Hot Topic: Grüner Veltliner - A Refreshing Summer Taste
By R. Veronique Fitzgerald
Updated May 24, 2010
Austria is home to many very interesting wines made from varieties unique to the region. Its wine regions, like all of its agricultural land, are concentrated in the eastern part of the country. With spring in full swing, its a good time to try an Austrian classic, Grüner Veltliner (pronunciation of the umlaut ü is a cross between GROO-ner and GREE-ner, and Veltliner is pronounced as it appears, VEHLT-ly-ner). Often called Grüner, Gru-Ve or simply GV, this is Austria‘s most widely planted grape, accounting for over one-third of the vineyard plantings in the country. It is also grown in the Czech Republic and Hungary, and wine regions outside of Europe are experimenting with small plantings.
Some sources say that Grüner Veltliner dates back to Roman times, but the name only appeared in the mid-19th century. Before that time it was known as Grüner Muskateller, and was not an exceptional wine until skillful viticulture post-World War II learned how to get the most from the grape. According to recent DNA analysis, the Traminer grape is one of its parents. Grüner means green in German: The wine is also called Green Veltliner, acknowledging the deep green-colored grapes that ripen in mid-late October.
Grüner’s most impressive talent is to translate the soil in which the grapes are grown through the minerality in the wine. It gives wines that are typically dry and medium- to full-bodied. From the vineyards of the Danube west of Vienna, which are so steep that they barely contain any soil, the grapes produce very pure, minerally Grüner Veltliners intended for laying down. It has been compared to the great white wines of Burgundy, which are made from Chardonnay, but are equally capable of graceful aging under careful storage: In blind tastings organized by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, Grüner Veltliners have beaten world-class Chardonnays from Louis Latour and Robert Mondavi. In the deeper clay soils in the plains of the Weinviertel to the northeast of Vienna, citrus and peach flavors are more apparent, with spicy notes of pepper and sometimes tobacco. While it can be aged if manipulated appropriately in the production process, is intended to be drunk young in heurigen bars or made into sekt, sparkling wine. Older GV often takes on intriguing petrol and honeycomb aromas, more reminiscent of the Riesling and Gewürtztraminer grapes of Germany and the Alsace region of France.
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