Pittnauer Pitti 2016

If the Hammer Horror studios had made a film about wine it might have starred Zweigelt. A hybrid of the Blaufrankisch and St. Laurent grapes, it was created in Austria's Klosterneuburg wine research facility in 1922 by one Dr. Zweigelt, presumably on a stormy night surrounded by blue-sparking science things!

Thankfully it escaped Vincent Price and is now starring alongside Julie Andrews, having become Austria's most popular and widely-grown red grape variety. It also makes up the larger part of this juicy, tangy, herb-driven red, as pleasing drunk on its own as it would be with most simple game dishes.

Gerhard Pittnauer started working in his family's 3.8 ha vineyard in Gols, Burgenland, when he left school at 16, in 1981. He started running the estate at 27, along with his wife Brigitte, some years after the death of his father, and in 1998 they joined Pannobile, a noted group of Austrian winemakers. An impressive winery was designed and built in the middle of the grounds in 2001, and both quality and quantity took a major leap forward. In 2006 the Pittnauers began the conversion to biodynamic viticulture, their first certified vintage arriving in 2009. Today, Weingut Gerhard and Brigitte Pittnauer is a rising star in the Austrian wine firmament, Gerhard receiving the prestigious Winemaker of the Year award from Falstaff magazine.

The Pittnauers farm their estate in accordance with biodynamic principles, while fruit bought in from outside the estate will come variously from biodynamic, organic or conventional vineyards. They have a spontaneous and flexible approach to winemaking, seeking to make honest wines reflecting the quality of the fruit, rather than aiming for a standardised perfection from one year to the next. They do not use a lab, decisions instead being made on tasting rather than analysis. No selected yeasts are used, no enzymes or bacteria added, and the wines are neither chaptalised nor fined.

The grapes for Pitti are hand picked and fermented in stainless steel, with regular pumping over to break up the cap. Malolactic conversion and a 15-day maceration take place in the tank, and the wine is aged for six months, some of it in stainless steel, some in used barriques. Designed for immediate pleasure, with floral notes on the nose and touches of red fruit and dried herbs on the savoury palate. It can be enjoyed on its own and would suit most simple game dishes.