Discover the Blaufränkisch wines of Mittelburgenland
We visit Deutschkreutz in the heart of Austria’s Mittelburgenland region, where Austrian red wine takes centre stage, especially its native grape, Blaufränkisch
Mittelburgenland vineyards, Burgenland, Austria
An introduction to Austria’s Mittelburgenland wine region
Map of Burgenland - Source: Austrian Wine
We often associate Austrian wine with white wine, especially with its Grüner Veltliner grape variety, but if you know a little of the Austrian wine scene then you will know that Austria is also home to some stunning, opulent red wines, gaining recognition across the world, especially the indigenous grape varieties, Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt.
The heart of Austrian red wine production is in Burgenland, the country's easternmost wine region, hugging the Hungarian border and also its warmest region.
Burgenland has a strong history of viniculture, but in recent years innovative winemakers have helped give greater prominence to the Burgenland wine region through a focus on the indigenous grape varieties along with the planting of international varieties and the production of powerful red cuvée blends.
Today Burgenland is especially known for its amazing red wines made from the Blaufränkisch grape variety and at its epicentre, dubbed ‘Blaufränkischland’ is the wine region of Mittelburgenland.
Mittelburgenland represents the heart of Austrian red wine culture.
It has the ideal climate for growing Blaufränkisch grapes as well as other red wine grape varieties, with at least 300 annual days of sunshine and only around 600 mm of precipitation a year and it’s the hottest part of Burgenland, influenced particularly by the hot, continental Pannonian climate. It also has the ideal heavy, loam soils for producing red wines of great strength and structure, with good water storage capacity and a depth which enables the growth of deep roots.
Mittelburgenland is positioned in the centre of the Burgenland wine region, south-west of Lake Neusiedl and the Burgenland capital city of Eisenstadt (see above), close to the Hungarian border.
Blaufränkisch wine production in Mittelburgenland is centred around some 2000 + hectares of vineyards which are clustered around 4 wine districts: Deutschkreutz, Horitschon, Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg. Here the vineyards are protected by the hills of the Bucklige Welt to the west, the Ödenburg Mountains to the north and the Güns Mountains to the south.
Map of Mittelburgenland - Source: Austrian Wine
Mittelburgenland wines
Over 50% of wines produced in Mittelburgenland are made from the dominant Blaufränkisch grape variety. The other main red grape varieties here include: Zweigelt (24%), Merlot (6%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (3.8%).
See here for a list of the some 100 Mittelburgenland wineries.
Blaufränkisch wine
In terms of Blaufränkisch wine, the Mittelburgenland DAC comprises three levels of quality:
Mittelburgenland DAC (12.5-13% alcohol)
Mittelburgenland DAC with a Ried (single vineyard) designation (13-13.5% alcohol)
Mittelburgenland DAC Reserve (minimum 13% alcohol)
Note that ‘Blaufränkisch’ is also known as ‘Lemberger’.
The typical Blaufränkisch wine flavour profile is very fruity (wild berries), spicy and dense - with the flavours becoming more pronounced and smooth as the wine ages. Large oak casks or barriques can be used for ageing, with the wood notes being quite pronounced in the Reserve wines.
Blaufränkisch food pairing:
In our opinion Blaufränkisch wine is the best Austrian wine for pairing with powerfully flavoured meat dishes such as steaks, lamb chops, roasted calf’s liver and elegant, delicately roasted game dishes.
Visit to Weingut K+K Kirnbauer Deutschkreutz
Weingut K+K Kirnbauer, Deutschkreutz, Mittelburgenland - Source: Winekeller
The K+K Kirnbauer estate in Deutschkreutz covers some 45 hectares of vineyards, prime locations for the growing of a wide range of grape varieties including Blaufränkisch, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zweigelt, Welschriesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. K+K Kirnbauer produces some 300,000 bottles of wine per year.
