While Grüner Veltliner has experienced an up-and-down popularity with American wine drinkers, Austrian red wines have struggled to find love, and remain relatively obscure. Certainly, you’ll see ageworthy Blaufränkisch on more contemporary wine lists, and a good wine bar may offer an entry-level Austrian red by the glass. But there’s rarely much buzz, and little understanding or interest outside the wine-geek bubble. Every time it appears that Blaufränkisch is poised to step into the mainstream spotlight, something seems to hold it back.

This is a shame. I believe that Blaufränkisch—a cool-climate red with relatively low alcohol levels, not too oaky, incredibly food-friendly—personifies what it means to call a wine “drinkable.” I’m baffled that more people have not embraced it.

But I’m biased. The title of my book on obscure wines, Godforsaken Grapes, takes its title from the great Robert Parker, Jr., who declared Blaufränkisch (among other varieties) a “godforsaken grape.” Parker asserted that Blaufränkisch was a grape that “in hundreds of years of viticulture, wine consumption, etc.” has “never gotten traction” because it has been “rarely of interest.” Blaufränkisch, one of my favorite grapes, was the impetus to write the entire book.

For starters, this notion that Blaufränkisch has always been obscure is not quite true. The word Blaufränkisch—literally “blue Frankish”—dates to the Middle Ages, when Charlemagne was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, ruling Europe in the eighth century from what is now Aachen, Germany. Fränkisch was a term of quality, differentiating it from things that were Heunisch (“from the Huns”), a pejorative describing anything from the eastern Slavic lands. Later, in the 12th century, Hildegard of Bingen, the famous German nun and mystic, wrote that wines such as Blaufränkisch were stronger than Heunisch wines, and had an effect on the motion of the blood. All of which means that Blaufränkisch was considered a “noble grape” by a powerful monarchy—much earlier than either Pinot Noir in Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux.

While Blaufränkisch can also be found in Germany (where it’s called Lemberger) and in Hungary (where it’s called Kékfrankos), its greatest expression comes from the schist and limestones soils of Burgenland, particularly in the subregions of Leithaberg, Neusiedlersee, and Mittelburgenland.

I moderated a panel earlier this month at Rockefeller Center in New York City, at the natural-wine fair Karakterre, on “The Many Faces of Blaufränkisch.” I was joined by four top Blaufränkisch producers from Burgenland: Markus Altenburger, Martin Nittnaus of Nittnaus, Stefan Wellanschitz of Kolfok, and Angus Macgregor of Heinrich. They shared some of their excellent wine with us; my tasting notes are below.

Blaufränkisch Tasting Notes

2023 Markus Altenburger "Vom Kalk" ($23)

“Vom kalk” means “from limestone,” and this Blaufränkisch comes from Leithaberg’s soils rich in—well, you can probably guess. Earthy and floral on the nose, with a zingy, happy palate of juicy, tart berry and cherry.

2021 Nittnaus "Elektra" ($30)

Elegant, velvety and dark, with lots of ripe black cherry and plum. Super drinkable and lovely Blaufränkisch at a good price.

2019 Heinrich Leithaberg Blaufränkisch ($30)

Mineral-driven Blaufränkisch: floral, earthy, with great juicy red and black fruit, and underlying pepper and forest floor notes. Complex, and good length.

2019 Kolfok Güterweg Neckenmarkter ($35)

Serious Blaufränkisch from three vineyard sites—one rich in limestone, one rich in slate, and one rich in granite. Fifteen percent whole cluster, and aged for 18 months in a 1200-liter barrel. Bright and elegant, with great minerality. Great fruit and an underlying earthiness, with licorice, pepper, and herb.