Classic Kékfrankos – Steigler Winery

Sopron is somewhat of an outlier compared to other Hungarian wine regions. Lying just across the border from Austria, it shares its viticultural traditions with the Burgenland, the region of which it was once the capital, Ödenburg. Like the Burgenland, its main red grape variety is Kékfrankos (aka Blaufränkisch), which makes up around two-thirds of its vineyard area. Indeed, the city identifies itself so much with the variety, that it has proclaimed itself the Capital of Kékfrankos. The city itself also has an Austrian feel and is home to a kind of wine tavern called Buschenschank not found anywhere else in Hungary. These date back to the 17th century when licenses were given to citizens to serve their own wine in their homes – often in the courtyard but also in the interior in winter. Its vineyards continue towards Rust and many winemakers of Austrian or even Croatian descent.
Sopron lies in the northwest of Hungary, directly on the border with Austria. Its 1,579 hectares of vines are planted on the slopes of the Sopron and Kőszeg Hills and around Lake Fertő, as Neusiedlsee is known in Hungary, at altitudes of 150-400m above sea level.

It is basically a direct continuation of the vineyards around Rust and the Leitha Hills in Austria. Nowadays, Sopron is predominantly a red-wine producing region, where Kékfrankos rules the roost. There are also small amounts of Zweigelt and Cabernet Sauvignon, but these run a distant second and third. Despite its relatively recent fame in the region, Kékfrankos is widely considered native to Sopron; however, it is more likely of Austrian origin. Its Austrian twin is also garnering much of the praise today too, as Hungarian versions are often more austere, lean and less immediately appealing. Sopron’s cool climate and partly calcareous soils typically yield wines dominated by red berry fruit and fresh spiciness with high, dynamic acidity but elegant, restrained tannins as well as somewhat lower levels of alcohol.
The most commonly grown white variety is Zöld Veltelini (aka Grüner Veltliner), which had dominated the entire region at the beginning of the 20th century.