often reminiscent of cloves and toasty, sometimes bitterly sooty wood aromas that one so often encounters here, two things are almost inevitably lost that are increasingly valued today: Elegance and character of origin.

The trend is therefore now going in a completely different direction. Admittedly, there have always been some top producers who have dedicated themselves to an authentic style that is more refined than bulky. Many a young winery has taken them as a model anyway, but in recent years even some former pioneers of the wood and high-maturity faction have changed. The changes range from cautious to radical; the transitions are fluid. While some continue to focus on power and a lot of new wood, but avoid too much ripeness and do everything else to maintain the freshness and precision of the fruit, the wines elsewhere are much leaner and no longer have any prominent wood flavour at all. In this group, too, the stylistic differences are often enormous: here, particularly crisp black fruit, plenty of acid bite and pithy tannin, there - somewhat rarer and more likely to be found in Carnuntum - considerably more red berry components, silky tannin and almost supple texture. Quite new are the red natural wines, which have to be sold as "wine from Austria" without a specific indication of origin, because they meet with little approval in wine control due to their unusual character: light-coloured, cloudy, herbaceous, fresh-juicy, mostly strikingly light in alcohol and appearance, but at their best endowed with a stunning liveliness and complex aromatics. And with minerality. But the better wines of all conceivable styles have this in common anyway; it can - depending on origin and soil composition - turn out differently: chalky, salty or even iron-like-metallic. Sometimes all of these together.

We tasted more than 200 wines for this special, focusing on single vineyards and reserves from Burgenland and Carnuntum. We present the best wines here, but also separated by region with the two area articles linked above. Links to all wines with detailed tasting notes as well as their producers can be found at the end of the lists. All wines were tasted blind several times over at least two days in our tasting room in Erlangen.

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2020

Weingut Familie Strehn — Burgenland 2020 Blaufränkisch trocken "Irrgarten" 12.00 €

All wines

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2019

Weingut Ernst Triebaumer — Burgenland 2019 Ried Mariental Blaufränkisch trocken 57.50 €

Weingut Krutzler — Burgenland 2019 Blaufränkisch trocken "Perwolff" 95 WP great 47.00 €

Weingut Claus Preisinger — Weinland Austria 2019 trocken "ErDELuftGRAsundreBEN" 33.30 €

Paul Kerschbaum — Burgenland 2019 Mittelburgenland Ried Dürrau Blaufränkisch trocken 23.50 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2019 Carnuntum DAC Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken "Kranzen" 92 WP excellent 42.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2019 Carnuntum DAC Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken "Obere Roterd" 92 WP excellent 42.00 €

Reumann Josef und Maria — Burgenland 2019 Mittelburgenland DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken Altes Weingebirge 91 WP excellent 42.00 €

Weingut Günter Triebaumer — Burgenland 2019 Ried Plachen Blaufränkisch trocken 43.00 €

wein.gut wellanschitz — Burgenland 2019 Blaufränkisch trocken "WELL" Alte Reben 32.00 €

Brigitte und Gerhard Pittnauer — Burgenland 2019 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 34.00 €

Weine Thom Wachter — Burgenland 2019 Eisenberg DAC Ried Königsberg Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 28.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2019 Carnuntum DAC Ried Kirchweingarten Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 91 WP excellent 42.00 €

Weingut Grenzhof, Bernhard Fiedler — Burgenland 2019 Leithaberg DAC Ried Goldberg trocken 18.00 €

Weingut Ernst Triebaumer — Burgenland 2019 Ried Oberer Wald Blaufränkisch trocken 28.90 €

Anita und Hans Nittnaus — Burgenland 2019 Leithaberg DAC Ried Lange Ohn Blaufränkisch trocken 90 WP excellent 25.00 €

Weingut K+K Walter und Irmgard Kirnbauer — Burgenland 2019 Mittelburgenland DAC Deutschkreutz Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken "Gold Reserve" 21.00 €

Weingut Franz Schindler — Burgenland 2019 Leithaberg Ried Lehmgrube Blaufränkisch trocken 23.00 €

Walter Glatzer — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2019 Carnuntum DAC Ried Bärnreiser Blaufränkisch Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 24.50 €

Weine Thom Wachter — Burgenland 2019 Eisenberg DAC Ried Szapáry Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken "alter garten" 28.00 €

Weingut Krutzler — Burgenland 2019 Süd-Burgenland Ried Weinberg trocken "Alter Weingarten" 90 WP excellent 29.00 €

Bioweingut Moritz (Rotweinbau Moritz) — Burgenland 2019 Mittelburgenland DAC Ried Hochäcker Blaufränkisch trocken "Handmade" 90 WP excellent 26.00 €

