From chalk-clay soils on gentle slopes around Welgersdorf, Schiefer’s inaugural 2006 Blaufrankisch Konisberg represents a very small lot intended to fill the need for something simpler, less expensive, and suitable for restaurants to pour, but judging from the results, it is impossible – at least in 2006 – for him to render anything less than impressive wine. Fresh, tart blackberry, cherry, and raspberry fruit absolutely stain the palate, and offer a clear window onto iris-like floral perfume, black pepper, crushed stone, salt, and toasted nuts. This finishes with an invigorating sense of energy and refreshment. While intended for youthful drinking, no one can say how it will evolve in bottle. Surely, though, it can be enjoyed for at least 3-4 years. I wrote extensively in issue 177 about Uwe Schiefer and his remarkable and distinctive Blaufrankisch from the once-famous Eisenberg area on the Hungarian border in South Burgenland. His 2006 collection almost certainly represents the best of his eight to date, hence some of the most exciting red wine ever produced in Austria. Despite his relatively brief history, Schiefer’s conception of Blaufrankisch as a wine with site-sensitivity and finesse comparable, and best handled in a manner akin to that of Burgundian Pinot Noir and not a wine of, as he puts it, “tannin and power,” or one best marked by small toasty barrels, has begun to resonate within Austria, not least in the exciting Moric wines of Roland Velich (the 2006s of which are reviewed in this report).Importer: Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800