Sankt Laurent will leave the glass and seduce with intensity

The rise and rise of styles of wine like rose or varieties like Pinot Noir has coincided with many wine drinkers tiring of big, rich, high alcohol wines.

While they still have their place, particularly at this time of year in the depths of winter, they can become a bit too much after a glass or two and struggle as a partner to meals.

Pinot Noir has firmly established itself as the light red of choice, but sitting behind Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot in terms of consumption; however, for the diehards who have been drinking Pinot for years or decades now, alternatives can be a challenge to find.

Often it will be a case of looking towards cooler climate examples of other common varieties, while this is a great hunting ground for different expressions of varieties such as Cabernet or Shiraz, they don’t tend to find their natural homes as light, delicate wines.

While you may not have tried many, if any, Austrian wines, their native grape varieties are perfect examples to explore for a lighter style of red.

In no small part because of the cool climate and varieties that share both style and parentage with Pinot Noir; the three principal red varieties of Austria being Blaufrankisch, Sankt Laurent and Zweigelt.

Blaufrankisch
Shares a parent with Pinot Noir (Gouais Blanc) and is often the most “serious” red in Austria. The common thread through these varieties is vibrant acidity, which can help to give the wines great aromatic expressiveness and lively fruit flavours. In this case you will see more spice and little pepperiness that you won’t normally see in a Pinot Noir. Depending on the particular wine, Blaufrankisch may also have a little more body and tannin than most Pinot Noir, but the lively bramble and berry fruits will still jump out of the glass at you.

Sankt Laurent
While this variety may taste the closest to Pinot Noir, it doesn’t share any genetic connection. Often a little fuller feeling than Pinot, the great appeal of Sankt Laurent lies in the super silky, soft texture combined with fresh red and dark berries alongside some subtle floral notes and a touch of pepper from time to time. It will jump out of the glass at you with its aromatic intensity and seduce you with its texture.

Zweigelt
A cross between Blaufrankisch and Sankt Laurent, this grape is the most widely planted red in Austria and is often seen as a simpler, easy going light red. Often compared to Gamay, this may be more to do with the winemaking technique than the grape itself. There is plenty of spice, raspberry and cherry. While it may not have the seductive texture of Sankt Laurent or the structure of Blaufrankisch, it can be a lovely uncomplicated light red for drinking without too much contemplation.

Rosi Schuster Sankt Laurent 2016 – $32
Now run by the second generation, the estate has around 11 hectares under vine which have begun moving towards organic viticulture over the course of nearly a decade now. While they make exceptional quality reds across their range, it was the Sankt Laurent that first caught my attention. Such a good example of how effortlessly delicious this variety can be. Red and black cherries supported by subtle pepper and spice. The structure feels fine and delicate, just helping to frame the wine. It is not a wine that needs a lot of complexity, it relies on the purity of the fruit, the silkiness of its texture and persistence of flavour.