2024 Rusterberg Burgenland Zweigelt, Heidi Schröck & Söhne

• Style: Juicy, bright Zweigelt
• Taste: Wild strawberry, blackberry, liquorice with ripe, silky tannins
• Food: Game, venison, duck, grilled meats, hearty stews
• Critic: 94 WS
• Occasion: Weeknight dinner, Sunday lunch
• Serve: 12–16°C, now or keep 3–5 years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Dark ruby pour with aromatic lift from red berries and savoury liquorice thread. The palate builds on wild strawberry and blackberry, underpinned by ripe, velvety tannin structure that balances approachability with serious backbone. Bright, well-judged acidity keeps the wine lively throughout, staying mineral and crisp despite its ripeness—a product of cool nights during the growing season. At 12.5% alcohol and bone-dry (1.9g/L residual sugar), this is a wine built for food and finesse.

The Winery — Heidi Schröck & Söhne

Since 1983, Heidi Schröck has stewarded her family's ten-hectare estate in Rust, Burgenland, five kilometres from the Hungarian border. The vineyard climbs the Ruster Berg slopes, where Lake Neusiedl's amphitheatre effect bathes the vines in exceptional sunlight—more hours than anywhere else in Austria. The soils marry sandy loam with mica-schist and gravel, tended sustainably without herbicides or insecticides. Heidi's twin sons, Johannes and Georg, now partner her in cultivating classic Austrian varieties alongside pioneering revivals of heritage grapes. The 2024 Zweigelt was hand-harvested, destemmed and fermented in stainless steel for twelve days before nine months in used oak—a gentle maturation that adds textural roundness while preserving the fruit.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Serve alongside duck, grilled lamb, venison or hearty game dishes where its silky tannins and savoury depth will flourish. This wine sits comfortably within the broader Burgenland selection and exemplifies the classical Austrian character we've sought across the country. A screwcap keeps it fresh and ready whenever you fancy it—equally at home on a weeknight or as the centrepiece of a Sunday lunch. Vegan-friendly too. Chill to 12–16°C and drink now, or cellar for three to five years to deepen the wine's mineral and tannin complexity.

Explore the cellar: Austria · Burgenland