The Kirnbauer family has lived in Deutschkreutz for more than 350 years and has always been involved in wine growing, but the K+K brand wasn’t launched until 1979 when Walter and Irmgard Kirnbauer bottled their first wines. The brand K+K reflects the vision of passing the winery from generation to generation and today Walter’s son Markus Kirnbauer stands at the helm, but Walter remains involved in the business.
The philosophy at K+K Kirnbauer is centred around gentle treatment of the grapes, gentle winemaking and a commitment to sustainability and organic processes. This involves not only working without herbicides and insecticides, but also ensuring the winery’s CO2 emission is as low as possible and the estate generating its own electricity.
K+K Kirnbauer is well known and well regarded for its rich, fruity, expressive premium wines, but especially for its cuvée blends. Its top cuvée, the iconic DAS PHANTOM, was first introduced by Walter in 1987 and it went on to kick-start Austria’s successful cuvée wine culture.
Das Phantom Kirnbauer
If you look at K+K Kirnbauer’s website, the url is not Kirnbauer but ‘Phantom’, such is the importance of this amazing blend to not just the family, but to Mittelburgenland and Austrian red wine culture.
K+K Kirnbauer DAS PHANTOM wines in the winery/shop - Source: Winekeller
DAS PHANTOM is a full-bodied, deep garnet red marriage of Blaufränkisch, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz and its flavours incorporate wild berry and cranberry notes on the nose and elegant cassis fruit on the palate. Maturing in oak barrels gives the wine fine roasted aromas. DAS PHANTOM is sold in all bottle sizes up to 18 litres!
See here for the whole range of K+K Kirnbauer wines.
Barrique cellars
K+K Kirnbauer’s impressive barrique cellars - Source: Winekeller
At the heart of K+K Kirnbauer’s impressive winery is its incredible barrique cellar, containing approximately 1000 barrique barrels. Visiting the cellars is true theatre with the sounds and lights helping create the atmosphere of a ‘cathedral for wine’.
Visiting Weingut K+K Kirnbauer
K+K Kirnbauer is located in Deutschkreutz, the heart of Mittelburgenland’s Blaufränkisch red wine production. It’s postcode - 7301 - has been given by Markus to his 7301 Blaufränkisch wine, reflecting how his wines represent the DNA of these famous vineyards and this wine region. He has also given the name to his Rooftop 7301 event space, looking out over Deutschkreutz and the vineyards.
How to find Weingut K+K Kirnbauer?
Weingut K+K Kirnbauer is located just outside of Deutschkreutz in the middle of the vineyards.
Address: Rotweinweg 1, 7301 Deutschkreutz
The setting at K+K Kirnbauer is truly impressive and the views from both the terrace and the Rooftop 7301 - overlooking the vineyards of Deutschkreutz, is really hard to beat!
Contact K+K Kirnbauer to arrange a visit, a tour and a wine tasting - you won’t be disappointed with the experience!
Accommodation - Das Blaufränkish Hotel
The Kirnbauer family also own and run a hotel in Deutschkreutz, Das Blaufränkisch Hotel, providing a superb base for exploring the region and for sampling some great traditional food and wines, including of course K+K Kirnbauer wines!
The 3-star superior hotel has 70 beds and also features an outdoor pool and a small sauna area.
Visit to Weingut Gager, Deutschkreutz
The impressive Weingut Gager in Deutschkreutz
Weingut Gager, like Weingut K+K Kirnbauer, is located in Deutschkreutz and also focuses predominantly on producing wines from the local Blaufränkisch grape variety.
What started originally as a hobby and passion for Josef Gager is now a winery which is known and positioned way beyond Mittelburgenland and Austria’s borders, producing exclusively red wines which have earned many accolades for their compact structure and exceptional ageing potential.
Josef Gager and wife Paula began to build the winery in 1984, producing just 1000 bottles of Blaufränkisch in the first year, not huge volumes but the quality was unmistakably there. Through the following years vineyards increasingly replaced the land planted with traditional sugar beet and grain and the family started to focus 100% on the winery.
