Gober & Freinbichler, 'Chill', Red Blend

For the past twelve months, no wine trend has been more dominant among younger drinkers than the rise of chillable reds. At restaurants, wine bars, and backyard dinners around the globe, the new generation has gravitated toward reds that are lighter on their feet, lower in alcohol, vivid in fruit, and refreshing enough to drink straight from the refrigerator. The best examples are not merely conventional red wines served cold; they are conceived from the beginning around brightness, perfume, low tannin, and sheer drinkability. Gober & Freinbichler’s 2024 “Chill” captures the excitement of this moment perfectly. It is juicy, buoyant, with dark berries, tart cherries, herbs, and peppery spice carried across the palate by brisk acidity. Every sip disappears just as the next becomes necessary. Be careful - it’s almost dangerously easy to drink.

Gober & Freinbichler is the small Horitschon estate of Dominik Gober and Gerald Freinbichler, two friends who founded their winery after years of working together in Burgenland and abroad. Their project began with a determination to produce authentic, site-conscious Blaufränkisch by hand, and the quality of that work was recognized early: Gault & Millau named them its Austrian “Discovery of the Year” in 2019. Although “Chill” is their most immediately playful wine, it comes from a producer whose reputation rests upon precise, highly serious expressions of Blaufränkisch from Horitschon and neighboring Neckenmarkt. This distinction matters. The wine’s charm is not the result of careless winemaking or an attempt to follow fashion, but of two accomplished growers deliberately applying their understanding of freshness, tannin, and regional varieties to a lighter form of Burgenland red.

Horitschon and Neckenmarkt lie in Mittelburgenland, the warm, continental heartland of Austrian red wine. The region is shaped by the Pannonian climate arriving from the east, but its vineyards are far from geologically uniform. Horitschon is dominated by deep clay and loam soils with substantial iron content and excellent water retention, conditions that allow Blaufränkisch to retain finesse and acidity even in warm years. Neckenmarkt, situated along the southern slopes of the Ödenburg Mountains, is far more varied: deep loam in some sectors gives way to schist, gneiss, and isolated limestone-rich sites farther west. This combination of warmth, cooling influences, and diverse soils explains why Mittelburgenland can produce reds with ripe fruit and generosity without sacrificing the peppery freshness and structural energy central to Blaufränkisch.

The 2024 “Chill” is composed of 40% Zweigelt, 40% Merlot, and 20% Blaufränkisch from organically farmed vineyards around Neckenmarkt. Zweigelt provides the wine’s exuberant cherry and dark-berry fruit; Merlot fills out the middle palate; and Blaufränkisch contributes the acidity, herbal spice, and light structural grip that prevent the wine from becoming simple fruit juice. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with native yeasts, and the wine is raised in stainless steel rather than oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur. Intracellular fermentation is used for a portion of the fruit, emphasizing fragrance and juiciness, while a meaningful portion is fermented conventionally to preserve enough texture and structure. At approximately 11.5% alcohol, the finished wine has real vinous substance, but virtually none of the heaviness associated with more extracted warm-climate reds.

Served properly chilled at approximately 50°F in a medium Burgundy stem, “Chill” offers vivid aromas of black cherry, wild strawberry, plum skin, violet, cracked pepper, and fresh herbs. The palate is light-bodied and energetic, with crunchy red and black fruit framed by bright acidity and only the gentlest suggestion of tannin. Blaufränkisch supplies a savory, peppery finish that becomes more articulate as the wine gradually warms in the glass, while Zweigelt preserves the almost irresistible impression of biting into perfectly ripe, chilled cherries. This is an ideal companion to grilled bratwurst with mustard, sauerkraut, and warm potato salad: the wine’s acidity cuts through the sausage’s richness, its cold fruit cools the salt and smoke of the grill, and its peppery herbal character engages naturally with the mustard and caraway. The pairing is casual, regional in spirit, and profoundly satisfying—exactly the kind of food and wine combination that explains why chillable reds have moved from passing fashion to an enduring category of their own.