Pressure is growing in Austria to change the name of a world famous grape variety christened after the Nazi vintner who developed it.
The Blauer Zweigelt (Blue Zweigelt) grape variety was introduced in Austria by wine merchant Fritz Zweigelt in 1922.
Zweigelt developed the new red grape variety at the Federal Institute for Viticulture in the Austrian town of Klosterneuburg after crossing the St. Laurent with Blaufrankisch grapes.
Fritz Zweigelt initially named his grape the Rotburger, but 11 years after Zweigelt’s passing in 1964, the grape was renamed in his honour.
The purple-coloured variety with its distinctive blackberry and cherry aroma went on to become Austria’s most planted grape and is also grown in neighbouring Hungary and Czech Republic, and even as far as Canada.
However, the author and artists’ interest group IODE (Institute without Direct Characteristics) has called upon Austrians to rally behind a name change for the national grape.
According to the group, a name change for the red grape is long overdue as founding father Fritz Zweigelt was an infamous Nazi.
IODE said “a sad truth became visible” when the grape was renamed in Zweigelt’s honour, and blasted the Austrian wine industry for being silent about its Nazi link.
Zweigelt became a member of Adolf Hitler’s NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) in 1933 when the party was still banned in Austria.
When Nazi Germany annexed Austria on 12th March 1938, Zweigelt became the director of the school of viticulture at Klosterneuburg Abbey.
During his tenure, he reportedly delivered a student named Josef Bauer, who was a member of a local resistance group, to the Gestapo.
The IODE said that Zweigelt was an “ardent Nazi” while slamming the continued awarding of the Dr. Fritz Zweigelt Prize as “baffling”.
According to Robert Streibel, historian and author of the book ‘Wine of Oblivion’, there still needs to be a public debate on Zweigelt’s historical role.
He said that Zweigelt is “certainly not a person who should have a wine named after them”.
In the year of Austria’s annexation, Zweigelt reportedly made an antisemitic statement saying that “the evil dream is scared away by the threatening steps of German soldiers”.
Zweigelt added: “Jewish speculative spirit is now forever deprived of our soil.”
After World War II, Zweigelt was imprisoned on incitement charges but was eventually released after six months.
In a letter to the initiators of the name-change campaign, the managing director of Austria Wine Marketing, Wilhelm Klinger, asked for a factual approach to the topic.
Klinger said that although they do not want to sweep the matter under the carpet, not many facts are currently known about Zweigelt’s past.
So far two vintners, Friedl Umschaid and Maximillian Brustbauer, have said they will back a name change and will market the grape variety under the name Blauer Montag (Blue Monday).
The Vindobona Cafe in Vienna’s 20th district will be the first to officially serve wines of the Blue Monday grape variety from February 2019.
They will also give wine lovers a historical explanation about the grape’s controversial origins when they order a glass of Austria’s trademark red.
Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
