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The red André tastes of cherry, elderberry, some herbs and pepper. It has fruit, a compact body, good acidity and soft tannins. But hardly anyone knows André. Because the turmoil of contemporary history and coincidence are the only reasons why it grows today on the slopes between Freyburg and Naumburg in the Saale-Unstrut region. Not because winegrowers chose it. Not because it might fit well into marketing plans. Not because analysts recommended it. It came out of necessity and is still there: four estates in the region grow it on just under four hectares; the Freyburg Winegrowers' Association markets it as a regional speciality.

The André on the vine: Dense% compact umbels with high yields

The story begins in 1961, in socialist Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. At that time, a viticultural engineer at the vine school in the Moravian town of Velke Pavlovice crossed Blaufränkisch with St. Laurent and had the result entered in the variety book in 1980 as "André"; named after the biologist and educator Carl Friedrich André from Brno. The new variety originated from the same parent vines as Zweigelt from Austria: St. Laurent and Lemberger. However, the father and mother vines are interchanged; and this subtle difference has produced a completely different character from that of Zweigelt. The variety developed well in the climate of the Moravian region and was soon planted in the Slovakian wine-growing region of Modra. Some time ago, a cycle path in Moravia was even named after it

The André's journey to East Germany began in the winter of 1986/87, the most catastrophic winter in the history of winegrowing in the GDR: frosts as low as minus 40 degrees caused the vines to freeze to death in rows. "Of 5,000 Müller-Thurgau vines on one of our slopes, eight still sprouted in the spring," recalls André Gussek of Winzerhof Gussek, cellar master of the Volkseigenes Guts Naumburg from 1982 to 2002. The few farms with around 480 hectares of vineyards were unable to recover on their own. Post-war viticulture did not begin here again until 1964; before that, the state leadership imported wine from the brother countries via socialist barter economy. New vines were urgently needed, but there were very few nurseries in the GDR. There was no plan for vines. So things looked bad.

Vineyard location with a view of Naumburg Cathedral: The André planting in Naumburg Steinmeister

A discussion at the highest political level saved GDR viticulture - and brought the red André to the slopes of the Saale and Unstrut. The painter Willi Sitte from nearby Halle, who was respected in the GDR and was after all a member of the Central Committee, "personally persuaded Erich Honecker to provide one million hard D-marks to buy new vines," reports Gerald Lange, managing director of the Freyburg winegrowers' cooperative. Thus, thousands of vines of different grape varieties came into the country from the West via neutral Austria; but also André from Modra in Slovakia. "No one considered whether the varieties were a perfect match. The farms took almost everything they could get. After all, viticulture was at its end," Lange recounts. There was only one good reason for the André: it is very frost-resistant.

"We knew the André from our visits to the Czech Republic; it was really excellent there," recalls André Gussek. But his own first attempts were not very encouraging: the first vintages tasted scratchy, with 14 to 16 grams of acidity. "That was disillusionment," the former estate cellar master recounts. The yields were far too high and the very late-maturing variety is also heavily dependent on autumn weather. "There were hardly two subsequent years in which we had a similar quality," he adds, "but when the André can ripen, it is a fantastic wine. At the time, one thing was underestimated: Moravia has similar climatic conditions to Baden. Saale-Unstrut does not.

Production Manager of the Freyburg Winegrowers' Association: Hans Albrecht Ziegler
Today, the André has reached a constant level. "We age it in steel tanks as well as in large wooden barrels and give it at least one year," explains Hans Albrecht Ziegler, production manager at the Freyburg Winegrowers' Association. A lot of care, gentle treatment and yield reduction make it a wine with an almost Mediterranean character. Frank Becker, head of viticulture at Landesweingut Kloster Pforta, confirms this: "Barrique is good for it; you just have to have a knack for the right combination. It gives it the necessary slap on the butt," he muses. And the André is storable: A 1992 Großjenaer Blütengrund from Kloster Pforta is voluminous, with elderberry and cherry - and a Bordeaux-like acidity structure that will remain compact for the next ten years

Daniel Kittel expands André at the Herzer winery
The Naumburg winery Herzer also still has André on its wine list. However, the variety was not planted with deliberation here either. It was simply there: when the estate was able to take over some land at the Naumburger Steinmeister from the state, Andre had already been planted on 1.2 hectares. "You have to reduce the yield a lot and not overtax the vines," reports Daniel Kittel, the person responsible for viticulture at the family estate. He vinifies it in steel tanks - and also presses it as a semi-dry Weissherbst with 15 grams of residual sugar. But now it is called Rosé, because "that suits André much better," Kittel says, laughing. The André Rosé develops fresh, fruity strawberry, apple and redcurrant notes with good body and fine acidity - a nice terrace wine. "It has become a real insider tip," Kittel says happily.

Shortly after reunification, things were not good for the red André. According to EU law, the variety was now an illegal immigrant. There was no variety approval; only a transitional arrangement saved the stock. Around 2003, the Freyburg winegrowers' association was also so dissatisfied with the results that they wanted to tear out the vines. Again, it was chance that saved the André. Heinz von Opel, then president of the VDP Rheinhessen and owner of the Schloss Westerhaus winery, gave a lecture in Freyburg. He convinced those in charge to try again with improved methods. André was allowed to stay.

Today, a total of just under four hectares are still planted with the red vine. "We want to continue building it up as a regional red rarity," explains Gerald Lange, "after all, it doesn't exist anywhere else in Germany." Currently, the farm produces around 6,000 bottles a year, which Georg Lange says are mainly bought by customers from the region. Tourists often discover the wine by recommending it and tasting it.

Now the winegrowers' association is already having new vines bred by a refiner in Rheinhessen, because EU law prohibits imports. The new vines are to be planted in 2009. And a small brass memorial plaque on the former Freyburger Rebschule, which is now a hotel, recalls Willy Sitte's conversation with Honecker

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