BFF
BFF stands for Blaufränkisch Friends Forever, which tells you most of what you need to know about the spirit of the thing. It's made by Joiseph, a natural, low-intervention estate started in 2015 by three friends in Jois, on the shores of the Neusiedlersee in Austria's Burgenland.
This is 100% Blaufränkisch, grown on limestone and schist and made with a deliberately light touch — spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts, gentle extraction, unfiltered, low sulphur, and around 12% alcohol. The result is a crunchy, chillable red rather than the brooding style Blaufränkisch can take. Expect sour cherry and raspberry, a scattering of wild herbs and a little natural-wine funk, all in a pale, light-bodied, refreshing package with barely any tannin. It's the sort of bottle that disappears fast among, well, friends.
Drink it young and cold. This is about immediate pleasure, not the cellar.
How to Serve
Serve well chilled, 11–13°C. Cold is the point with a light red like this; a standard glass, no decant.
Where to Drink It
Newcomer Wines near Dalston, an Austrian-focused bar that would have this by the glass. Or Planque in Haggerston for the wider natural crowd.
Food Pairings
Charcuterie and pickles. Or a schnitzel, in a nod to home.
