Ode to Gruner Veltliner

For final summer days

Is there enough Gruner to cool the world? I don’t even need  to look up the stats to know that surely this is the hottest summer on record (and I grew up in the heat!). While this bothers me on many levels, I would like to propose on a lighter note that perhaps in the last throes of the summer swelter it’s time to revisit Gruner Veltliner, the star white grape of Austria.

Maybe it’s your first brush with Gruner, and that’s fine too. I feel that in the wine media Gruner had a heyday around the time I dove into the vinous pond (circa 2010). You know how it goes…think of the hype around dry rosé, orange wine, and chillable reds. All written about ad nauseam for a year or so and then deemed so passé. Yet really, Gruner deserves more than this. At its best, it can be complex and ageworthy. But my favorites tend to be the well priced and well made examples from Austria that show up on retail shelves for around $30. (But don’t overlook the super well priced liters for around $20!)

Before we get deep on Gruner, let me give credit to an old customer of mine for actually selling me on it. Each summer Saturday, this nice, young-ish guy who you might peg as a beer drinker would sneak over to the Austrian corner in the store I managed and grab not one but several bottles of Gruner. I say sneak because most Saturdays I would be teaching a class at this time, which happened to butt up against those shelves, and he literally had to weave between folks to secure his stash. He was determined! 

One day he came in later, and he just laid it out for me…something to the effect of there is nothing better on a hot day than an ice cold bottle of Gruner. While most wine nerds hate thinking about ice cold white wines (as it dumbs down all the intriguing characteristics), I found my mouth watering for a chilly, refreshing Gruner. I tested out his theory, and I have never looked back. (Well maybe not ice cold but yes with a good chill!)

Take for example this bottle of Pichler Loibner Ried Gruner Veltliner from the Wachau region of Austria. Yep there’s a lot of Germanic words there, but I will break it down. Pichler is the producer. Loibner is the town, and Ried Klostersatz refers to a specific vineyard. And full disclosure this is a slightly fancier bottle of Gruner that I had bought for a blind tasting group but ended up being a salvation on a summer night in July  with a cute little knob of goat cheese from my local cheese peeps (Counter Cheese Mongers). 

To me, all Gruner has this thirst quenching, lemon-lime thing going on. When I was in major wine study mode and attended a blind tasting group on the regular, I honestly taught myself to look for a “Sprite-like” quality to identify Gruner. Clearly there is much more to it than that, but I still find that trait loveable and addictive. Beyond the lemon-lime there’s a fresh green element. To me it’s arugula! And then there’s my favorite white wine quality – a backbone of minerality (a phrase I am afraid I overuse but oh well!). 

This Pichler had all of this and more, which is not surprising as this is from one of the oldest sites in the Wachau region (first documented in 860 A.D. and originally cultivated by the monks of Bavarian and Salzburg monasteries!). The Pichler estate has also been around for quite a while (founded in 1898). Today it is in the hands of the 5th generation, Lucas and his wife Johana, who have achieved organic certification. (The Pichler vineyards have actually always been farmed organically, but they finally began the certification process in 2021.)

So given all this history and deliciousness, how is it that Austrian wine seems to still fly somewhat under the radar? Well there are a few factors…one being that it neighbors Germany, and the wines just never achieved the super star status of Germany’s Riesling. Still the winemaking tradition thrived until the late 1800s, but then came the dreaded vine pest phylloxera that nearly wiped out all European wine and then came two devastating world wars.

After World War II, Austria embraced some of the same innovations as Germany – developing new grape varieties and bringing modern techniques into the vineyard. Some of this was good news, but there was also the not-so-good stuff like mechanized harvesting and mass production.Then came a 1985 scandal where a small amount of Austrian wine showed the presence of diethylene glycol – a poisonous chemical. Sounds crazy I know, but it was used to beef up the more mass produced, lighter wines. Even though it was a tiny percentage of wine, it was clearly scary and disastrous to the Austrian wine image.

It’s really ancient history at this point, and my main point in bringing this up here is to say that the counter action was unbelievably positive – some of the strictest laws in Europe and an incredibly high percentage of organic farming. According to austrianwine.com: “Austria cultivated 10,432 hectares of vineyards organically in 2023, which represents 24% of total area under vine.” This is a VERY high percentage.

On top of this there’s so much incredible terroir (wine nerd term for grape growing environment) in Austria. There’s elevation, cool nights, and complex soils. All of this resulting in that bright and fresh sensation I am almost always craving in white wine. 

So back to my original question – what’s the deal? Why aren’t more people reaching for Austrian wine (and in particular Gruner Veltliner)? I really do think it’s just misunderstood, but I am hoping after this newsletter each of you grabs a bottle (or 2) for your end-of-summer hangouts!  

Foods that go well with Gruner:

Fried Chicken

Ceviche 

Roasted Fish 

Grilled Pork Chops 

Grilled Sausage 

Braised Beans or Bean Salads 

Cheese & Charcuterie 

Or just on their own with good friends in the sunshine! 

P.S. Yes, there is Gruner outside of Austria. There’s quite a bit in the Czech Republic. And there are even some quality examples in California and Oregon. But for me it’s hard to beat the Austrian quality or price point.

P.P.S. Yes, there are other terrific wines in Austria – truly outstanding Riesling – and some nice reds. But this after all is an ode to Gruner! Cheers!!