Gabarinza 2016

Powerfully built, dry, and moderate in alcohol at 13.0% vol. After its years in the bottle, fine-grained tannins sit alongside lively acidity, and the spice weighs more heavily than the sweetness of the fruit. Tobacco and violet give the wine its serious edge.

Gabarinza is one of the single vineyards of the Heinrich winery in Austria's Burgenland, alongside Alter Berg and Edelgraben. From 1990 onward, Gernot and Heike Heinrich bought up, parcel by parcel, the stony sites others were giving up: cool limestone slopes on the Leithagebirge, gravel and red shale on the Parndorf Plateau. From two hectares in Gols on Lake Neusiedl, the estate has grown to around a hundred, owned and leased, all farmed biodynamically.

A blend of Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt and Merlot. In the cellar, gravity moves the wine, not pumps. The estate has worked biodynamically since 2006; the Heinrichs were among the first to export Austrian red wine, showing that Blaufränkisch could be more than a rustic table wine.

Dense ruby red with violet highlights. Dark cherry, blackcurrant and plum carry the opening, followed by spice and tobacco. The tannins grip firmly, and the finish remains long and spicy.

Demeter-certified since 2017 and a founding member of respekt-BIODYN. The final push toward conversion came in 2006 through a meeting with biodynamics expert Andrew Lorand; Gernot and Heike Heinrich had previously read Rudolf Steiner's lectures together, evening after evening. The three grape varieties give the blend breadth, without any one overpowering the others.