Press & Journal 16th Jan 2021
"
Think
strawberries, blackberries and spice with juicy fruit, rede berries and black
cherries. - Carol Brown"
Belfast Newsletter 2nd Jan 2021
"
Best
red wine (under £10) of 2020: lithe, mellow and delightfully complex ...
Smoky, supple and delicately spiced, this medium-bodied, sophisticated
Austrian red teems with densely focused flavours of dark berries, black
cherries and blackcurrants which jostle for attention alongside subtle earthy
pungent spices before a deeply satisfying finish with hints of black
pepper.
A versatile drop which will go equally well with red meat, game or poultry. - Raymond Gleug"
joannasimon.com 4th Dec 2020
"Exuberant blueberry
and red fruit and savoury, stony, black pepper brought together with clarity,
gentle tannic grip and fresh acidity. Very good with pork and it could also
handle the multifarious stuffings, sauces and side dishes that trail the
turkey. - Joanna Simon"
midweekwines.co.uk 5th Nov 2020
"This new Austrian red
at The Wine Society uses a grape that appears, under several different names,
across Eastern Europe but, everywhere it goes, it seems to produce wine that is
rich without being heavy.
With good acidity but little tannin, this performs exactly that trick by
offering us red wine with currant aromas, black cherry, plum, pepper and baking
spice flavours but wraps them all in a medium bodied framework. - Brian Elliott"
Manchester Evening News 15th Oct 2020
"The Wine Society has
recently been declared Austria Specialist of the Year at the Decanter Retailer
Awards and for good reason … The wine has a bold upright personality and a
backbone of acidity which adds freshness to all that fruit and spice. - Jane Clare"
Daily Record 10th Oct 2020
"This new red at The
Wine Society (which, like the Aldi white featured earlier, is from Austria)
uses a grape that appears, under several different names, across eastern
Europe. Everywhere, though, it can produce wine that is rich without being
heavy. This one performs the same trick, offering us excellent medium bodied
wine with currant aromas, cheery, plum, pepper and baking spice flavours and
good acidity but little tannin. - Brian Elliott"
Belfast Newsletter 10th Oct 2020
"
… remarkably lean, green and citrussy … full of
fresh, fragrant, grassy and herbaceous aromatics which lead to tangy pear and
white pepper flavours on its vibrant and very lively palate It went very
nicely with delicious pork schnitzels in a creamy dill sauce. - Raymond Gleug"
Manchester Evening News 9th Oct 2020
"Blaufränkisch is the
star grape of the Burgenland region is eastern Austria where the family
producer Weingut Hans Igler is carrying on a tradition of realising the full
potential of the variety.
It has a charming flavour profile that reminds me a little of gamay in terms of
the very smooth tannins. Its spicy cherry fruit has a sort of sweet/sour
character that makes it the perfect match for eastern European food including
pickled or fermented cabbage. So duck served with red cabbage sauerkraut is
perfect. - Andy Cronshaw"
Belfast Newsletter 10th Oct 2020
"Wine of the Week: ...
elegant, mellow and delightfully complex … Smoky, supple and delicately spiced,
this medium-bodied, sophisticated Austrian red teems with densely focussed
flavours of dark berries, black cherries and blackcurrants which jostle for
attention alongside subtle earthy pungent spices before a deeply satisfying
finish with beguiling hints of black pepper. Food-wise this is a versatile wine
which will go equally well with red meat, game or poultry. I enjoyed mine with
a rather wonderful chicken and red pepper paella. - Raymond Gleug"
The Scotsman 19th Sep 2020
"This late ripener
[blaufränkisch] from Austria can really reflect its site, but it is often hard
to find good value examples approachable in their youth. A brilliant new example
is The Society's Blaufränkisch: juicy and charmingly approachable with generous
red fruits, slighty spicy and incredible acidity. - Rose Murray Brown"
JancisRobinson.com 12th Aug 2020
"Mid cherry red with a
soft rim. Bright, zesty and lightly peppery red fruit, some green pepper too,
just a hint of something more stony that highlights the pepper notes. Juicy and
very fresh. Lively, pure and would be a good foil to simple but quite rich
dishes. The acidity makes it seem light-bodied despite the alcohol, then
there's a warmer depth on the finish. Definitely at the lighter end of the
blaufränkisch spectrum though none the worse for that. 15.5/20 Julia Harding MW"
decanter.com 30th Jul 2020
"Made by Weingut Hans
Igler, this new wine joins The Society's own-label grüner veltliner in
profiling Austria's native grapes. The name is arguably the only thing holding
blaufränkisch back from being better appreciated, as its flavour profile has
mass appeal: think cru Beaujolais or cabernet franc. Cracked pepper and pencil
lead notes join ripe redcurrant and darker bramble tones, with mouth-watering
acidity giving backbone to the weighty fruit. 89/100 Tina Gellie"
The Spectator 21st Jul 2020
"Blaufränkisch is to
Austria what zinfandel is to California, pinotage to South Africa and malbec to
Argentina. I can’t remember ever having seen this very tasty red grape produced
outside Austria where, clearly, the terroir suits it just so. This, from
Weingut Hans Igler in Burgenland, in the east of the country at the foot of the
Odenburg or Sopron Mountains, is perfect summer fare: fresh, vibrant and
bursting with ripe hedgerow fruit and a whisper of spice. It’s the perfect wine
to knock back in some quantity at a post-lockdown barbecue with old mates. - Jonathan Ray"