Gruner Veltliner–Quite the Mouthful!

Grüner Veltliner [groo-nur felt-leen-er]

Meaning

Literally translated it means "green grape". Grüner Veltliner is thought to be a cross between Grüner Muskateller and Traminer grape vines according to DNA analysis.

The Grüner Veltliner grape is also known as, GrüVe, Green Veltliner, Greener Veltliner, Manhardsrebe, Veltliner and Weißgipfler, but luckily most are labelled just plain Grüner Veltliner!

Place

Grüner Veltliner is found primarily in Austria (1 vine in every 3 vines is Grüner) and in the Czech Republic, but almost nowhere else in the world.

It is grown mainly in lower Austria, and most of the best Grüner comes from the three towns of Kamptal, Kremstal, and Wachau, three districts to the west of Vienna.  To use a generalization the Grüners from Kamptal are soft, Kremstal medium bodied, and Wachau has the most powerful wines. The three regions lie alongside of the Danube River which Grüner seems to be best at home.

Story

Grüner Veltliner wines are made with very little manipulation from the winemaker, i.e the grapes are allowed to ferment naturally and age with minimal oxygen contact in stainless-steel tanks (no oak). Minimal chemicals are also used both in the vineyard and in wine production.

There was however, a slight "mishap"  back in Austria in 1985. A small group of winemakers decided to add a little diethylene glycol (one of the ingredients in antifreeze) to their Grüner Veltliner. They thought it would add sweetness and body to a wine in an otherwise bad vintage.
Allegedly, the only way that the scam was discovered was that one of the not so intelligent winemakers claimed antifreeze on his tax return!
It is to be noted that the amounts of diethylene glycol that were put in the wines, were less dangerous than the wines own alcohol content, thus rendering it pretty much harmless. Needless to say, this was a BIG controversy for Austria, and since then, winemaking laws have been tightened so much so that Austria has some of the strictest guidelines in the world.
However, if you happen to see a bottle of ’85 Grüner on your local retailers’ shelf, just keep walking…

Taste

If you’re a fan of Riesling, Grüner Veltliner might be for you. That doesn’t mean to imply that all Grüners are sweet, but wines made from the grape can be best be described as Riesling with a lemon/lime twist and hint of white pepper. Grüner Veltliner tends to be a crisp, light-to-medium bodied dry wine with an edge of spice. It can have mineral, herbal, floral, and it’s known for having a slight white pepper taste on the finish. The grapes can also be harvested late and used to make dessert wine or even Ice-wine.