Blaufränkisch: A spicy red

Get past the umlaut, and there’s a lot to like these days in a glass of blaufränkisch, said Eric Asimov in The New York Times. Grown mostly in Austria, the blaufränkisch grape creates a peppery red wine that can be “graceful yet intense, complex yet refreshing.” Five years ago, the blaufränkisch wines that crossed the Atlantic were “stolid wines of little grace.” Not anymore.

2008 Weninger Mittelburgenland ($21). A great value, this “graceful and harmonious” wine offers “bright aromas” and flavors of fruit, flowers, and spice.

2009 Markowitsch Carnuntum ($19). “Savory, with lovely flavors of berries and minerals.” This wine’s light body is “typical of the Carnuntum style.”

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2008 Wenzel Neusiedlersee ($25). “Complex and textured,” with “flavors that linger long after the wine leaves the mouth.”