Graue Freyheit 2022

Wine Description for Graue Freyheit 2022 by Heinrich

Colour & Appearance

Radiant rosehip red – a white wine that isn’t one. Brilliantly clear in the glass, the copper-tinged hue immediately reveals the skin-fermented Pinot Gris component. An optical boundary-walker between categories.

Nose

Initially reserved, almost shy. After air and time, lingonberry, white mulberry and rosehip unfold – the aromatics remain deliberately understated, thoughtful, never intrusive. A wine that demands patience and rewards it.

Palate

Here explodes what the nose concealed: juicy fruit meets phenolic structure and herbal discipline. Red apple skin, orange oil, kitchen herbs and rosehip again paint a multi-layered picture. The ripe, expansive acidity lends the wine verticality and impressive length. Refreshing, complex, with that certain „gulp factor“.

Finish

Long and juicy, carried by the fine phenolics from the skin contact period. The herbal spice lingers, the acidity remains present – a finale that invites the next sip.

Terroir & Origin

The grapes come from the crystalline slate and quartzite soils of Joiser Hackelsberg and Windener Spiegel (Pinot Gris) as well as from the limestone and slate-bearing eastern slopes of the Leithagebirge in the top sites Breitenbrunner Edelgraben and Windener Alter Berg (Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay).

Grape Variety & Vinification

Cuvée of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Neuburger. Hand-harvested from late August to mid-September, spontaneously fermented, partly left on the skins for up to two weeks. Aged for 17 months in amphorae and used oak barrels. Moderate alcohol of 12% vol.

Food Pairing Suggestions

Ricotta ravioli in clear paprika consommé, red mullet on saffron fennel or confit rabbit with Piment d’Espelette. The phenolic structure also pairs well with more robust vegetarian cuisine.

Special Features

A wine that defies any categorisation – neither a classical white wine nor an orange wine, but an independent statement. Gernot and Heike Heinrich’s Graue Freyheit is an expression of uncompromising signature and Burgenland terroir diversity.