Weingut Frank

Niederösterreich - Austria

The Winery

For ten whole generations, the Frank family has lived and made wine in the charming, northeastern town of Herrnbaumgarten. Planted on gentle slopes above the village, the vines of Harald and Daniela Frank span 23 hillside hectares in one of Austria’s coolest, driest zones. Fortuitously, the vineyards of Weingut Frank also enjoy a bit of extra altitude, which helps maintain the family’s dedication to clean, precise whites and extreme typicity. Plantings range from 180 to 320m, providing cooler nights and often extending the growing season into October. Depending upon the varietal, this elevation really matters. Remarkably, even here in Austria’s far north, there’s a 0.7 degree C difference in median temperature, from the bottom of their hill to the top!

Priding themselves on tradition, Weingut Frank’s production revolves around Grüner Veltliner - a cross between Traminer and St. Georgen and the country’s most telltale varietal. While omnipresent throughout Austria, its spiritual home remains Niederösterreich, to the northeast. (This is where Herrnbaumgarten is located, within the Weinvertal DAC and just 15 minutes south of the Czech Republic.) A prolific varietal, Gruner’s clusters and berries both tend to be large, so vines need to be monitored constantly. To prevent an overly sweet style, it’s all about extra altitude, sharp-eyed harvests, and lower yields. Soil makes a big difference, too. Ideal is ‘loess’ - windblown sediment dating back to the Ice Ages - which the Frank’s vines enjoy in spades higher up on the hill. In the Weinvertal DAC, Gruner has the nickname pfefferl, which translates to "little peppery one", exhibiting the light, spicy notes that derive from loess and help define the region.

Enologist
Harald Frank
Grapes Grown by Winery
Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Zweigelt
Vineyard Size
23.0 ha
Winemaker
Harald Frank
Winemaker Biography
As affable and humble as they come, Harold Frank is one Austrian whose demeanor actually reminds us of the Italians! Gently manning the helm of his family’s ten-generation estate, his joy seems matched only by the caliber and precision of their wines.
Winemaker Generation
10th
AdriaticSea Italy Slovenia Croatia Hungary Slovakia Czech Republic Germany Poland Bosnia &Herzegovina Switzerland Vienna Austria Vienna

Grüner Veltliner, Weinviertel DAC

You want winemaking history? How about 10 generations of single estate, Frank family goodness! In Austria’s Niederösterreich, Harald and Johanna Frank see themselves as equal parts winemakers and caretakers of this legacy. Clean, nuanced, and just a bit spicy, the Frank family’s Weinviertel Gruner is pitch-perfect thanks to low yields, loess soils, and 40+ year-old vines. It’s an exquisitely vertical wine, underpinned with heaping spoonfuls of crushed rock. A gorgeous, streamlined experience.

Color
Pale yellow
Nose
Warm citrus, ripe pear, elderflower, and black pepper
Palate
Nuanced, clean, and spicy, with pitch-perfect typicity
Finish
Bright and satisfying
Vineyard Location
Weinviertel DAC, Niederösterreich
Vineyard Size
7 ha
Varietals List
100% Grüner Veltliner
Farming Practices
Sustainably farmed, including dry-farmed; no pesticides or manmade fertilizers; grapes picked by hand
Elevation
200 m
Soils
Loess (wind-blown sediment from the last Ice Age)
Maturation Summary
In Steel for 5 months and Bottled for 2 months
In Steel
5 months
Alcohol
12.5 %
Acidity
6.0 g/liter
Residual Sugar
1.7 g/liter
Annual Production
42,000 bottles