Christian Tschida, 2018 Non-Tradition Red, Burgenland, Austria | Cab Franc Chronicles

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Analysis and commentary of the Christian Tschida, 2018 Non-Tradition Red, Burgenland, Austria.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Cabernet Franc is NOT an important grape variety in Austria. There are currently around 97 hectares planted in the country, and if there was ONE person that I would consider to be the grape’s flag-bearer in Austria, it would without a doubt be Christian Tschida.

Based in Illimitz, Christian is the fourth generation in his family to be growing grapes and making wine, and he would be considered by many to be the father of the natural wine movement in Austria. He is farming around 14 hectares of vineyard parcels dotted around the Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, and of this about 2 hectares are Cabernet Franc.

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. 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 several other reds as well as the rosé, all from 100% Cabernet Franc.

The region of Burgenland is the epicentre of red wine production. Burgenland's position on the far eastern part of Austria means its continental climate benefits from 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.

The vines for this wine are planted across three vineyard sites in two sub-regions in Northern Burgenland that are on either side of Lake Neusiedl: the Neusiedlersee and Leithaberg regions. The 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.

The parcels total about 1ha, and the vines are 40 years of age on average. 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. The topsoils are a shallow, rocky limestone with schist. 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.

0:00 Intro/Overview
0:52 Cabernet Franc in Austria
1:33 WHY Cab Franc for Christian Tschida
4:07 Tschida's range of Cabernet Francs
4:38 Burgenland climate/growing environment
6:00 Leithaberg and Neusiedlersee regions overview
7:26 Soils!
7:54 Vineyard selection/parcels
8:59 Winemaking
9:35 Tasting notes

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Website in progress with a full write up and tons more content.
Posted to Instagram March 26, 2021.

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Key wine facts below:

Producer: Christian Tschida
Region: Burgenland
Sub-Regions: Leithaberg, Neusiedlersee
Vineyards: Eisner, Thenau, Bimusgrube
Soils: Rocky limestone with schist
Alcohol: 12.5%

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