I read somewhere that there are two regions in the world that describe their wine as, “The Wine of Kings and the King of Wines”, those being the Tokaj region of Hungary, and of course, the Barolo region in Piemonte, Italy. I would like to announce to the world that there is indeed a third wine that must not fall under the radar.

The Zierfandler grape dates back to the Hapsburg Empire in Austria and was the favorite wine of the emperors. A white grape indigenous to the Thermenregion, it turns a light red where the sun hits, causing high sugar content while ripening, and on the shady side develops into a golden yellow, maintaining its crisp acidity. Resulting in an extremely dynamic grape with the ability to age for a long time .

I fell in love at first taste with the Stadlmann ‘Mandel-Hoh’ Zierfandler 2006 during the Austrian seminar here at Maslow6, conducted by Monika Caha, MW. On the nose it is full of exotic fruits, quince, honey, and earthy minerals. On the palate it is rich and full-bodied, with high acidity and a touch of sweetness; full of character and spice. Caha had informed us that this was a ‘wine geek’ wine, which made me hopeful for my future.

The Zierfandler grape is responsible for how California Zinfandel conceived its name. Somewhere along the way in 1820, a shipment was made to Long Island, mistaken identity occurred at a world fair, mix that with the inability of Americans to pronounce it, and the  Zinfandel name was born. However, they are completely unrelated. Austria is making a much deserved comeback after the scare of the 1980’s, when it was discovered that a few producers were adding antifreeze agents to enhance body and sweetness to their wines, wiping them completely off the market for a while.

I asked around searching to find other Zierfandler lovers who would share my crush-worthy feelings for it, but it was a challenge for me to find people who had actually heard of it at all. Here’s to hoping that this wine will be discovered, consumed, and appreciated by more wine lovers everywhere.