The Austrian viticultural expert Professor Dr Fritz Zweigelt (1888-1964) studied natural science in Graz and later habilitated at the Vienna University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences. In 1912 he joined the Klosterneuburger Weinbauinstitut (Lower Austria), later became director of the institute and held this position until 1945. He was also very active in the fight against direct carriers and hybrids. He is considered a scientist of merit in the field of grapevine breeding, but came under heavy criticism after the end of the war in 1945. As a convinced National Socialist, he joined the NSDAP, which was banned in Austria at the time, as early as 1933 and became known for inglorious statements and actions. After the war he was classified as a "fellow traveller" and was not prosecuted. Fritz Zweigelt was very active as a journalist and published over 500 papers. His name is inseparably linked with the new Zweigelt variety (picture), which he created and named after him.
In this context, he said: "The fact that there is a Zweigelt grape arouses mixed feelings in me - on the one hand, the hope that it will probably outlive me and, on the other hand, the hope that many a person will become intoxicated with this wine, just as I became intoxicated at the time with the joy of the successful breeding. Due to its role in the Third Reich, there have been and still are discussions about changing the name of the variety, but this is difficult due to the established name. In the meantime, some winegrowers in Austria offer the variety again as Rotburger. Other new varieties from it are the less successful Blauburger, Goldburger and Jubiläumsrebe. In Langenlois(Kamptal), his great-grandson Thomas Leithner runs a winery and also cultivates the Austrian grape variety created by his great-grandfather there.
Portrait: NOEN (Niederösterreichische Nachrichten)
Grape: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
