20/20 points from René Gabriel for Uwe Schiefer

About the Ried Reihburg

This is the very heart of the Eisenberg. At first glance, the vineyard appears unspectacular. It is oriented to the southwest, the soil is not particularly barren (argillaceous, iron-rich loam with some slate content & a bit of quartz in the subsoil) and the hill is not particularly steep – but that was exactly what brought good luck to the site. The vines survived mechanisation in the 1950s – and this is why there are Blaufränkisch vines there today with the venerable age of more than eighty (!) years. The particular Blaufränkisch clone is also special – it delivers extremely loose clusters with small berries and thick skins.

Time

Winegrower Uwe Schiefer regards ‘time’ as the essential factor in creating his characterful wines. ‘The old vines are probably the main reason for the greatness of our Blaufränkisch Reihburg’, says the grower, and continues: ‘Even in so-called “lesser vintages”, when conditions are anything but ideal, the old vines provide grapes with substantial tannin and great depth of flavour. Younger vines from the same vineyard simply cannot produce that’. Time also plays an important role in vinification – the wine remains in 600 litre or 1,200 litre wooden casks for three years before it is bottled; vintages 2017, 2018 & 2019 are currently in the cellar. For Uwe Schiefer, the 2017 vintage is an even finer representative of the vineyard site than the 2011. It will be bottled in November and will be available from the estate for €58. But the entire supply of this wine is already almost entirely under reservation. If you inquire at [email protected], the estate will be happy to let you know the names of merchants receiving the wine in November 2020. And then you should allow the wine to age in the bottle for another ten years! The finesse of the Ried Reihburg – but also of Blaufränkisch from the Eisenberg in general – only comes to fruition with age. And as the 2011 abundantly demonstrates – it’s well worth the wait!

Schiefer & Domaines Kilger

Uwe Schiefer has been working with Hans Kilger since 2017, an entrepreneur who has founded a group of agricultural enterprises. One of them is Schiefer & Domaines Kilger. The partnership-based collaboration enables Uwe Schiefer to meet the demands for time made by his individual wines with even greater consistency.

The Eisenberg and its master

The vines, mostly Blaufränkisch, are rooted in slate on the Eisenberg in Südburgenland, in some places covered by a thin layer of loam. The forest, at the top of the south or southwest facing vineyards, ensures constant cooling of the grapes. The sensitive interplay of these influences leads to wines with a pronounced acidic structure and prominent minerality – components that make the wine appear harsh to some tasters in the first few years. But with patience – ideally ten years or more – acidity & minerality transform themselves into freshness & grace, giving the wine a vivacious character, while the tannins of Blaufränkisch evolve into pure elegance.

Avant-garde winegrower Uwe Schiefer is undoubtedly the master of the Eisenberg. The highly trained sommelier and native of Südburgenland recognised the potential of the Eisenberg early on. Driven by the desire to bring the true character its vineyard sites precisely into the bottle, he founded his own wine estate in 1994. Since then he has followed his philosophy without compromise and has given the wines from the Eisenberg the time they need, and is considered a pioneer for the style of the entire winegrowing region. Today, due to their exceptional elegance & precision, Schiefer’s wines enjoy a worldwide following among wine experts and oenophiles.

Austrian Single Vineyard Summit

At the Austrian Single Vineyard Summit, Uwe Schiefer will present his current single vineyard wines on 31 August 2020.