Ep 497: The Grape Mini-Series -- Blaufränkisch (AKA, Lemberger) 6y3b6u

This week we cover the unsung red of Central European wine – Blaufränkisch. This Central European red grape was planted widely in throughout the Habsburg Empire, and today the biggest plantings aren’t too far from its birthplace – right on the Austria-Hungary border. Photo: Blaufränkisch. Credit: Austrian Wine Blaufränkisch translates to ‘blue wine of the Franks’, and it is known as Lemberger in and the US, Kékrankos in Hungary, Franconia in Italy, and various Burgundy-related names elsewhere in Central Europe. We discuss the origins of all these names, how the grape performs in the vineyard, its flavors, food pairings, and more. Whether it’s from , Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Finger Lakes of New York, Washington State, Italy or Spain,  this grape is versatile, multifacted and a perfect medium bodied red that’s perfect for many foods and all sorts of weather --  it can be chilled in the summer in one version and warm your bones by a fire in another.    *Note, we mentioned the Austrian anti-freeze scandal. For more on that and Austria in general, check out an old but still accurate show: Ep 051: Austria © Austrian Wine / Austrian Wine   Go get yourself a bottle and you’ll see what we mean!   Full show notes are on Patreon. Become a member today! www.patreon.com/winefornormalpeople   Most information for the show from Austrian Wine, Wines of , Wines of Hungary, Wine Grapes (Book, Jancis Robinson) _______________________________________________________________ I love my exclusive sponsor, Wine Access, my go-to source for the best selection of interesting, outstanding quality wines you can’t find locally. The holidays are almost here -- don't forget to stock up for your holiday feasts and get a Wine Access gift card for everyone in your life!  Get 10% your first order with my special URL.    To for an AWESOME, LIVE WFNP class with Elizabeth go to: www.winefornormalpeople.com/classes 133o5x