Weingut Ernst — Burgenland 2019 Ried Hochberg Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 18.00 €

Weingut Leberl — Burgenland 2019 Ried Reisbühel Blaufränkisch trocken 14.00 €

Weingut Gesellmann — Burgenland 2019 Mittelburgenland DAC Deutschkreutz Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken "Creitzer" 17.30 €

Anita und Hans Nittnaus — Burgenland 2019 Leithaberg DAC Ried Altenberg Blaufränkisch trocken 89 WP very good 25.00 €

Günther Schönberger — Weinland Austria 2019 Blaufränkisch trocken "Alte Haid" Up to 20.00 €

Weingut Ernst — Burgenland 2019 Ried Goldberg Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 18.00 €

All wines

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2018

schiefer pur — Burgenland 2018 Ried Königsberg Blaufränkisch trocken "Alte Weingärten" 94 WP excellent 48.00 €

Weingut Moric — Burgenland 2018 Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 32.50 €

Weingut Wachter-Wiesler — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Reihburg Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 49.90 €

Weingut Familie Prieler — Burgenland 2018 Leithaberg DAC Ried Goldberg Blaufränkisch trocken 93 WP excellent 59.00 €

Anita und Hans Nittnaus — Burgenland 2018 Leithaberg DAC Ried Gritschenberg Blaufränkisch trocken 93 WP excellent 54.00 €

Weingut Familie Strehn — Burgenland 2018 Blaufränkisch trocken "Roter Schotter" 23.00 €

Weingut Wachter-Wiesler — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Saybritz Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 49.90 €

Weingut Lichtenberger & Gonzales — Burgenland 2018 Ried Vorderberg trocken 51.90 €

Weingut Familie Prieler — Burgenland 2018 Leithaberg DAC Ried Marienthal Blaufränkisch trocken 92 WP excellent 56.00 €

Anita und Hans Nittnaus — Burgenland 2018 Leithaberg DAC Ried Jungenberg Blaufränkisch trocken 92 WP excellent 54.00 €

Günther Schönberger — Weinland Austria 2018 Blaufränkisch trocken "Lehmgrube" Up to 40.00 €

Weingut Tinhof — Burgenland 2018 Ried Kirchberg Blaufränkisch trocken "Gloriette®" 48.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2018 Carnuntum DAC Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 92 WP excellent 85.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2018 Carnuntum DAC Ried Kobeln Blaufränkisch trocken "Liebkind" 92 WP excellent 65.00 €

Heribert Bayer - Kellerei In Signo Leonis GmbH — Burgenland 2018 trocken "In Signo Sagittarii" 92 WP excellent 31.60 €

Weingut Krutzler — Burgenland 2018 Blaufränkisch trocken "Perwolff" 92 WP excellent 45.00 €

Weingut Jalits — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Fasching Reserve trocken 22.00 €

Weingut Trapl — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2018 Carnuntum DAC Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 39.00 €

Brigitte und Gerhard Pittnauer — Burgenland 2018 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 34.00 €

Weingut Gesellmann — Burgenland 2018 Mittelburgenland Blaufränkisch trocken "hochberc®" 37.80 €

Walter Glatzer — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2018 Carnuntum DAC Ried Bärnreiser Blaufränkisch Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 24.50 €

Weine Thom Wachter — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Fasching Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 22.00 €

Bioweingut Moritz (Rotweinbau Moritz) — Burgenland 2018 Blaufränkisch trocken "NIX" 91 WP excellent 33.00 €

Weinbau Günther Glock — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2018 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 22.00 €

Weingut Jalits — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Szapáry Reserve trocken 14.50 €

Weingut Wachter-Wiesler — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Weinberg Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 32.50 €

Grenzlandhof Reumann — Burgenland 2018 Mittelburgenland DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 32.00 €

Weinbau Kopfensteiner — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Saybritz Reserve trocken 28.00 €

Weingut Juliana Wieder — Burgenland 2018 Mittelburgenland DAC Ried Bodigraben Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 90 WP excellent Up to 19.90 €

Weingut Tinhof — Burgenland 2018 Leithaberg DAC Ried Setz Blaufränkisch trocken 38.00 €

Rotweingut Prickler — Burgenland 2018 Mittelburgenland Blaufränkisch trocken Grande Reserve "V-MAX" 39.00 €

Weine Thom Wachter — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Saybritz Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 22.00 €

schiefer pur — Burgenland 2018 Ried Königsberg Blaufränkisch trocken 90 WP excellent 18.00 €

Weingut Krutzler — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 90 WP excellent 19.50 €

Weingut Silvia Heinrich — Burgenland 2018 Mittelburgenland Ried Goldberg Reserve trocken 22.90 €

