🍇 Zweigelt
A red grape of Austria, bred by Fritz Zweigelt in 1922; 6,144 ha, first among the country's red varieties (2020).
Zweigelt is a red wine grape bred in Austria. Fritz Zweigelt crossed it in 1922 at Klosterneuburg, in the federal college and institute of viticulture and pomology. Its parents are St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch: that is what the breeder recorded, and DNA markers confirmed it (VIVC).
Today it is Austria's most widespread red grape. In the 2020 vineyard census (Statistik Austria) it covered 6,144.54 ha, second only to the white Grüner Veltliner. That is about 43 % of all red-variety area and roughly 13 % of all the country's vineyards (our calculation). Over five years the area fell slightly: in 2015 it was 6,311.20 ha.
Most Zweigelt grows in Lower Austria (3,452.79 ha) and Burgenland (2,317.46 ha). In the Neusiedlersee appellation, according to its technical file, Zweigelt dominates the red wines, both in a light fruity style and as a powerful, dense red.
The grape is known beyond Austria too: the OIV gives 2,000 ha for Hungary (2.9 %, 2015), and VIVC 477 ha in the Czech Republic (1990). It has 19 synonyms, including Blauer Zweigelt and Rotburger.
Why it matters to you. "Zweigelt", "Blauer Zweigelt" and "Rotburger" are the same grape. If the grape is named on a bottle of EU wine, it makes up at least 85 % of it. Reds are served at 15–18 °C and stored lying down, in the dark, at 10–16 °C.
Facts
| Country | Austria |
|---|---|
| Region | Lower Austria, Burgenland (Neusiedlersee) |
| Main use | wine grape |
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Zweigelt → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Traditions
- 🌍 Central Europe
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ Austrian wine
- Where it grows
- 📍 Burgenland, 📍 Lower Austria, 📍 Carnuntum, 📍 Neusiedlersee, 📍 Rosalia, 📍 Velké Pavlovice
- Main grape in
- 📍 Neusiedlersee, 📍 Rosalia, 📍 Burgenland, 📍 Lower Austria, 📍 Vienna, 📍 Carnuntum
- Related to
- 🍷 Rudolf Fürst Parzival, 🍷 Stift Klosterneuburg Rosé Tattendorf, 🍷 Stift Klosterneuburg Zweigelt Tattendorf, 🍷 Salomon Undhof Rosé Brut Nature, 🍷 Gobelsburg Cistercien Rosé, 🍷 Gobelsburg Zweigelt Niederösterreich, 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Zweigelt Reserve, 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Cuvée Bertrand Reserve, 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Rosé, 🍷 Johanneshof Reinisch Ried Frauenfeld Zweigelt
and 13 more
🍷 Johanneshof Reinisch Alter Rebstock, 🍷 Pöckl Admiral, 🍷 Pöckl Rosso e Nero, 🍷 Pöckl Rêve de Jeunesse, 🍷 Pöckl Zweigelt Reserve Neusiedlersee DAC, 🍷 Pöckl Zweigelt, 🍷 Pöckl Zweigelt Classique, 🍷 Topf Zweigelt Niederösterreich, 🍷 Topf Rosé vom Zweigelt, 🍷 Topf Brut Rosé Reserve, 🍷 Mayer am Pfarrplatz Zweigelt, 🍷 Mayer am Pfarrplatz Das prickelnde Fräulein Rosé, 🍷 Hofkeller Zweigelt trocken - Wines made from it
- 🍷 Rosé
- Offspring
- 🍇 Ariana, 🍇 Rösler, 🍇 Cabernet Moravia
- Parents
- 🍇 St. Laurent, 🍇 Blaufränkisch
- Similar and different
- 🍇 Blaufränkisch
Frequently asked questions
Who bred Zweigelt?
Fritz Zweigelt at Klosterneuburg, in 1922.
What are Zweigelt's parents?
St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch, according to DNA markers (VIVC).
How much Zweigelt is there in Austria?
6,144.54 ha in 2020, first among red varieties (Statistik Austria).
Is it true that Rotburger is a different grape?
No. Rotburger is one of Zweigelt's synonyms (VIVC).
Where in Austria is there most Zweigelt?
In Lower Austria and Burgenland; in Neusiedlersee it dominates the reds.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Austrian wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 📍 Vienna — A capital with vineyards inside the city and Heuriger wine taverns.
- 🍷 Pöckl Admiral — Pöckl Admiral: red wine by Pöckl from Mönchhof; Qualitätswein.
- 🌍 Central Europe — Curd cheese (quark), cheeses and butter in peasant cooking.
- 🍇 Ariana — A red wine grape bred in the Czech Republic.
Similar
🍇 St. Laurent · 🍇 Blauer Portugieser · 🍇 Kadarka · 🍇 Muscat Ottonel · 🍇 Hárslevelű · 🍇 Furmint
Sources
- Statistik Austria: Weingartengrunderhebung 2020 — Rebsorten nach Bundesländern (ha)
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Zweigeltrebe blau
- eAmbrosia — technical file: PDO «Neusiedlersee» (Ares(2011)1305814)
- OIV Focus 2017: Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties
- VIVC: area statistics ZWEIGELTREBE BLAU
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (grape varieties on labels)
- Simons C.T. Left out in the cold: Serving wines chilled. Temperature, 2019
- Purdue Extension FS-58-W: Wine storage