Grapes: St. Laurent, Zweigelt
Region: Burgenland, Austria
Year: 2020
Price: ~£15 – £20
Purchased from: Decantalo.com here
I really want to tell you about Puszta Libre! I discovered it last year but then of course it sold out, but it is available now. I was going to say, if you turn your nose up at slightly chilled red wine then maybe swerve this one, but I’ve changed my mind. Try this – be a devil – you’ll like it! Never ones to leave me out of trying new food, my parents used to shovel something odd on to a fork and try and convince me, “Go on, try it!” they’d say, waving around something that looked like a piece of snot “You’ll like it!”
“Be a devil” would usually finally do the trick. It’s a habit that I’ve picked up and I’ll keep forever.
Serve Puszta Libre slightly chilled. It’s light and refreshing enough that you could sip as an aperitif and has a zinging acidity that pairs well with food. I found it goes particularly well with pizza night and kitchen disco – which has become somewhat of a Friday night ritual in our home since lockdown began. It stands up to the menagerie of toppings I’ve thrown at it – pepperoni with chopped up birds-eye chillies and olives, or prosciutto and pineapple or the garlicy anchovy one.
Tasting notes: – It tastes like getting a bag of Tangfastics and creating your own special hybrid Haribo by biting a cherry and cola bottle in half and mushing them together. It has big juicy sour cherry flavours with cola. It is very texturally smooth with just a hint of fizz.
Putza Libre is made using biodynamic and organic farming practises, with upmost respect to the environment and no additives. Which in theory means you can drink loads and not get a hangover – WINK!