Weingut Iby-Lehrner — Burgenland 2018 Blaufränkisch trocken "KAPORJAN" 27.00 €

Weinbau Kopfensteiner — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Szapáry Reserve trocken 22.00 €

Weingut Leitner — Burgenland 2018 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 31.00 €

Weinbau Kopfensteiner — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Deutsch-Schützen Reserve trocken 14.00 €

Weingut Günter Triebaumer — Burgenland 2018 Ried Oberer Wald Blaufränkisch trocken 41.00 €

Weingut Claus Dietrich — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2018 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 28.00 €

Weine Thom Wachter — Burgenland 2018 Eisenberg DAC Ried Szapáry Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 22.00 €

Weingut Stefan Zehetbauer — Burgenland 2018 Leithaberg DAC Ried Reckenschink Blaufränkisch trocken 25.00 €

All wines

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2017

Weingut Heinrich GmbH - Gernot und Heike Heinrich — Burgenland 2017 Leithaberg DAC Ried Alter Berg Blaufränkisch trocken 94 WP excellent 50.00 €

Weingut Krutzler — Burgenland 2017 Eisenberg DAC Ried Weinberg Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 94 WP excellent 45.00 €

schiefer pur — Burgenland 2017 Süd-Burgenland Ried Reihburg Blaufränkisch trocken 94 WP excellent 58.00 €

Weingut Ernst Triebaumer — Weinland Austria 2017 Blaufränkisch Landwein trocken "Urwerk" 37.50 €

Weingut Silvia Heinrich — Burgenland 2017 trocken "Cupido" 63.00 €

Weingut Heinrich GmbH - Gernot und Heike Heinrich — Burgenland 2017 Leithaberg DAC Ried Edelgraben Blaufränkisch trocken 93 WP excellent 50.00 €

schiefer pur — Burgenland 2017 Blaufränkisch trocken "Lutzmannsburg V.V." 93 WP excellent 48.00 €

Weingut Silvia Heinrich — Burgenland 2017 Blaufränkisch trocken Alte Reben 55.00 €

Weingut Juris — Burgenland 2017 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 33.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2017 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 92 WP excellent 85.00 €

Weingut Trapl — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2017 Carnuntum DAC Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 39.00 €

Weinbau Straka — Burgenland 2017 Eisenberg DAC Ried Prantner Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 35.50 €

Weingut Esterhazy — Burgenland 2017 Leithaberg DAC Ried Schildten Blaufränkisch trocken 91 WP excellent 34.00 €

Weingut Tesch — Burgenland 2017 Blaufränkisch trocken "Patriot" 67.00 €

Weingut Giefing — Burgenland 2017 Ried Oberer Wald Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 34.00 €

Weingut Iby-Lehrner — Burgenland 2017 Ried Dürrau Blaufränkisch trocken 31.00 €

Weingut Tinhof — Burgenland 2017 Blaufränkisch trocken "Gloriette" 48.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2017 Carnuntum Ried Kobeln Blaufränkisch trocken "Liebkind" 91 WP excellent 65.00 €

StephanO DAS-WEIN-GUT — Burgenland 2017 Eisenberg DAC Ried Fasching Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 28.00 €

Weingut Josef und Melitta Igler — Burgenland 2017 trocken "Joe N°1" 33.00 €

Reumann Josef und Maria — Burgenland 2017 Mittelburgenland DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 90 WP excellent 42.00 €

Rotweine Lang — Burgenland 2017 trocken Grande Reserve, "V-Max" 38.00 €

Weingut Sommer — Burgenland 2017 Leithaberg DAC Ried Halser Blaufränkisch trocken 90 WP excellent 28.00 €

Weinbau Horst & Irene Pelzmann — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2017 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg Blaufränkisch Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 22.00 €

Weingut Kollwentz — Burgenland 2017 Ried Point trocken 51.00 €

Weingut Familie Weber — Burgenland 2017 Ried Weißleit'n Blaufränkisch Große Reserve trocken 24.50 €

Weingut Hans Moser — Burgenland 2017 St. Georgen Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 17.50 €

Weinbau Menitz — Burgenland 2017 Ried Vorderberg Blaufränkisch Grande Réserve trocken 18.00 €

Wein & Schnaps Mariell — Burgenland 2017 Leithaberg DAC Ried Point Blaufränkisch trocken 18.00 €

Günther Schönberger — Weinland Austria 2017 Blaufränkisch trocken "Kräften" Up to 30.00 €

Leo HILLINGER GmbH — Burgenland 2017 Leithaberg DAC Ried Umriss Blaufränkisch trocken 27.90 €

Weingut Leitner — Burgenland 2017 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 31.00 €

