# Hotrot Red Blend (2022)

- **Producer:** Christoph Heiss
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** St. Laurent, Rotburger, Müller-Thurgau
- **Region:** Niederösterreich, Austria
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.0%
- **Average price:** €15
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, strawberry, cherry, black pepper, herbaceous

## About this wine

Christoph Heiss grew up on his family's winery in Engabrunn, located in Austria's Kamptal region. Following formal oenological studies and cellar apprenticeships in New Zealand, Germany, and South Africa, he returned to convert the family's 12 hectares to organic farming and launch his boutique low-intervention label, Malinga Wines. Hotrot is crafted from organically farmed vineyards planted on loess, loam, and gneiss soils in eastern Kamptal.

## Interesting facts

- Co-ferments red grape varieties with white Müller-Thurgau to create a bright, chillable style.
- The name Hotrot plays cheekily on the Austrian term for red wine, Rotwein.
- Bottled entirely sans soufre with zero added sulfur dioxide.

## Food pairing

This light-bodied, lively red wine shines next to rich, savory, and casual comfort foods. Its vibrant acidity effortlessly cuts through creamy melted cheeses and fried dishes like pork schnitzel, while its low tannin profile and fresh berry brightness harmonize with charcuterie and wood-fired pizza without overpowering delicate flavors.

## Wine making process

Hand-harvested whole clusters of red and white grapes are foot-stomped and co-fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel vessels. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and ages for five months on fine lees in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered with zero added sulfur.