Today Weingut Gager is led by son Horst Gager, who shares his father’s passion and motivation for producing wines that are as good as they possibly can be - for achieving perfection. This goal for perfection, which drives everything, is symbolised in the logo, which takes centre-place on the bottle labels - a square with four equal and perfect sides.
Weingut Gager farms 38 hectares of vineyards today, growing eight different grape varieties - including Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot as well as Blaufränkisch.
See all of the Weingut Gager wines here.
Weingut Gager wines - Source: Winekeller
Due to the family’s commitment to regionalism and conservation, Weingut Gager is certified as 'sustainable'.
Between 2000 and 2006 the family renovated the winery to create one of the most modern and gentle grape processing facilities in Austria and also added a new modern building, encompassing a superb tasting room, events space, a shop and guest accommodation.
Guest accommodation
Weingut Gager offers 5 guest rooms in the winery complex where you can enjoy discovering this beautiful region and of course the wines!
A breakfast buffet is included in the price. See here for details.
How to find Weingut Gager
Weingut Gager is located in the centre of Deutschkreutz.
Address: Karrnergasse 2, 7301 Deutschkreutz Mittelburgenland
Visiting Weingut Gager
Weingut Gager happily welcomes visitors to the winery for wine tastings within its opening hours.
We enjoyed an excellent tasting, when we visited with a group and everyone loved the wines. The tasting room is large and open and you will be offered the opportunity to taste most of the Weingut Gager wines and then browse the shop afterwards.
Planning a visit to Mittelburgenland
As well as being known as ‘Blaufränkischland’ Central Burgenland or Mittelburgenland is also known as ‘Sonnenland’, referring to this part of Burgenland being the sunniest, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year!
There’s lots to do here, in addition to tasting its wines - see here for some ideas! Cycling is always popular, with quiet villages and undulating hills - combine cycling with wine and explore the ‘Red Wine Cycle Path’ or ‘Rotweinradweg’, which starts and ends in Deutschkreutz.
There are castles and palaces to visit including the opulent Renaissance palace, Deutschkreutz Palace and Burgenland is also known for its thermal baths/spas. The Sonnentherme in Lutzmannsburg are closest to the Mittelburgenland vineyards.
Red wine festival
A great time to plan to visit Mittelburgenland is during the annual ‘Red Wine Festival’, which is held in July - a great opportunity to taste the different wines of the region!
Another great way to sample the regional wines is to visit the Burgenland Vinothek in Deutschkreutz, which offers a wide selection of around 450 top wines from Burgenland, but also specialities from the rest of Austria.
Other recommended places to visit near Mittelburgenland
If you wished to extend your stay and explore some more of Burgenland we can highly recommend the following:
Visit Eisenstadt and Esterházy Palace
Eisenstadt is the elegant, historic capital of Burgenland and home to the stunning, baroque Esterházy Palace.
As well as being known as home to the Esterházy princes, Eisenstadt is very much linked to the conductor and composer Joseph Haydn, who worked at the palace and lived here for over 30 years, from 1732-1809 - in fact it Eisenstadt is known as ‘Haydn city’.
With origins dating back to the 13th century and an incredible musical heritage, Esterházy Palace is also the cultural centre of Burgenland today and one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Austria.
Visit Lake Neusiedl - Neusiedlersee
Read all about beautiful Lake Neusiedl here - with our personal recommendations about where to go and what to do, including cycling round the lake! Also take time to visit the beautiful Seewinkel National Park.
For more information about planning a trip to Lake Neusiedl, visit the official Neusiedlersee website.
Visit the wine town of Rust
Rust is best known for its nesting storks and as a wine-growing community and it’s also the most picturesque and historic spot to visit around Lake Neusiedl.
Conclusion
Central Burgenland is a beautiful part of Austria to explore and its wines are pretty spectacular! Weingut K+K Kirnbauer and Weingut Gager are top wineries and we highly recommend you visit them to discover Blaufränkisch wines and the best of this stunning red wine region.
