Zweigelt

We're back to Austria again today, this time in Burgeland on the far eastern border with Hungary (actually, I'm writing about Zweigelt today because we had it with salmon last night). While the grape was developed from the marriage of two others, Blaufrankisch and Saint Laurent, and zwei is German for two, there is no hidden meaning to the name of this varietal. You see, the mating of the two other grapes was done by a guy named Zweigelt and he named it after himself.

What we got from this marriage is a grape that buds early and also harvests early, usually a few weeks before Pinot Noir. What we get from this black grape is a fairly acidic wine with moderate tannins and notes red fruit that has been spiced with cinnamon and black pepper. This combination means that it can comfortable carry some fairly hearty spices in food (last night's salmon was generously seasoned with Old Bay).

When fermented on must with stems and skins, Zweigelt can be a bit temperamental, but at its best, it can be quite ageworthy. However, most showings of this grape are intended to be consumed fairly young.

Because of the acidity, serve this wine cooler than a typical red wine -- perhaps at about 14C/57F to calm down the effects of the tartaric acid. Some producers of the wine who are discomforted by the acid use extra potassium during the growing season to react out some of the natural acid found in the grape.

Pair this wine with fatty fish, white meat, and anything cooked in a tomato-based broth. And, reminiscent of our experience last night, feel free to spice up your dish to accomodate the natural acidity and tannins.

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