In present-day Austria Blaufränkisch is the second most important red grape variety after Zweigelt, with 3,340 hectares (8,250 acres) representing 6% of all Austrian plantings in 2008. The vast majority of these plantings are in the Burgenland region of eastern Austria. It is particularly common in Mittelburgenland, with 1,194 hectares (2,950 acres) planted in 2008, an area sometimes given the nickname "Blaufränkischland". The Mittelburgenland is considered ideal for the grape due to the dry warm winds from the east across the Pannonian Plain, and the sheltering influence of the hill regions to the north, south and west of the region.