Josef “Pepi” Umathum is one of Austria's best-known - and best - producers. His family vineyards are In the Burgenland growing district called Neusiedlersee (Lake Neusiedl), very near Austria’s border with Hungary. 2014 was a challenging vintage, so he decided to bottle his best blaufränkisch vineyard, Kirschgarten, separately and label it simply “Burgenland”. The wine aged for a year in used, larger oak barrels. This is 10-year old blaufränkisch from one of the variety’s great producers, and at entry-level pricing! Plus, it has the smart glass stopper; click it up with your thumb. Fallen fall fruits, autumn leaves, seductive maturity. Drink it with mushrooms, meat stew, or to impress your friends with a decade-old, fully-alive wine that doesn’t cost a fortune.
