More wines available from Heinrich
750ml
Bottle:
$7.88
$11.25
Zweigelt is a crossing between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent created by Dr. Fritz Zweigelt at the Klosterneuburg in...
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Winery
Heinrich
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Region: Burgenland
Austria's wine industry has long been based around the country's excellent white wines, the grapes of which grow in abundance across the vineyards in the lowlands, and in the hilly regions around the nation's capital of Vienna. However, Austria also has a strong, if small, red wine industry, based on the superb Pinot Noir, Zwiegelt and Blaufrankisch grapes which flourish in the sun-drenched vineyards in Burgenland, in the very east of the country and close to the Hungarian border. Here, the massive Austrian lakes provide plenty of moisture for the grapes, and the fine and sunny climate help the fruit reach full ripeness each year, and allow the grapes to express much of their wonderful terroir. The characterful and flavorful red wines of Burgenland have been popular for centuries, and remain an intriguing aspect of Austrian wine to this day.
Country: Austria
Archaeological evidence suggests that grapevines have been grown and cultivated in what is today modern Austria for over four thousand years, making it one of the oldest wine producing countries in the world. Over the centuries, relatively little has changed in Austrian wine, with the dominant grape varietals continuing to be Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir and others. Austria is renowned for producing excellent and characterful dry white wines, although in the eastern part of the country, many wineries specialist in sweeter white wines made in a similar style to those of neighboring Hungary. Today, Austria has over fifty thousand hectares under vine, split over four key wine regions. The domestic wine industry remains strong, with Austrians drinking their local produce outside in the summer, and people around the world are beginning to once more rediscover this fascinating and ancient wine culture.