Fritsch Materia Prima 2022

Drink it now or cellar for up to 6 years. Serve chilled. The story of Weinberghof Fritsch begins in World War II when the five year old Karl Fritsch was sent from Vienna to the Austrian countryside to shelter from bombing raids. Captivated by these early experiences, in the 1960s Fritsch founded his own winery in Austria’s Wagram wine region. From the beginning the focus was on quality production and innovation; the estate was one of the first in the region to bottle red wines. Under Karl’s son, also named Karl, the estate has embraced biodynamic agriculture and become a benchmark for innovative and serious Wagram wines. Materia Prima is an interesting blend of Austrian native varieties Grün­er Veltliner and Traminer made in an orange wine style with varying levels of skin contact depending on the character of the vintage. Grapes are harvested by hand for optimal ripeness and quality and fermentation is allowed to happen spontaneously using wild yeasts. The young wine then ages for 12 months in a mix of large neutral wooden barrels and concrete egg-shaped tanks. Expect vibrant freshness and aromatic intensity, with hints of orange zest, white flowers, and spicy ginger over a subtle minerality.