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There are more than 2000 hectares (5000 acres) of Blaufränkisch planted in the region. The four main wine villages are Deutschkreuz, Horitschon, Lutzmannsberg and Neckenmarkt.
A range of other grapes – including Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – are grown in this southeastern corner of Austria, making wines under the Qualitätswein category.
Mittelburgenland Quality Levels
- Mittelburgenland DAC: 12.5-13 percent alcohol by volume
- Mittelburgenland DAC with vineyard designation: 13-13.5 percent abv. Matured in traditional large neutral oak casks or used small oak barrels
- Mittelburgenland DAC Reserve: Minimum 13 percent abv. Matured in traditional large oak casks or small oak barrels (which may be new)
The wines must be submitted to a tasting commission (deadlines vary for each level) which judges quality and typicity.
The Mittelburgenland Region
As may be inferred from its name, Mittelburgenland is situated in the middle part of Burgenland, on Austria's eastern border with Hungary. Here, the landscape is perhaps more Hungarian than Austrian. The topography is dominated by the wide, warm Pannonian Plain, which covers much of Hungary and Slovakia.
The continental climate in this part of Austria is warm, sunny and dry – a departure from the country's cool, alpine image. Hills in the northwest and south protect the area from cooling winds coming in from the foothills of the Alps.
Instead, warm Pannonian winds from the east prevail, bringing warming influences into the vineyards. The long, dry ripening season is ideally suited to the later ripening Blaufränkisch grape.
Mittelburgenland's landscape gently undulates, and is covered in pockets of dense forest. The loamy, clay dominated soils are heavy and deep. They retain enough water to keep the vines hydrated over the dry summers. Minerality and structure in Mittelburgenland red wines have often been attributed to these soils.
Blaufränkisch vines thrive in this terroir. The resultant wines are full of fruit concentration and varietal character.
