The Wine: Giefing’s flagship blend Cardinal has received a number of accolades and established an eminent position in Austria’s gourmet restaurants. The cuvee is 60% Blaufränkisch, 25% Zweigelt und 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes come from the oldest vines (40-50 years old) on the estate. The grape yield is 3,500 kg/hectar. Cardinal is aged 26 months in new oak barriques and unfiltered. Only 4,000 bottles were produced.
Tasting Notes: Deep ruby-red color with tobacco, wood and berry and plum aromas. Well-balanced on the palate with full tannins and a long finish.
Wine Maker: Erich Giefing has come seemingly from nowhere over the last ten years to become one of Rust’s acclaimed producers. The award winning chef Erich Giefing began making wine in 1994, mainly to serve in his acclaimed "Alte Backstube" restaurant in Rust.
Wine Making: The Giefing philosophy is to produce small quantities of the best wines. The Giefing’s great love is their red wines, which have quickly shot to the top ranks in Austria in 1999 and 2000. In the vineyard, each vine is checked frequently from spring to fall to make sure it is growing optimally. Shoots are thinned out and excess grapes removed to obtain a maximum physiological maturity.The time to harvest the grapes is determined according to individual quality criteria. Dense, deep red wine essences with sweet extract are the result of this extreme attention to cultivation.
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