Christian Tschida, 2018 Non-Tradition Red, Burgenland, Austria
Cab Franc du Jour #111
In most wine circles, Christian Tschida needs little introduction. The fourth generation of his family to farm grapes and make wine, Christian is widely regarded as a father of the natural wine movement in Austria. He took over managing the family’s vineyard parcels at the age of 27 and from the outset charted a markedly unconventional course, making wines in a way that set him distinctly apart from his peers. Based in the town of Illmitz, Christian today farms 14 hectares of parcels dotted around Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, of which 2 hectares are planted with Cabernet Franc.
Cabernet Franc is not an important variety in Austria. The country is primarily a white wine producer, with Grüner Veltliner leading all varieties at just over 14,500ha. Among reds, the early to mid-ripening Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch dominate, with 6,129ha and 2,600ha respectively. Cabernet Franc, by comparison, accounts for a mere 97 hectares in the entire country, of which around 77 hectares are in Burgenland.
With so few plantings and a wealth of indigenous varieties to work with, it takes a particular kind of producer to commit to Cabernet Franc as a single-varietal wine in Austria. In my experience, those who choose to work with the variety when it is far from the obvious path almost always trace the decision back to a Loire Valley encounter or a specific wine that ignites a passion for the grape. That is exactly how it unfolded for Christian Tschida.
On a trip to the Loire in 2007 or 2008, he attended a tasting of 30 vintages of Loire and Bordeaux Cabernet Franc-based wines side by side. It was the Loire wines that spoke to him most deeply, and that tasting became the launching point for everything that followed. Back in Austria, a year or so later, a neighbour mentioned he was unhappy with his old Merlot vines, frustrated that the wine never turned out as he hoped. Christian had a hunch he knew why: his neighbour’s Merlot was almost certainly Cabernet Franc. Being the good neighbour he was, he kindly offered to take the troublesome vines off his hands. It was from this first plot that Christian began vinifying his first Cabernet Franc around 2009.
He no longer works with those particular parcels, but that chain of events launched a serious pursuit of great Cabernet Franc. As he noted in an interview, it took him many years to find his ideal expression of the variety in the glass. The 2015 vintage was the first official release of the Non-Tradition, a name that perfectly captures what this wine represents: a red that goes firmly against convention in Austrian wine. And if making one single-varietal Cabernet Franc in Austria would be a formidable undertaking, Christian goes further still, also producing the reds Kapitel 1, Hokus Pokus, and Engel auf Erden, as well as the rosé Himmel auf Erden, all from 100% Cabernet Franc.
Burgenland and the Sub-Regions of Neusiedlersee and Leithaberg
While much of Austria is considered best suited to white wine production, Burgenland is the undisputed epicentre of Austrian red wine, and several factors explain why. The climate across Austria is broadly continental, but Burgenland’s position on the far eastern edge of the country, sharing its longest border with Hungary, means it receives a stronger influence from the warm air flowing in from the Pannonian Basin to the east, with less cooling influence from the Alps to the west or cold air from the north. The region as a whole enjoys warmer summers and a longer growing season than most of Austria, which is beneficial for ripening longer-season red varieties. Burgenland encompasses several sub-regions, each with its own microclimate and soils, and conditions generally warm as you move south where Mediterranean influence increases.
The fruit for today’s wine comes from vines across three sites, two in the Leithaberg region on the western shore of Lake Neusiedl, and one in the Neusiedlersee region on the eastern shore. The lake itself is a significant climatic influence for both regions. Large and shallow, it heats up quickly in spring and summer and radiates warmth at night, supporting ripening and helping to extend the growing season. The lake’s surface also reflects sunlight into the surrounding vineyards. In the Leithaberg, the vineyards benefit from an additional moderating influence: cool air descending from the Leitha range in the evenings, which helps preserve acidity and maintain finesse in the finished wines. Between the lake’s warming effect and the evening cooling from the hills, the conditions for ripening Cabernet Franc here are well balanced.
Soils differ between the two regions. In the Neusiedlersee, sandy and silty-sandy soils predominate with varying amounts of gravel and occasional pockets of limestone and quartz. In the Leithaberg, the geology is a complex mix of schist and gneiss combined with Leitha limestone, a formation unique to this part of Burgenland.
The Vineyards
The wine is sourced from a selection of approximately 1 hectare across the three sites, with vines averaging around 40 years of age. All three sites carry a predominantly westerly exposure, meaning the vines benefit from the stronger afternoon sunshine. Elevations range from around 117 to 250m above sea level, and the altitude helps ensure that nights stay cool enough to prevent ripening from accelerating too quickly. By all accounts, Cabernet Franc is thriving here. The vineyards are farmed organically with cover crops throughout to maintain soil balance and enhance biodiversity, and Christian is meticulous about the timing of harvest.
In the Cellar
The fruit is hand-harvested and fully destemmed. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast in larger barrels, with a very gentle maceration through infusion over a total skin contact of six weeks. The wine is then aged in neutral Stockinger barrels for approximately two years before bottling unfined, unfiltered, and with no added sulphur.
Wine Details
Producer: Christian Tschida
Region: Burgenland, Austria
Sub-Regions: Leithaberg and Neusiedlersee
Vineyards: Eisner, Thenau, Bimusgrube
Soils: Rocky limestone with schist
Alcohol: 12.5%