Store

Print This Page

Umathum Classic Zweigelt

Year

2009
Varietal

Zweigelt
Style

Spicy
Origin

Austria
Pairing

Poultry
$30.00 per bottle
Qty: 

Tell a friend! We'll send your friends the page and your message.
Note: You and your friend's email addresses are only used once as a referral. We will not collect or store the email addresses.

Friend's Name:
Your Name:
Friend's Email:
Your Email:
Message
(500 char. max)
Origin
The easternmost part of Austria, Burgenland is perhaps best known for Neusiedlersee—a vast, shallow lake that overlaps Austria’s border with Hungary. The lake helps moderate the already temperate climate—known for mild winters, rainy springs and hot, dry summers— making this area suitable for concentrated, spicy reds as well as some whites and sweet wines. Soils vary from loams to limestone and slate, and viticulture in the region dates back almost 1,000 years.
Pairings
Zweigelt’s vibrancy and taut fruit character allow it to match well with a wide range of foods. Pâté and charcuterie work well, as do spicy Italian sausage and merguez, a North African lamb sausage. Schnitzel—a juicy cutlet pounded to perfection before being breaded and sautéed, is an ideal match, as is goulash, a paprika-spiced Hungarian stew.

Serve at cool room temperature (64°F).
Crisp Chicken Schnitzel with Lemony Spring Herb Salad
Winemaker
Josef Umathum’s family has inhabited this area since the 1700s and has been growing grapes almost the entire time, but they only started bottling their own wines in the 1970s. Since then, however, the family has developed a reputation as one of Austria’s premier producers of red wine and among the finest practitioners of Zweigelt, which makes up 85 percent of the vineyard’s 75 acres. (The balance is comprised of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch.) Umathum farms a variety of mineralrich, rocky soils and practices biodynamic agriculture.
The Wine
Indigenously fermented and aged in large neutral-oak casks, the 2009 Umathum Zweigelt features classic notes of plum and violets garnished with hints of conifer, baking spices, and earth. On the palate, dark fruit flavors are powerfully accented by citrus and herb notes, displaying tight-grained texture and great length. Zweigelt (also known as Blauer Zweigelt) is a cross of two other grape varieties: St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. First grafted in 1922, it was originally known as Rotburger, but the name was later changed to honor its creator—Dr. Fritz Zweigelt.

© The New York Times Company and © Global Wine Company, Inc. NYT Wine has chosen Global Wine Company and its panel of experts to select the wines and operate the club on our behalf. The Wine Club is operated without the participation of the Times wine critics or other members of the newsroom. All wine sales are made by a licensed retailer in compliance with state laws and the licensed retailer assures all involved that it fully complies with all states laws applicable to it. All credit card payments will be facilitated by Global Wine Company, Inc., located at 1401 Los Gamos Dr. #220, San Rafael, CA 94903, with the exception of orders shipped to Texas, which will be sold by Texas licensed Winery ITO Wines, LLC, located at 16760 Hedgecroft Drive Suite 608, Houston, TX 77060 Phone:(707) 234-4747. Due to state laws, wine can be purchased only by adults 21 years and older. See shipping policy for states served.