Weingut Paul Lehrner e.U. — Burgenland 2017 Mittelburgenland DAC Ried Dürrau Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 28.00 €

Weingut Claus Dietrich — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2017 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 32.00 €

Weingut Umathum — Burgenland 2017 Ried Kirschgarten Blaufränkisch trocken 42.50 €

All wines

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2016

Weingut Moric — Burgenland 2016 Lutzmannsburg Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken Alte Reben 74.50 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2016 Carnuntum Blaufränkisch trocken "Liebkind" 93 WP excellent 65.00 €

Weingut Umathum — Burgenland 2016 Ried Kirschgarten Blaufränkisch trocken 42.50 €

schiefer pur — Burgenland 2016 Ried Szapary Blaufränkisch trocken "s" 92 WP excellent 36.00 €

Weingut Leitner — Burgenland 2016 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 30.00 €

Weingut Paul Achs — Burgenland 2016 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 42.00 €

Weinbau Günther Glock — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2016 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg Erste ÖTW Ried trocken 22.00 €

Weingut Trapl — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2016 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg trocken 39.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2016 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg trocken 90 WP excellent 85.00 €

Weingut Giefing — Burgenland 2016 Ried Oberer Wald Blaufränkisch trocken 29.00 €

Weingut Stiegelmar — Burgenland 2016 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 24.60 €

All wines

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Older vintages

schiefer pur — Burgenland 2015 Süd-Burgenland Ried Reihburg Blaufränkisch trocken "r2" 96 WP great 82.00 €

Weingut Umathum — Burgenland 2015 Ried Kirchberg Blaufränkisch trocken 42.50 €

schiefer pur — Burgenland 2015 Eisenberg DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 93 WP excellent 52.00 €

Weingut Tesch — Burgenland 2015 Blaufränkisch trocken "Patriot" 67.00 €

Hammer Wein Rust - Mag. Markus Hammer — Burgenland 2015 Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken "Rusterberg" 30.00 €

Weingut Hans Igler — Burgenland 2014 Blaufränkisch trocken C11 92 WP excellent 33.00 €

Weingut Trapl — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2004 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg trocken 39.00 €

Weingut Juliana Wieder — Burgenland 2015 Mittelburgenland DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 91 WP excellent 38.90 €

Weingut Hans Igler — Burgenland 2011 Mittelburgenland DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken "Biiri" 90 WP excellent 23.00 €

Weingut Dorli Muhr — Lower Austria/Niederösterreich 2015 Carnuntum Ried Spitzerberg trocken 90 WP excellent 85.00 €

Weingut Juliana Wieder — Burgenland 2011 Mittelburgenland DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 90 WP excellent Up to 35.50 €

Hammer Wein Rust - Mag. Markus Hammer — Burgenland 2011 Blaufränkisch trocken "Selection" 23.00 €

Hammer Wein Rust - Mag. Markus Hammer — Burgenland 2000 Blaufränkisch trocken "Selection"

StephanO DAS-WEIN-GUT — Burgenland 2015 Eisenberg DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken "Prospero" 25.00 €

Reumann Josef und Maria — Burgenland 2015 Mittelburgenland DAC Blaufränkisch Reserve trocken 89 WP very good 42.00 €

Weingut Leitner — Burgenland 2011 Ried Ungerberg Blaufränkisch trocken 29.00 €

All wines

	100 WP unique Wines that can only be made differently, but not better.
	95-99 WP great World-class wines whose depth, complexity, character and expressiveness give an unforgettable, sensual experience.
	90-94 WP excellent First class wines that are among the best of their kind. They are characterized by purity, harmony, depth and character.
	85-89 WP very good Remarkable wines with personality, expression, as well as a certain complexity and depth. They deserve every wine lover's attention.
	80-84 WP good Clean, harmonious, at best typical wines.
	75-79 WP passable
	70-74 WP schwach
	60-69 WP insufficient
	50-59 WP unacceptable

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Special:

Blaufränkisch - Austria's red soul

A comparison of over 200 single-vineyard and reserve wines

Everything about the "Pinot Noir of the East

Blaufränkisch in profile

Terroir and landscapes in Burgenland

At the centre of the Blaufränkisch universe

Carnuntum between drought and heat

Blaufränkisch as a speciality of the primeval sea terroir

Blaufränkisch as an international beacon of hope

The grape variety unfolds great potential outside the mainstream

Food accompaniments with spice and acidity

The pros' best pairing tips for Blaufränkisch

Visiting the Blaufränkisch

These sights are worth a visit

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Tasting samples

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2020

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2019

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2018

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2017

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Vintage 2016

BEST OF Blaufränkisch Older vintages

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