Handwerk Weißburgunder by Stagård – How Important is Alcohol?

Austrian Pinot Blanc has never truly excited me. Even during the “A Glass of Burgenland” event in Vienna in 2024, I had the opportunity to explore several labels of this variety, but I must admit that my experience was disappointing. Too often, Austrian Pinot Blancs seem to lack depth and vitality, appearing flat and uninspiring. The situation improves in Collio, where great producers like Franco Toros manage to give vitality to this delicate variety, but Austrian Pinot Blancs, often from Burgenland, have fewer profiles, even when involving old vines or prestigious areas.

So I didn’t expect much from the Handwerk Weißburgunder (the German name for Pinot Blanc) by Stagård. Also because I know the producer from having tasted his wines often and never been impressed.

This time, however, the bottle hit the mark.

The Weissburgunder Handwerk is a certified organic and vegan wine, and the producer’s desire to position himself in these hip segments is also certified. It is sold at €12.90, which for an Austrian wine is definitely a low price. It is produced with grapes grown on land located at the bottom of the Goldberg hill, near Krems, and characterized by a south exposure and a combination of gravel, loess, and clay soils. The vines are 23 years old, with a winemaking process that includes 24-hour skin maceration and spontaneous fermentation with 10% of the grapes. Analytical data indicate an alcohol content of 12.6%, acidity of 6.9‰, and residual sugar of 6.8 g/l.

Already from here, some considerations arise: the area (that from Kremstal, which also produces their not particularly impressive Pfaffenberg Riesling) is quite prestigious, but the soils at the foot of the hill suggest that these young vines are not exactly in an optimal position. Maceration is a not so common move around here, so we can expect an interesting body. The alcohol content is low while acidity and residual sugar are high, considering that it is a dry white wine.

The wine presented itself as straw yellow with silver reflections. Intense notes of ripe yellow apple and white peach emerged on the nose, accompanied by hints of pear and petroleum. A aromatic power that I didn’t expect! The aroma is rich and almost powerful. In the mouth, the body is dense and velvety, almost oily. The acidity was felt through an initial stimulation of the tongue followed by vigorous waves on the lips and again on the tongue. The wine has a slight sapidity that contributes to giving structure, balancing the low alcohol content. In the mouth, there was a beautiful concentration of fruit and notes of petrol and apple emerged, with a crisp and unexpectedly tropical freshness. The acidity and the taste of apple led to a pleasant, simple, and persistent finish. The wine was easy to drink but never obvious, and it integrated harmoniously with the food (gnocchi with asparagus cream) without overshadowing it.

Not a great wine, therefore, but a respectable aperitif or accompaniment to delicate first courses. A nice drink for a Pinot Blanc that doesn’t have to chase to express itself but offers itself with pleasantness and not obvious characteristics.

Does good wine have to have a lot of alcohol?

The producer demonstrated great wisdom in allowing the grapes to macerate, thus allowing varietal expression and terroir to emerge clearly and crisply. Although a higher alcohol content could have given the wine greater impressiveness, the grapes probably wouldn’t have withstood the leap to “great wine.” In terms of balance, however, the low alcohol content and the intense fruit concentration risked making the wine excessively similar to grape juice. Therefore, maintaining a lively acidity was a clever move, giving the wine the structure, the necessary skeleton to avoid such excess sweetness.

Normally, I prefer wines with a significant alcohol content, typically 13.5% or higher for dry whites. However, over time, I have learned that this is not an absolute requirement. Alcohol can decrease without compromising the overall quality of the wine; indeed, sometimes it can improve it. Reducing the alcohol content can lead to greater pleasantness and drinkability, but it must be compensated by lively acidity and/or a good polyphenolic cage (in whites) and captivating tannins (in reds). In this way, even if the alcohol is less pronounced, other elements like freshness or structure can contribute to maintaining the balance and elegance of the wine.

In essence:

Structure = alcohol + acidity + tannins/polyphenols

With a dramatic decrease in one of the three factors, there must be a corresponding increase in one of the other two. Otherwise, the wine will lose structure and interest.

So, does good wine have to have a lot of alcohol?

No, a good wine does not necessarily have to have a lot of alcohol, but it must have a harmonious balance between the different elements that make up its sensory profile, so when alcohol decreases, acidity and/or tannins/polyphenols must increase. Only in this way will that complexity that we call structure be maintained.

Another Pinot Blanc (not Pinot Blanc) to discover is Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes by Meyer-Fonné, while it’s interesting also the comparison with Haus Klosterberg Pinot Blanc by Markus Molitor.