Uhudler

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Concord (= Ripatella) grapes just before harvest

Uhudler is a wine from Austria that is mainly produced in southern Burgenland . In appearance it resembles - depending on the type of aging and composition of the varieties - a light red wine or rosé. The wine is made from grapes of different varieties ( Noah , Isabella , Elvira , Concord (= Ripatella) , Clinton and Delaware ) as a cuvée (blend). The bouquet of the Uhudler is extremely intense and is reminiscent of wild strawberries or black currants (currants) , the characteristic taste is referred to as the " fox tone ".

The wine is made from the grapes of hybrid varieties called direct producers . These have good resistance to root phylloxera and certain fungal diseases. Therefore, they hardly need to be treated against downy mildew and oidium .

There are various stories about the origin of the name. One frequently mentioned relates to the fact that many people present dark circles under the eyes on the day after consuming this wine, which make their appearance resemble that of an eagle owl.

Variety characteristics and typicity

The grapes are red and, more rarely, white hybrid varieties that are the result of crosses of the European species Vitis vinifera with the American Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia . Due to the higher pectin content of the fruits, the wine has a slightly higher methanol content, which is not harmful to health, than wine made from European grape varieties. These direct carriers are also known as "Heckenklescher" or "Rabiatperle" in Austria. The Uhudler wines are usually very acidic.

history

The Uhudler first appeared after the large phylloxera infestation around 1860. During this time phylloxera was introduced to Europe and reached Austria around 1870. After the European grape varieties were destroyed by phylloxera, attempts were made to obtain wine in other ways , for example with the help of currant cultivation, which is widely practiced in Lower Austria's Tullnerfeld . At the same time, phylloxera was fought with all possible means (including lead). As a result, phylloxera-resistant grape varieties were imported from America to Europe and crossed with local grape varieties. The Europeans had no choice but to drink this direct producer wine, which by no means corresponded to the usual flavors. It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that grafting was introduced, in which American vines serve as a phylloxera-resistant base and European vines form the fruit-bearing part of the vine.

For a long time, the legend persisted that wine from direct producers contains a high proportion of fusel oils and methanol and is therefore harmful to health. Uhudler was banned for the first time in 1938. In the 1970s, the Uhudler was limited to use as a "house drink " in Austria . Production for personal consumption was allowed.

In the mid-1980s, the term “house drink” was deleted from the wine law as part of the tightening of the Austrian wine law due to the glycol wine scandal , which banned the Uhudler. This fact persisted until the beginning of the 1990s.

During this time, especially in southern Burgenland, thousands of liters of Uhudler were emptied and channeled by winery inspectors. One of the most famous representatives of Uhudler winegrowers at this time is the legendary Heiligenbrunn “Rübezahl” Johann Trinkl, who at the time was committed to preserving this wine as a regional specialty.

Based on the Austrian Wine Law of 1992, Uhudler can now be sold in eight Burgenland communities. This regulation initially applies until 2030 and is then to be replaced by a new wine law in which the direct producer varieties will have to be reassessed.

In November 2015, the Austrian Administrative Court confirmed the legality of clearing notices for newly planted vines. In March 2016, the Burgenland Regional Administrative Court announced a reassessment of several clearing notices for Ripatella vines after a DNA analysis commissioned by the court at the Julius Kühn Institute had shown that the Ripatella and Concord varieties are genetically identical.

By declaring the main varieties as wine, they could be included in the Burgenland wine law. With this resolution of April 13, 2016, the Burgenland state government made it possible to continue growing these vines. For six other secondary varieties, this should still be made possible through the declaration as fruit wine by Parliament.

Since the EU-wide ban on some direct-bearing wines is still restricting the cultivation of Uhudler, MEP Thomas Waitz submitted an application to allow the cultivation of some direct-bearing wine varieties with traditional varieties in some member states, but this initiative was rejected on April 1, 2019 . Uhudler cultivation is therefore only allowed in Burgenland.

literature

  • Walter Eckhart, Robert Sommer : It was phylloxera. The Uhudler legend . Mandelbaum, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-85476-009-4 .
  • Walter Eckhart, Robert Sommer: Uhudler Legende : From the wine of the outlaws to regional delicacies . Mandelbaum, Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-85476-272-0 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Uhudler  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 25. Ordinance of the Burgenland Provincial Government of May 14, 2003, with the provisions of the 2001 Viticulture Act (Viticulture Ordinance) https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Landesnormen/LBG40017820/LBG40017820.pdf
  2. ↑ The story of the Uhudler
  3. ↑ Matthias Düsi: Save the Uhudler! History and legal appreciation of Uhudler wine , July 4, 2015, accessed on October 20, 2016
  4. ↑ Save the Uhudler! ( Memento of May 22, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) in the Wirtschaftsblatt of May 21, 2015, accessed on June 5, 2015.
  5. ↑ Austrian Wine Law
  6. ↑ Uhudler . Entry no. 67 in the register of traditional foods of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism . Retrieved February 14, 2013
  7. ↑ Uhudler: Clearance orders in Burgenland confirmed , accessed on December 2, 2015.
  8. ↑ Der Standard : Uhudler: No obligation to clear Ripatella vines , March 17, 2016
  9. ↑ New law: Uhudler is saved on ORF Burgenland from April 14, 2016, accessed on April 14, 2016.
  10. ↑ No further approval of Uhudler vines , accessed on April 2, 2019.