I was heartened by this report by Jamie Goode about a seminar on Blaufrankisch held in Slovenia.
This is a great grape variety that can do marvellous things,' says Robert Gorjak, a winewriter who lives in Ljubljana, Slovenia, who was moderating this conference. He added, 'times are good for Blaufrankisch because people are searching for new things. They are searching for grape varieties that have vibrancy.'
When I was in Prague a few years back I discovered how intriguing this grape can be. Most of the bottles I sampled were from Moravia and they showed the remarkable range of which this grape is capable with delicious spice and pepper notes. It always has lively, bright acidity. But some versions were extracted with significant oak; others had little oak and were much lighter in weight. Blaufrankisch handles both styles well.
It's hard to find in the U.S. unless you hunt for it although many wineries on the east coast are growing it.
New Jersey has 30 ha of Blaufrankisch, and it is made by 25% of producers, and it is trending up. In the Finger Lakes it is known as Lemberger and occupies 30 hectares, trending up, but grown by fewer than 10% of producers. Washington State has 20 hectares, it is grown by fewer than 2% of producers, down from 100 hectares. There are minor but expanding plantings in a number of states.
I always hesitate to say that some varietal will be the next big thing. It's always difficult to get people to buy an unknown grape. But it you're looking for an alternative to the high prices and, too often, low quality of Pinot Noir, Blaufrankisch (aka Lemberger in Germany and Kekfrankos in Hungary) should be on your radar.
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