Frajla Arret

In a Šentjernej local dialect FRAJLA is “a girl with free-spirited views and coquettish behavior.” Our Blaufränkisch FRAJLA is represented as a fox, who is typically associated with cleverness, wit, independence, playfulness and mischievousness. And all listed characteristics we can find in our opaque red wine FRAJLA.

Blaufränkisch is one of the later maturing varieties. We usually harvest it in the middle of October from low yielded vineyards. We carefully pick grapes by hand in small cases to avoid crushing. Mechanical destemming machines do the separation of berries from the stalk. Follows 15 days of maceration at a controlled temperature and then pressing. Fermentation followed by malolactic fermentation and maturation takes place in oak barrels. Filtering takes place before bottling.

The wine is opaque, bluish red color. It has rich fruity aromas similar of various blackberries and cherries. With limited yield, blaufränkisch produces wines of deep intensity that can reflect the terroir. The wines are slim with moderate acidity, soft tannins and well-balanced alcohol.

Vinification:

Hand-picked September 2022

Mechanical destemming machines do the separation of berries from the stalk. After 7 days of fermentation in open-top bins, hand-plunged twice daily, the wine undergoes pressing. Half of it is transferred to stainless steel tanks, while the other half goes into 500L oak barrels to complete fermentation. Following 12 months of maturation, the wine is blended and bottled. Before bottling wine is filtered.

Bottling in December 2023

The full variety of flavors is best when served at 16-18 °C.

Pairing with food: Blaufränkisch’s earthy and spicy notes usually pair excellently with game meats like venison, rabbit, or boar.