Zweigelt 2022/23, Funkstille, Niederösterreich, Austria

Abundant red cherry, plum and vibrant berry fruits combine in this joyful, bright and incredibly juicy red; medium-bodied with beautifully ripe and light tannins and touch of spice on the finish.

Now more than ever we need a little ‘Funkstille’ or radio silence in our lives, so it was only natural that as interest and desire for Austrian wines grew, so would our range.

It all started with Grüner, then Zweigelt and now Funkstille is a quartet including Riesling and a Skin Contact wine … capturing Austria’s most famous varieties and archetypal styles under some eye-popping packaging. We’ve worked with a 16th generation producer in Niederösterreich to put together this characterful range. All work in the vineyard is carried out sustainably, with the use of their own fertilisers made from grape skins, manure and straw from their fields, to improve the soil structure and vitality of their vines. The south-east and south-west exposure of the slopes provides conditions for perfect ripening. Grapes are harvested in the early morning to harness acidity and pure fruit expression, and taken to their energy neutral winery for vinification.

The dark berried Zweigelt grapes come from selected south facing vineyards, perfectly exposed to the sun, produce a bright, ripe and abundant red wine. Great care and attention is taken with canopy management in order to balance the leaf density of the vines and ensure good air-flow and healthy grapes. Harvest takes place in mid-October.

Grapes are vinified at their energy neutral winery; cold-soaked for 5 days after which fermentation starts slowly. Twice-daily pump-overs are carried out for the first 10 days and then the wine is left on the skins for a further 5 days with just one pump-over per day. Malo-lactic fermentation happens simultaneously with the main ferment. The finished wine then goes into old wooden 5,000-8,000 litre barrels, with 10% going into 2-3 year old barriques. The components are then blended prior to bottling.