‘Berger or Blau, It’s Made for Food And How
By Lenn Thompson
Have you ever heard of, let alone tasted, Lemberger, Blaufrnkisch, Franconia, or Kekfrankos? If you’re a casual wine drinker, or even a more serious one, it’s entirely likely that you haven’t had any of them.
Of course, they are really all the same grape, just named differently in Germany, Austria, Friuli and Hungary respectively. It is believe that it actually has up to 40 different names in eastern and central Europe.
Regardless of moniker, expand your horizons and try a bottle of vino made using this underappreciated and little-known red grape. Typically, ‘bergers are light-to-medium bodied, low tannin, feature food-friendly acidity and are accented by savory spice.
Here on Long Island, is the only producer, and they’ve chosen to use Blaufrankisch as its name. The 2004 varietal bottling ($22) is 86% Blaufrankisch with 14% Merlot added to the blend. Quite aromatic, it offers black pepper-inflected cherry and berry aromas that carry over to a medium-bodied, lithe palate with similar fruit profiles and a rich gaminess.
While interesting on it’s own, this wine really shines at the dinner table. Winemaker Christopher Tracy, also a trained chef, recommends drinking it along side winter stews, braised meats, venison, mushrooms, game birds and aged cheeses.
My goal is to bring you wines and wine regions that are off the beaten path and this wine qualifies on both accounts because you’re just not going to find ‘berger in Napa or Bordeaux. You’ll have to dig deeper, rummage around those wine shop shelves, but hey, isn’t wine supposed to be an adventure?
Until next time, drink on.
An American Kekfrankos - from Long Isalnd no less. Now that is interesting. Although in my experience wines from this grape are at best ‘rustic’ when from Eastern Europe. Austrian versions are not bad though.
spittoon