The wines of Uwe Schiefer, Burgenland, Austria

The wines of Uwe Schiefer, Sud Burgenland, Austria

Weinbau Schiefer Uwe, A-7503 Welgersdorf 3, Austria
Tel: 0043 3362 / 2464 Fax: 0043 3362 / 2464
E-mail: weinbau-schiefer@aon.at
Website: http://www.weinbau-schiefer.at/

Blaufrankisch grapes in Burgenland

The Sud Burgenland, on the border with Hungary, is one of Austria’s leading red wine regions. Blaufränkisch is king here, a grape that has an appealing dark cherry/blackcurrant sort of personality, often retaining good acidity. Uwe Schiefer is one of the leading producers, and the notes below are from two separate tastings, a year apart.

UK importer is Richards Walford, and UK retail prices are given in brackets.

Uwe Schiefer Blaufränkisch Eiesenberg 2005
Lovely bright fresh, focused nose showing spicy red and black fruits. Nice definition. The palate has good concentration and lovely pure, bright savoury fruit with a spicy edge and good acidity. Just delicious. 91/100 (£12.49)

Uwe Schiefer Blaufränkisch Eiesenberg 2004
Nicely poised, fresh, perfumed aromatic red fruits nose with a pastille-like character. Good concentration of bright, expressive fruit on the palate which has high acidity. Really juicy but quite serious with it. I like it a lot. 91/100 (£12.49)

Uwe Schiefer Blaufränkisch Reihburg 2004
Spicy, dark chocolatey nose shows bright red and black fruits with some spicy complexity and richness. The palate is elegant and has lots of dark fruit. Quite rich but with good acidity and some spicy tannins. Brilliant effort. 93/100 (£35.49)

(above wines tasted 01/07)

Uwe Schiefer Blaufränkisch Eiesenberg 2004
Pure, ripe red fruits nose leads to a palate that is quite fresh and savoury with lovely vivid fruit and good acidity. Nice stuff. Very good+ 89/100 (£12.49)

Uwe Schiefer Blaufränkisch Eiesenberg 2005 (cask sample)
Very bright fresh, ripe red fruits dominate here. Vivid and quite savoury with a spicy finish. Nice concentration: a bright, fresh, fruit-dominated style. Very good+ 89/100
(£13.49)

Uwe Schiefer Blaufränkisch Reihburg 2003
Vivid, bright sweet fruit is the signature to this high-end wine. There’s some creamy oak, too – it’s prominent, but not completely over-the-top. The palate is smooth and elegant with classy oak and nice structure. Oaky but elegant. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£33.49)

Uwe Schiefer Blaufränkisch Rehiburg 2004 (cask sample)
Dark, sweet nose is ripe and quite refined. The palate is smooth and elegant showing strong, savoury, spicy oak imprint at present. Potentially very impressive. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£36.99)

(above wines tasted 01/06)