Have you ever tasted or heard about these two names of a grape variety? Yes, we are talking about the same grape although in their two respective countries (Blaufränkisch in Austria and Kékfrankos in Hungary) can produce quite different styles.
The origin of the variety is still a mystery, all we know is that the genetic stock of the variety has been identitfied is clearly the Carpathian Basin which was before part of Austria, now it is Croatia. It is related to Gouais blanc and Gamay and now they proved that it’s a crossing between Blauer Zimmettraube and Weißer Heunisch. Despite its probably long history (certain hungarian papers mention the variety already a 1000 years ago) it became widespread in Hungary only following the phylloxera pestilence.
Kékfrankos (in Hungary) is a black grape variety described as ‘blue’ because of its deep-blue skins. Just to be confusing, it has nearly 40 different names including Blauer Limberger (Germany) or Lemberger (USA), Franconia (Italy), Frankovka (Czech Republic) and Frankovka modra (Slovakia) just to name a few. Generally, the name depends on where it’s grown, but it gained its reputation worldwide as Blaufränkisch in Austria.
We haven’t mentioned yet, why we are talking mostly about Hungary and Austria regarding this variety. These are the two country which has the most plantings – Austria has about 3000 hectares planted while in Hungary it is more than a double, around 7000 hectares. As we see there are much more possibility in Hungary to produce a wide range of Kékfrankos but that is not exactly the case. The variety has already played a significant role in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The unity of Sopron(Hungary)-Burgenland (Austria) is well illustrated by Karl Fürst’s 1847 record, in which the people of Petőelsdorf (now Pöttelsdorf, Austria) and the now Walbersdorf, Austria obtain vines from the Sopron vineyards. The post-World War I Trianon decision split the contiguous wine region in two, but the special journey of the two “parties” and the rise of the Blaufränkisch began much later. Austria has only really discovered the variety in the last 30 years, for example in 1989 the Mittelburgenland Blaufränkisch Association (Verband Blaufränkisch Mittelburgenland) was formed. And this is where the differences really started.
After that Austria started to pay attention to form a unified style of Blaufränkisch when they created the DAC system in the country in 2002. Burgenland received one for the variety and now they have different classifications for each style:
- Mittelburgenland DAC Classic: fruity and spicy, aged in large oak barrels or steel tanks. It has a characteristic aroma, the presence of wood is barely perceptible. It has a bright red in color and has an alcohol content of 12.5% to 13%. It may not be marketed until 1st of May of the year following the harvest at the earliest.
- Mittelburgenland DAC with indication of origin: its taste is similar to the previous category, but it is more intense and the wood may appear more accentuated in it. It is aged in large oak barrels or used barrique. It can be sold from the 1st of September following the harvest, and its alcohol content can range from 13% to 13.5%.
- Mittelburgenland DAC Reserve: characteristic, even dominant oaky notes can be found in it, aged in large oak barrels or barriques. It has an alcohol content of at least 13%. It can only be sold from the 1st of January of the second year after harvest.
It is true for all three categories that strawberry and cherry notes can be discovered in the aroma, and the spicy-fruity flavors dominate in the taste.
Unfortunately in Hungary there are no classification systems to make the consumer’s life easier although we can find some exceptional Kékfrankos in the country. The hungarian Kékfrankos standard spends six months to one year in traditional, large oak barrels. In Sopron, Mátra and Eger regions we can find more concetrated and silky, even creamy style which benefits the cooler climate. Szekszard is the region which focuses on the variety most next to Sopron, here they use more the traditional large barrels, this is the region to watch for a great varietal wine! In Villány it is usually blended with Cabernet Sauvignon . Kékfrankos is the back bone of the blend in Bull’s Blood in Eger and Szekszárd as well next to the varietal bottlings.
To compare the two countries, we can say that in Hungary they still want to make Kékfrankos in a certain way as international varieties (like the lighters as Burgundy style, the spicy ones as the Rhone Valley style and the full-bodied Bordeaux style) while in Austria they figured it out that not the great body is the secret of great wines. Rather, it is a special perfume and flavor that is unique to the area that is born from the meeting of land and vineyards in a given region.
I think it is important to taste all the style from all the countries and find the one that it is really made for us and for our taste! And of course to discover more and more in the World of Wine!
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