Pfneiszl
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Website: Pfneiszl Winery Country Location: Hungary It was natural for Birgit and Katrin Pfneisl to go into the wine business. Their father Franz Pfneisl and uncles Gerhard and Josef own the Pfneisl United Vineyards, one of Austria’s best known red wine estate. The brothers proudly share the title of the “Shiraz Brothers” which they earned for their introduction of, and success with Shiraz in the area of Deutschkreutz in Burgenland. It also makes sense that the sisters wanted to do something a little different so they decided to pursue a project that included their ancestral vineyards in the region Sopron, which takes its name from the small, old city here. Their family is originally Hungarian by descent. In 1993 they re-appropriated the 27 acres of vineyards they lost during the nationalization of Hungary. What is surprising though, is the contrast in style between the Pfneiszl wines, made by Birgit, and the Pfneisl wines made by her uncle Gerhard (the only difference is the “Z”). Both utilize the local Blaufränkisch grape (Kékfrankos in Hungary) in addition to international varieties like Shiraz and both strive to make honest regional wines. Their ideas about what “honest regional wines” should taste like are very different however. Gerhard tames the local Blaufränkisch, tempering its strong character with fruit extraction, oak and familiar international varieties. Birgit on the other hand works to amplify the fundamental nature of the same grape, seeking out what is unique, and in the process creating wines of personality. Indeed Birgit’s wines are unique! They are what many might call old fashioned. This is a misnomer, Birgit studied wine in South America, Italy, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand where she interned at the well known producer Villa Maria. She comes from a perspective of science and understanding and believes that site specific wines are the product of grapes grown organically and fermented by their native yeast. 2004 was the inaugural vintage for Pfneizsl. Today the process of converting the vineyards to all organic farming has been completed The 09 vintage will be the first to be labeled as organic. It is important to note that they had to farm the vineyards in this manner for a number of years before receiving certification. All of the 8500 cases they produced come from the unique array of south-east facing vines, planted to a combination of slate and sandstone soils know as Kräftner vineyard. This area is warmer than Austria and the wines are consequently a bit more plush. It sits overlooking the shallow reedy, Lake Fertö (Neusiedler See). Varietals include, numerous clones of Kékfrankos, some as old as 35 years, Zenit a local white grape, and small amounts of Sangiovese, Malbec, Zinfandel and Shiraz, varietals that Birgit gained a taste for during her travels. Pfneiszl is an upstart producer to watch closely. They have a deep pool of experience to draw from, well situated vineyards, already excellent wines and a desire to see Sopron realized once again as a region to be reckoned with. In 2009 Birgit Pfneisl was nominated for "Borászok Borásza" (just 50 Hungarian winemakers are nominated every year) Read more about Birgit and Katrin Pfneiszl's winery in our blog: Exploring the Hungarian Side of Pfneiszl The Austrian Side of Pfneisl A Chance Pfneiszl Tasting Wines: |
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Kékfrankos
Starling's Favorite