Gruner Veltliner

[Liza]

So we're beginning to work on defining our wine palates and have found Gruner Veltliners to be very matchable with what we cook. We've enjoyed Alzinger and Hirsch especially, and wonder if other Egulletarians can point us in some promising directions.

[Andy Lynes]

My favourite is Gruner Veltliner Smaragd 1997 Terrassen Thal Wachau, Freie Weingartner Wachau Austria. Its a whacking 14.5% with great weight and flavour. La Pont De La Tour wine shop in Shad Thames London stock it for around £10.00 a bottle.

[Steve Klc]

Liza--our default Gruner Veltliner is Berger in a nice liter bottle.  A very affordable, under $10, estate bottled Therry Theise selection imported by Michael Skurnik Wines of Syosset, NY.

In general, when in doubt, go with Therry Theise and Michael Skurnik Wines.

[Liza]

Yes, master.

[Steve Klc]

Check out the wine list at Gramercy Tavern--last time I was there Paul Grieco had several gruner veltliners and I remember a few good ones on the Union Pacific list, too.

[tommy]

talk to me.  what be this wine.  a varietal?  acidic?

[Liza]

It's a white from Austria and it goes terrifically with asparagus. Honest.

[mogsob]

Think riesling, only a bit more aromatic.  The best GVs come from Austria, namely the Wachau, Kremstal, and Kamptal regions (the first being by far and away the best).  Keep an eye out for the following producers:

Brundlmayer (the best, IMHO)

Knoll

Sepp Moser

Nikolaihof

F.X. Pichler (a GT regular)

Prager

Schloss Gobelsburg

[tommy]

oddly enough, after i asked, i check a few of my wine books.  it seems that i have been reading about them, and presumably skipping over them, for years now.  something new to try!  tanks.

[Liza]

We just did an informal GV tasting, with the guidance of Glenn at Crossroads Wines, the self-styled Mr. Gruner.

We started with our best of show, the Heiligenstein 2000, for $21.99 at Crossroads in NYC. First sniffs of yogurt, or lactated milk, which was surprising. Then the floral, and citrus hits you, rounding out very lengthily with a long finish of caramel / toffee.

The Loibner GV, 2000 Federspiel came up short, with no finish at all. Very green, very mineral, what we thought of as very quick.

The Weininger Vienna GV 1999, Leicht & Trocken, was very tight, and minerally.Tangy was the word we both came up with.

We ate curried mussels and a farmer's market salad of purslane, amaranth and smoked trout which could have influenced our tastings, but we were really blown away by the Heiligentstein.

[Bux]

I know almost nothing about these wines, but they seem to be very food friendly. I've had them in restaurants on the sommelier or wine steward's advice and enjoyed them. Blue Hill comes to mind, as well as Cafe Boulud, but at the latter, they were recommended by Steven Beckta who is now at Eleven Madison Park.

[joans]

I work at Astor Wines. We have a great selection of Gruners (I especially love the 2000 Rudi Pichler) and even an Austrian Gewurz that is one of the best I've tasted.

[Liza]

Glad to hear that, Joans -  I'll be sure to come round and do another tasting from Astor!

[Liza]

I've been incredibly remiss, and haven't posted about the wines Joan turned me onto at Astor. I have those notes somewhere....

Sunday, we had a GV from Sommer, a Wine Avenger wine sold at Nancy's on 75th and Columbus. Incredible nose of canteloupe, a little vanilla. Looooonng finish, slightly mineraly, but full in the mouth and just lovely. And for $10.99 each, lots of bang for the buck.

[tommy]

Sunday, we had a GV from Sommer, a Wine Avenger wine sold at Nancy's on 75th and Columbus. Incredible nose of canteloupe, a little vanilla. Looooonng finish, slightly mineraly, but full in the mouth and just lovely. And for $10.99 each, lots of bang for the buck.

ahhh.  my favorite store.  

[Liza]

Doncha love the old copies of Saveur for sale?

[Steve Klc]

Liza, thanks for reporting back on your baby steps.  Keep those Gruner veltliner reports coming.

[Liza]

Tried the Nigl GV, Kremser Freiheit 2001. Notes say: "a light effervescense. Very much in the front of the mouth with feel, floral, slightly sweet. Nice little unobtrusive number for the Pinot Grigio set..."

Brundlemayer Langenloiser Berg Vogelsang GV 2000 "smells sweeter than it is. Apples, limes on the loooong finish. Springtime in a glass."

Schloss Gobesburg 2000, Gobelsburger Steinsetz: "D. says 'weedier' than other GVs. Not as floral as the comparing Rudi Pichler, but maybe a little smokier."

[Robert Nesta Marley]

can i say that i just joined egullet and my first instinct was to start a gruner conversation?? i just tasted the 2001 set (at a thiese tasting) against 2001 selections from germany (rieslings, etc), and although some of the gruners were a little tight (namely nigl--a bit disappointing now), they were really upstaging even some of the german TBAs & other traditionally impressive stuff. incredibly aromatic offerings from brundlmeyer (as opposed to the 2000 vintage; fine but not as aromatic), and HEIDLER, a completely organic operation that's very eco-conscious, is really slamming right now, but if you can find their "maximus" bottling, especially the 1999, pay the $30. it'll be the best $30 you've spent in a while. i'm serious. lush parsnip, creamy vegetal bouquet but there's violet and honeysuckle there, too.... i could smell that wine all day. very special bottle i got at prospect wines in brooklyn. this will stand proudly next to a condrieu, maybe not cuilleron but lys de volan definitely. but buy 2001 gruner!!!!!!!!!!!

p.s. nigl old vines (alte reben) 2001 was also yummy. more botrytis-influenced, creamy, but a nice change in style for him. (krems)

[Rebel Rose]

I have just recently been introduced to gruner veltliners. Wow. A light-colored wine with a sauvignon blanc character and a strong black pepper essence! According to a friend who is a gv enthusiast, all the best gruner veltliners exhibit this character.

