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A couple summers ago, we stumbled upon a liter-size bottle of Grüner Veltliner at our local wine shop, and it soon became the official beverage of the weekly picnics we were hosting in the park at the end of our block. It was crisp, spicy, refreshing, and it was only $9. We've since learned that there are plenty more where that one came from, and many that offer a similar price-to-pleasure ratio.
Only four of us gathered for this tasting, so we decided to limit ourselves to five bottles, one from each of Austria's main growing areas. For dinner we had some soft goat's milk cheese and baguette before Scott served halibut rubbed with Middle Eastern spice alongside brown rice cooked in chicken stock and braised collard greens with carrots.
Jennifer once again made a cornmeal cake for dessert, since it was a different group of Tipplers than were at the last tasting. This week it came out even better, still swapping in lemon zest for orange and using roasted cornmeal, because the Grüner Veltliner lent some clearly identifiable spice.
Bottle 1: Weingut Ewald Gruber Punkt Genau Sparkling Grüner Veltliner NV, Weinviertal, Austria ($14.99)
Rank Amateurs Said: light yellow color, large bubbles, no mousse, green apple, spice, and hibiscus in the nose, high acidity, light body, short finish
In a Word: Light
Paired with Food: We drank this as an apertif
Bottle 2: Wimmer-Czerny Fumberg Grüner Veltliner 2008, Wagram, Austria ($15.99)
Rank Amateurs Said: yellow color, honey, lemon, spice, custard, and nuts in the nose, medium acidity, "roasted," medium body, short finish
In a Word: Warm
Paired with Food: Savory with the fish
Bottle 3: Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner 2009, Kamptal, Austria ($15.99)
Rank Amateurs Said: yellow color, mineral, white pepper, peach and yeast in the nose, "flour tortillas," low acidity, medium body, long finish
In a Word: Peach
Paired with Food: Went well with food, especially the spice-rubbed fish
Bottle 4: Nigl Freiheit Grüner Veltliner 2009, Krems-Land, Austria ($17.99)
Rank Amateurs Said: yellow color, star anise, banana, and minerals in the nose, high acidity, medium body, steely finish
In a Word: Mineral
Paired with Food: Really good with the cheese
Bottle 5: Nikolaihof Wachau Hefeabzug Grüner Veltliner 2008, Wachau, Austria ($24.99)
Rank Amateurs Said: yellow color, salt, earth, minerals, and spice in the nose, rounded, high acidity, full body, more on the palate than in the nose, yeasty, long finish
In a Word: Balanced
Paired with Food: Good with everything, taste evolved with each course, got more spice
Links
Gruberwein
Wimmer-Czerny
Schloss Gobelsburg
Nikolaihof Wachau
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