At A Glance
- **Place:** Andau, Burgenland, Austria
- **Key people:** Hans Schwarz and Michael Schwarz, who took over in 2017
- **Wine to know:** Schwarz Rot 2021
- **Grape:** 100% Zweigelt
- **Cellar marker:** 16 months in equal parts new barrique and used Burgundy barrels
The Producer
Weingut Schwarz is based in Andau, in Burgenland, where Michael Schwarz has led the winery since 2017. Its clearest calling card is Schwarz Rot, a pure Zweigelt shaped by reduced yields, ripe harvesting and long barrel ageing. The result is not a light, early-drinking red: the 2021 has dark fruit, firm tannin and the oak seasoning to carry its 13.5% alcohol without tasting sugary; residual sugar is listed at 1.1 grams per litre.
Place
Andau sits in Burgenland near Lake Neusiedl. The estate describes it as Austria’s warmest place and as having the country’s greatest number of sunshine hours; alongside the lake’s local microclimate, those conditions favour fully ripened Zweigelt. In Schwarz Rot, ripeness shows as black-cherry and dark-berry fruit rather than green herbal notes, while the wine’s dry finish keeps the fruit from becoming jammy.
The regional classification is Neusiedlersee DAC, but Schwarz Rot’s useful point of reference is the grape itself. Zweigelt can offer cherry fruit and lively acidity; here, warm conditions and a deliberately ripe harvest push it toward deeper fruit, fuller body and a sturdier tannic frame.
Soil And Site
The estate identifies primary rock, clay and Leitha limestone among the soils in its Leithagebirge area. Those ground types are not assigned to a named Schwarz Rot parcel, so they are best read as part of the estate’s physical setting rather than a shortcut to a single flavour. Clay can hold water, while rock and limestone add contrast in drainage and rooting conditions; the wine consequence remains a site-and-vintage question, answered here through ripe fruit and a dry, structured red.
Story
Hans Schwarz did not begin as a winegrower. He trained and worked as a butcher, and wine started as a pursuit beside that trade. When wine became his main work, the family’s attention moved toward a named red, Schwarz Rot, whose reduced yields, ripe fruit and barrel ageing established the estate’s most documented style.
Michael Schwarz brought a second route into the cellar. He trained in food technology with a meat-industry focus, studied viticulture, then worked at wineries in Spain, France, Germany and Australia before taking over in 2017. Those experiences sit behind a practical sequence at Schwarz: fruit is cooled after harvest, macerated cold, fermented, then—at least for Schwarz Rot 2021—given substantial time in barrels. The consequence is a wine built from fruit handling and extraction as much as from sunny Andau.
Vineyards And Cellar
For Schwarz Rot, lower yields concentrate the available fruit and ripe picking supplies the dark-fruited core. The family’s refrigerated vehicles, inherited from the butcher business, cool harvested grapes before cold maceration. Cold handling keeps the freshly picked fruit in a controlled state before fermentation, which supports the wine’s violet and cherry perfume before barrel notes enter the picture.
Schwarz Rot 2021 then spent 16 months half in new barrique and half in used Burgundy barrels. New oak contributes spice and a firmer outline; used barrels allow the fruit to remain audible rather than covering it with wood. With ripe Zweigelt underneath, the combination produces body, grip and an oak-spiced finish instead of a simple juicy red.
Wines
The supplied range detail centres on Schwarz Rot 2021, and it is a substantial expression of Zweigelt rather than a catalogue of vineyard names. Its architecture is straightforward: concentrated fruit from reduced yields, ripe harvest fruit, cold maceration, then extended barrique ageing. Black cherry, dark berries and candied violet sit at the fruit end; spice, oak and firm tannin carry the wine through the palate.
The 2021’s 13.5% alcohol and low residual sugar point to a dry red with weight rather than sweetness. Mandarin zest is an important detail among the darker flavours, because it lifts the fruit with a citrus-edged aromatic note. Schwarz Rot therefore works as a full-bodied Zweigelt whose barrel regime is part of the flavour, not merely a production footnote.
In The Glass
Schwarz Rot 2021 opens with black cherry, candied violet and mandarin zest, followed by darker berry fruit and spice. The palate is dry and full-bodied: ripe Zweigelt provides the fruit weight, while the 16 months in new and used barrels adds oak spice and a firm tannic line. Acidity and the citrus-zest note stop the dense fruit from flattening, leaving a savoury, structured finish.
This is a red for food with real texture. The wine’s grip and body suit grilled meat or slow-cooked dishes, while its floral note and dry finish keep it useful beside dishes with herbs or char rather than only rich sauces.
A Bottle To Understand It
Start with Schwarz Rot 2021. It gathers the estate’s central decisions into one bottle: 100% Zweigelt from warm Andau, reduced yields, ripe harvesting, cooled fruit before cold maceration, and 16 months split between new barrique and used Burgundy barrels. Expect black cherry, violet, dark berries, spice and mandarin zest over a dry, full-bodied palate with firm tannin and oak on the finish. It is the clearest bottle for tasting how Schwarz turns ripe Burgenland fruit into a structured red.
Anecdote
Hans Schwarz trained and worked as a butcher, not as a winegrower, and he did not intend wine to become his profession. Wine began alongside the butcher trade, then gradually took more of his time and attention. As the winery became his main pursuit, the butcher shop became a hobby. During that change, Schwarz Rot developed into a cult wine. The family’s earlier trade did not disappear entirely: its refrigerated vehicles are still used to cool harvested grapes before cold maceration, carrying a piece of the butcher business into the handling of the estate’s Zweigelt.
Final Word
Weingut Schwarz is easiest to understand through a dry, barrel-aged Zweigelt from Andau: warm sunshine brings the fruit to ripeness, cold handling preserves its aromatic edge, and long ageing supplies spice, tannin and weight. Schwarz Rot 2021 puts those choices in one dark-fruited, floral glass.