Weingut Frank
Niederösterreich - Austria
The Winery
For ten whole generations, the Frank family has lived and made wine in the charming, northeastern town of Herrnbaumgarten. Planted on gentle slopes above the village, the vines of Harald and Daniela Frank span 23 hillside hectares in one of Austria’s coolest, driest zones. Fortuitously, the vineyards of Weingut Frank also enjoy a bit of extra altitude, which helps maintain the family’s dedication to clean, precise whites and extreme typicity. Plantings range from 180 to 320m, providing cooler nights and often extending the growing season into October. Depending upon the varietal, this elevation really matters. Remarkably, even here in Austria’s far north, there’s a 0.7 degree C difference in median temperature, from the bottom of their hill to the top!
Priding themselves on tradition, Weingut Frank’s production revolves around Grüner Veltliner - a cross between Traminer and St. Georgen and the country’s most telltale varietal. While omnipresent throughout Austria, its spiritual home remains Niederösterreich, to the northeast. (This is where Herrnbaumgarten is located, within the Weinvertal DAC and just 15 minutes south of the Czech Republic.) A prolific varietal, Gruner’s clusters and berries both tend to be large, so vines need to be monitored constantly. To prevent an overly sweet style, it’s all about extra altitude, sharp-eyed harvests, and lower yields. Soil makes a big difference, too. Ideal is ‘loess’ - windblown sediment dating back to the Ice Ages - which the Frank’s vines enjoy in spades higher up on the hill. In the Weinvertal DAC, Gruner has the nickname pfefferl, which translates to "little peppery one", exhibiting the light, spicy notes that derive from loess and help define the region.
- Enologist
- Harald Frank
- Grapes Grown by Winery
- Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Zweigelt
- Vineyard Size
- 23.0 ha
- Winemaker
- Harald Frank
- Winemaker Biography
- As affable and humble as they come, Harold Frank is one Austrian whose demeanor actually reminds us of the Italians! Gently manning the helm of his family’s ten-generation estate, his joy seems matched only by the caliber and precision of their wines.
- Winemaker Generation
- 10th
Grüner Veltliner, Weinviertel DAC
You want winemaking history? How about 10 generations of single estate, Frank family goodness! In Austria’s Niederösterreich, Harald and Johanna Frank see themselves as equal parts winemakers and caretakers of this legacy. Clean, nuanced, and just a bit spicy, the Frank family’s Weinviertel Gruner is pitch-perfect thanks to low yields, loess soils, and 40+ year-old vines. It’s an exquisitely vertical wine, with fruit underpinned by heaping spoonfuls of crushed rock. A gorgeous, streamlined experience.
- Color
- Pale yellow
- Nose
- Warm citrus, ripe pear, elderflower, and black pepper
- Palate
- Nuanced, clean, and spicy, with pitch-perfect typicity
- Finish
- Bright and satisfying
- Vineyard Location
- Weinviertel DAC, Niederösterreich
- Vineyard Size
- 7 ha
- Varietals List
- 100% Grüner Veltliner
- Farming Practices
- Sustainably farmed, including dry-farmed; no pesticides or manmade fertilizers; grapes picked by hand
- Elevation
- 200 m
- Soils
- Loess (wind-blown sediment from the last Ice Age)
- Maturation Summary
- In Steel for 5 months and Bottled for 2 months
- In Steel
- 5 months
- Alcohol
- 12.5 %
- Acidity
- 6.0 g/liter
- Residual Sugar
- 1.7 g/liter
- Annual Production
- 42,000 bottles
Zweigelt Herrnbaumgarten
Try saying “Zweigelt Herrnbaumgarten” 5 times real fast, and you’ll sound like... well, Harald Frank, 10th generation winemaker from Weingut Frank. Located in Austria's NE corner (Niederösterreich), he and his wife, Johanna, manage an estate worthy of the Edelweiss imagery. With an exceptionally dry, cool climate, they produce linear, taut, targeted wines that speak to the morraine (glacial) soil that sits atop a clay-marl base. Here, they present their vibrant Zweigelt, enriched by older vines, an array of bold minerals, and 2-3 extra weeks on vine.
- Color
- Medium ruby
- Nose
- Dark forest berries and black pepper
- Palate
- Juicy, vibrant, and savory, with red & black cassis and fine, faraway tannins
- Finish
- Clean and mouth-watering
- Vineyard Location
- Weinviertel DAC, Niederösterreich
- Vineyard Size
- 5 ha
- Varietals List
- 100% Zweigelt
- Farming Practices
- Handpicking with strict selection, end of September
- Elevation
- 280 m
- Soils
- Clay-rich marl, covered with limestone
- Maturation Summary
- In Steel for 9 months
- In Steel
- 9 months
- Alcohol
- 13.0 %
- Acidity
- 4.6 g/liter
- Residual Sugar
- 1.1 g/liter
- Annual Production
- 6,000 bottles
Frizzante Secco Gruner Veltliner
The global bubbly movement continues! This charming sparkler has all the street appeal of Prosecco, but comes from a tenth-generation producer who has mastered Gruner Veltliner. Farming his vines in the coolest, driest corner of Austria, Harald Frank sets aside a small amount of fruit for this wine (just enough to make a single, small tank). And like everything he produces, this frizzante is bright, clean, and streamlined... in this case with a mid-palate that offers up ripe orchard fruits and springtime blossoms. To say it goes down easy is a serious understatement. Prost!
- Color
- Pale yellow
- Nose
- Orchard fruit and blossoms
- Palate
- Ample, well-rounded weight - but fresh and zippy at the same time
- Finish
- Bright and clean
- Vineyard Location
- Weinviertel DAC, Niederösterreich
- Vineyard Size
- 3 ha
- Varietals List
- 100% Gruner Veltliner
- Farming Practices
- Grapes dry-farmed and picked by hand; certified sustainable; certified vegan.
- Elevation
- 220-280 m
- Soils
- Loess topsoil (wind-blown sediment from the last Ice Age)
- Maturation Summary
- In Steel for 6 months
- In Steel
- 6 months
- Alcohol
- 12.0 %
- Acidity
- 6.5 g/liter
- Residual Sugar
- 2.1 g/liter
- Annual Production
- 7,000 bottles
Rose Herrnbaumgarten
From one of the coolest and driest growing zones in Austria, this crowd-pleasing, European-style rose hits on all cylinders: a pleasing pink hue, ample red berry on both the nose and palate, clean structure, and a balanced finish. Crafted by tenth-generation producer Harald Frank and his family, this small batch wine rarely makes it all the way to this side of the Atlantic! Primarily a blend of Zweigelt - the country's zingy, mainstay red variety - and Pinot Noir, it's the perfect weave of the exotic and the familiar.
- Color
- Pale bright pink
- Nose
- Ripe cherry and strawberry
- Palate
- Fresh raspberries and a faraway hint of lime
- Finish
- Clean, balanced, and food-friendly
- Vineyard Location
- Weinviertel DAC, Niederösterreich
- Vineyard Size
- 3 ha
- Varietals List
-
45% Zweigelt
45% Pinot Noir
10% Merlot - Farming Practices
- Grapes dry-farmed and picked by hand; certified sustainable; certified vegan.
- Elevation
- 212 m
- Soils
- Limestone (Pinot) and Loess (Zweigelt and Merlot)
- Maturation Summary
- Bottled for 3 months
- Alcohol
- 12.0 %
- Acidity
- 5.9 g/liter
- Residual Sugar
- 5.2 g/liter