Cabernet Franc is an age old variety, and evidence suggests similarities of a wild vine, that have been selected and cultivated over time. Cabernet Franc is the third most significant Bordeaux variety, yet it is scarcely cultivated in Austria, with the exception of a small concentration of plantings in Siegendorf.
probably Bordeaux, France
Selected from wild vines
110.63 ha; 0.3% of the total area under vine
Red wine grape variety
Parentage
Cabernet Franc is a very old grape variety. The natural crossing between this grape and Sauvignon Blanc created Cabernet Sauvignon.
Vineyard area
The variety has been approved as an Austrian Qualitätswein variety since 1986, and is most widespread in Burgenland and Wien.
Important ampelographic features
Important ampelographic features
Leaf
five to seven lobes, deeply lobed
Grape cluster
medium-sized, medium density, cone-shaped, with small secondary clusters or none at all; berries are round-to-oval and bluish black in colour
Vine growth over the course of the year
Ripening
Ripening
Significance & conditions
With the exception of large areas under vine in Burgenland, Cabernet Franc is still relatively rare in Austria. This variety, along with Merlot, is used in the Bordeaux blend. It is a robust variety and can grow in meagre soils, but requires well-situated vineyards due to its late ripening.
Area under vine in Austria
(as a proportion of the variety’s total area)
Click on the wine origin in the list for a breakdown into more specific regions of origin.
Total area in Austria:
The Leithaberg and Neusiedlersee wine-growing regions overlap by almost 160 ha (Rieds Hausberg and Neuberg), according to the Austrian Wine Law. This means that the listed area under vine in Burgenland is 160 ha less than the actual total area across all wine-growing regions in Burgenland.
Characteristics of the wine
Characteristics of the wine
Compared to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc produces paler, less dense wines with a more delicate bouquet and body. It is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and matured in barriques. Unripe grapes yield grassy, greenish-tasting wines.
Source varietal specifications: Höhere Bundeslehranstalt und Bundesamt für Wein- und Obstbau (Federal College and Federal Office for Viticulture, Oenology and Fruit Growing) in Klosterneuburg, “Austria’s Qualitätswein grape varieties and their clones“ („Österreichische Qualitätsweinrebsorten und deren Klone“), 2nd, reviewed edition, September 2015
Source area under vine: Calculation by Austrian Wine based on data from BML/IACS (as at 3 July 2024). Moving annual total (MAT) from July 2023 to July 2024.