I ordered a glass with dinner and everyone else at the table followed suit, even though they had been drinking heavy reds while waiting for our table. But we all agreed it was an easy transition and went well with a variety of foods, even the spicy moles at Villa Creek.

Dr. Unger, Gruner Veltliner, Reserve, Kremstal, ’02 $30 at Villa Creek Restaurant in Paso Robles.

[tanabutler]

I have just recently been introduced to gruner veltliners.  Wow.  A light-colored wine with a sauvignon blanc character and a strong black pepper essence!  According to a friend who is a gv enthusiast, all the best gruner veltliners exhibit this character. 

I ordered a glass with dinner and everyone else at the table followed suit, even though they had been drinking heavy reds while waiting for our table.  But we all agreed it was an easy transition and went well with a variety of foods, even the spicy moles at Villa Creek.

Dr. Unger, Gruner Veltliner, Reserve, Kremstal, ’02 $30 at Villa Creek Restaurant in Paso Robles.

←

This is a bottle I just found, too, here in Santa Cruz at Soif wine shop. I'd won a client's contest (hmmm!) for a $125 gift certificate anywhere in town -- we had dinner at Soif last month, and I had a left $25. This bottle was $23 with tax. I think it is one of the best GV's I have had yet. I bet they're even cheaper in NYC, where I'm headed next month.

Big thumbs up.

[MaxH]

This is a wine forum rather than a region forum, but I ought to mention this because it's relevant (and came up recently in a conversation over some good GV). Grüner Veltliner plays a particular cross-over role in Vienna. It is ubiquitous in the wine bars and goes well with small savories such as open-faced sandwiches that are popular. You find it both in the big cheap restaurants and cellars (next to lesser or seasonal wines), and also in the more elegant places like the Schwartzen Kameel where diplomats and journalists and winemakers hang out. When people order the house GV there, they might get it in wine glasses ("eighths," 125 ml.) while in grill restaurants it's more common in mugs ("quarters," 250 ml.) accompanying perhaps a crispy Schnitzel (with a wedge of lemon and the inevitable cold vegetable salad).

-- Max

Edited April 24, 2005 by MaxH (log)

[ludja]

This link should be available for a few weeks; a list of 55 SF Chronicle picks for GRuner Veltliner from 2002-2004: (They mention that 2003 was a very hot, ripe vintage)

GV picks

Two producers I've enjoyed for GV's in the past are Brundlmayer and Hirsch, both from Kamptal.

Here is some other information from the article:

"Reading an Austrian Gruner Veltliner label can be a bit confusing. In the tasting notes below, the star rating and vintage are followed, in order, by the producer's name, the vineyard or proprietary name (if there is one) and the name of the viticultural region. This information can be found on the bottles but not necessarily in the order we list it.

Additionally, the terms "Federspiel" and "Smaragd" are found on the labels of Gruner Veltliners from the Wachau region only. Federspiel wines are made from grapes harvested at a minimum of 20 degrees Brix (a measurement of ripeness) and are medium-bodied, with between 11.5 percent and 12.5 percent alcohol content. Smaragd wines, higher in quality, are richer and fuller-bodied than Federspiels because the fruit is picked at riper sugar levels, a minimum of 21.4 degrees Brix. The alcohol levels of Smaragds must be 12.5 percent or higher. "

[MaxH]

This link should be available for a few weeks; a list of  55 SF Chronicle picks for GRuner Veltliner from 2002-2004

Yes, that article is a local buzz. I haven't read it yet but it seems that GVs may be getting more popular in the San Francisco area after many years of a lower-key following from wine hobbyists and people who know Austria or came from there or know about food pairings. (Testimonial the last type: I was in the hip Palo Alto Vietnamese restaurant, Tamarine, a couple years ago with visitors from Asia -- separate menu section for different flavored rices as accompaniments -- and since I like GVs with some foods, and a wine-expert friend once staged a very successful tasting at the Vietnamese "Slanted Door" restaurant in SF, I asked about GVs at Tamarine and sure enough, the restaurant was well stocked with them (and with dryish German and maybe even Alsatian Rieslings, if I remember). The visitors were skeptical at first but they opened up with warm enthusiasm after trying this unusual, slightly peppery white with their dinner.

Last night I was with a tasting group with wine-trade people who were swapping news, and talking about this Chronicle article. (Also about how Pinot Noir wines now fly off the shelves in California, "No, it wasn't because of That Movie, this new interest began about ten years ago, though That Movie helped.")

[SBonner]

Good to see a thread on GV. In the last three years they have been the "new" darling grape to put on restaurant wine lists here in B.C. I've enjoyed most that have been mentioned so far in this thread. The acidity, noticeable pepper (white) aromas/flavours, and structure make them great food wines.

Cheers,

Stephen

Vancouver