Christian Tschida, 2018 Non-Tradition Red, Burgenland, Austria
I feel like in most wine circles, the name Christian Tschida doesn't require much introduction. The 4th generation in his family to be farming grapes and making wine, Christian could be considered by many the father of the natural wine movement in Austria. He took over managing his family's vineyard parcels at the age of 27, and with this beginning, he set out to chart a slightly unconventional course, making wines in a way that was very different from his peers. Based in the town of Illmitz, today Christian is farming 14 hectares of vineyard parcels dotted around the Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, and of these 2ha are Cabernet Franc.
It is well understood that Cabernet Franc in not an important grape variety in Austria. Austria is primarily a white wine producing country, with Grüner Veltliner being the number #1 planted grape variety, with just over 14,500ha planted. In terms of red wines, two early to mid-ripening grapes, Zweigelt and Blaufränkish, reign supreme, with plantings of 6129 and 2600 respectively. So, where does Cabernet Franc fit into this picture? Well there's a mere 97ha of Cabernet Franc planted in Austria, of which about 77ha are planted in the Burgenland.
With so little plantings and a plethora of indigenous grape varieties, it would take a very particular person to want to cultivate and make Cabernet Franc in Austria - particularly as a single varietal wine. Sure as a blending partner, maybe you could phone it in and add a splash of Cabernet Franc to your Blaufränkish, but to commit to Cabernet Franc as a varietal wine takes patience and a lot of attention to detail. I've observed over the years that those who CHOOSE to work with Cabernet Franc when is perhaps not the obvious choice, it is often because of a Loire Cabernet Franc-related experience or a specific wine that sparks the passion for this grape. Enter Christian Tschida.
On a trip to the Loire back in 2007 or 2008, he attended a tasting that had 30 vintages of Loire vs Bordeaux Cabernet Franc-based wines. And for Christian, it was the Loire wines that really spoke to him. And this was the launch point for him. Back in Austria, a year or so later, he had a neighbour who that had some very old plantings of Merlot that he was not happy with. The neighbour told Christian that he just didn't ever like how the wine turned out. And Christian knew why, because his neighbours Merlot was actually Cabernet Franc. So, being the good neighbour he was, he kindly told his neighbour that he would gladly take his Merlot off his hands. So it is from this first plot where Christian began vinifying his first Cabernet Franc back in 2009 or so.
Sadly, he no longer works with these parcels, but it was these series of events that launched his desire to make really great Cabernet Franc. He said in an interview that it took him many years to figure out how to get his ideal version of Cabernet Franc in the glass, but 2015 was the first official vintage of the Non-Tradition - a name that I think perfectly exemplifies this red, which very much goes against convention when it comes to Austrian wine. And to make one single-varietal Cabernet Franc in Austria would be a formidable effort. But Christian takes it a step further, by also making the reds Kapitel 1, Hokus Pokus and Engel auf Erden, as well as the rosé Himmel auf Erden, all of which are 100% Cabernet Franc.
So, with all of that said, let's take a look at where these Cabernet Franc vines are planted and the overall growing environment in this particular part of Austria. While much of Austria is considered best suited for the production of white wine, Burgenland is the epicentre of red wine production in the country, and there a few factors that influence this.
The climate of Burgenland, as well as Austria as whole, would be considered continental, but Burgenland's positioning on the far eastern part of the country, sharing its longest border with that of Hungary, means that it receives the strongest influence from the warm air coming in from the east from the Pannonian Basin, and less of an influence from the Alps to the west or cold air from the north. So the region as a whole has warmer summers, and a longer growing season than other parts of the country, which is good for ripening longer season, red varieties.
Now, Burgenland is a quite a large region, and it can been divided into many sub-regions, each with its own unique microclimate and soils, and generally speaking, the climate of the sub-regions will get warmer as you move south where the influence from the mediterranean is more present.
The fruit for today's wine is coming from vines planted across three vineyard sites, two in the Leithaberg region on the west side of the Lake Neusiedl, and one vineyard located in the Neusiedlersee region on the east side of the Lake Neusiedl. And this very large, shallow Lake Neusiedl is an important influence for both of these regions' microclimates. This heats up quickly in the spring and summer, and then it radiates heat at night, helping to promote ripening. The lake also helps to extend the growing season, which is good for ripening longer season varieties like Cabernet Franc. The lake will also help to reflect the sunshine into the vineyards, which can also help with ripening.
Additionally, the vineyards in Leithaberg will also benefit from the cool air that descends from the Leitha range in the evenings, which can help to keep acidities high and maintain the finesse in the finished wines. All this is to say, we have a number of factors at play here in terms of the microclimate that would be good for ripening Cabernet Franc.
In terms of soils, the soils differ across these two regions. In the Neusiedlersee region, we tend to see more sandy and silty-sandy soils with varying amounts of gravels, with some pockets with a bit more limestone and quartz, depending on where you are. And in the Leithaberg region, we find a complex mix of schist and gneiss, coupled with the Leitha limestone, which is unique to this particular part of Burgenland.
Looking at these three vineyards for this wine, it is coming from a selection of about 1 hectare, and the vines are on average about 40 years of age. The sites all also have a bit more of a western exposure, and this means the vines will benefit from the stronger afternoon sunshine. And these sites as well are at elevations ranging from around 117m to 250m above sea level, so the site will benefit from slightly cooler temperatures at night, ensuring the ripening isn't too fast. And from what Christian and his team have share with me, Cabernet Franc seems to be pretty happy here.
I should note as well, that Christian is very rigorous and detail oriented with his work in his vineyards. They are farmed organically, and he employs the use of cover crops to maintain balance in the soils and enhance biodiversity. He is also very meticulous with his approach to harvest and the timing of harvest.
From a winemaking perspective, the fruit is all hand-harvested and destemmed. Fermentation is with indigenous yeast in larger barrels. The total time on skins is 6 weeks, with a very gentle maceration through infusion. The aging in neutral Stockinger barrels for about 2 years. And the wines are bottled without fining or filtering, and no added SO2.
Key wine wine facts below:
Producer: Christian Tschida
Region: Burgenland, Austria
Sub-Regions: Leithaberg, Neusiedlersee
Vineyards: Eisner, Thenau, Bimusgrube
Soils: Rocky limestone with schist
Alcohol: 12.5%
