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The Zierfandler Grape


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About Zierfandler

(Synonyms: Cilifai, Cilifan, Cirfandli, Cirifai, Cirifai Piros, Cirifan, Gumpoldskirchener, Gumpoldskirchener Spätrot, Gumpoldskirchener Spätroth, Kesoei Piros, Kirmizi Zierfahndler, Nemes Cirfandli, Piros Cirfandli, Piroscirfandli, Raifler, Reifler Rot, Roter Raifler, Roter Reifler, Roter Zierfandler, Roth Hensch, Rother Raifler, Rother Zierfahndler, Rothhinschen, Rothreifler, Rotreifler, Rubiner, Spätrot, Zerjavina, and Zierfandler Rot.)

Background

Map showing the Thermenregion of Austria.

Zierfandler is a white-wine grape originating in Austria’s Thermenregion, just south of Vienna, and that region remains the source of virtually all Zierfandler. The grape is believed to be a naturally occurring cross; it is not recent, but neither is it antique.

Made as a table-wine monovarietal, Zierfandler produces big, strongly flavored wines with “exotic” aromas; they are characterized by high acid levels, which implies good aging potential. (It also implies that they can be made into good-quality dessert wines, and indeed they are.) The table wines made with Zierfandler may be monovarietal, but it is also common to find them blended with Rotgipfler

Factoid: Zierfandler may have been the source for the name used in the U.S. for what was recently found to be the Italian variety Primitivo, that name being Zinfandel; as the grapes (and their wines) are very different, the suspect is some mis-labelled vines shipped from Austria around 1820. (That presumes “Zinfandel” to be a corruption of tzinifándli—or czirifandli—a Hungarian name for Zierfandler.)

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Some Descriptions of Zierfandler Wines

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Some Zierfandlers to Try

(About this list.)

This is yet another good-quality wine with few good s[ecimens that are both reasonably priced and reasonably available in the U.S. In fact, we found but one: and here it is.


Stadlmann “Anninger” Zierfandler
(Stadlmann is an old—1780—house specializing in Rotgipfler and Zierfandler; this is their entry-level Zierfandler bottling.)

• This wine’s Wine Searcher “Reviews” page.
• This wine’s CellarTracker review pages.
• Retail offers of this wine listed by Wine Searcher.
• Retail offers of this wine listed by 1000 Corks.

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For a Splurge

Our nomination is the Stadlmann “Mandel-Höh” Zierfandler, which retails for from about $28 to $44. Note that this is neither their Auslese nor their Trockenbeerenauslause “Mandel-Höh” bottling (those are sweet).

• This wine’s Wine Searcher “Reviews” page.
• This wine’s CellarTracker review pages.
• Retail offers of this wine listed by Wine Searcher.
• Retail offers of this wine listed by 1000 Corks.

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This page was last modified on Sunday, 14 November 2021, at 4:47 am Pacific Time.