Description
Moric, “Haus Marke” Red Blend
As you may have noticed lately, we’ve been trying to make Austrian red wines a “thing.” Results have been mixed so far, even though all the components are there: distinctive character, superb quality, amazing value. If you love Cru Beaujolais, you will love today’s wine, and if you spend any time in good wine bars or restaurants, you may well have heard of Roland Velich and Moric.
Velich was just on a barnstorming tour of the US, in fact, hosting wine dinners, appearing on podcasts, and otherwise spreading the word about his home region, Burgenland, and its native grapes—especially the red Blaufränkisch. At the higher end, Velich has a series of alte reben (“old vine”) reds to rival Grand Cru red Burgundy, while today’s Hause Marke (“house brand”) is the kind of bright, berry-fruited, entry-level red you hope to find on the by-the-glass list at your favorite local haunt. As besotted as I am with Cru Beaujolais right now, I’m lately reaching for the likes of Hause Marke first: The fruit is a little darker, the texture a little plumper, but the minerality and refreshing tension remain. A man my age should not be saying words like “yummy,” but there you have it: This tangy, delicious red will do that!
Although Velic has not sought organic certification, he farms his 25 hectares of vineyards organically and otherwise brings all the requisite “natural wine” bona-fides to the table. He comes from a winemaking family, having originally ventured out on his own in the 1990s to focus on red wines from the Burgenland, which runs along Austria’s border with Hungary southeast of Vienna. The region has a diverse topography and widely varied soils, with more primary rock and slate at higher locations and dense loam in the rolling hills that extend toward the Pannonian plain (which provides a warming influence that is important in getting the late-ripening Blaufränkisch fully mature). His vineyards are mostly in the villages of Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg, in what’s known as “Mittelburgenland,” where loamy soils are flecked with limestone and slate.
Today’s “Hause Marke” red is a blend, but of closely inter-related varieties. It contains 50% Rotburger, a.k.a. Zweigelt, which is a cross of the two other grapes in the mix: Blaufränkisch (30%) and Sankt Laurent, a.k.a. Pinot Noir (20%). First bred in the 1920s, Zweigelt has become the most widely planted red grape in Austria, known for reliably dark-fruited, deeply colored reds with great freshness and soft tannins. Many Zweigelt reds fall into the “cheap and simple” category, but this wouldn’t be one of them: There’s considerable aromatic complexity here, along with some nice polish to the texture. It’s tangy and fresh, but also boasts some refined, silky tannins and nice length on the finish.
Aged for a short period in large Austrian oak vats before bottling, the 2017 Hause Marke displays a deep blackish-ruby hue in the glass, moving to magenta and crimson at the rim. Its brambly aromas hint at those of Morgon, or maybe Brouilly, although they skew a little darker and deeper: black raspberry, elderberry, black plum, roasted coffee, graphite, camphor, turned earth, and warm spice. It is medium-bodied, juicy, and fresh, the kind of wine that disappears first among a crowd of bottle on a table. Decanting it certainly wouldn’t hurt, but isn’t necessary: Pull the cork about 15 minutes before serving it at a cool 60 degrees in Burgundy stems, putting its acidity to work with some juicy burgers, grilled steaks, or, if you want to be authentic about it, some paprika-laced goulash. The attached recipe would make a fantastic pairing. Cheers!
