My 2013 Vinous Revelation: Grüner Veltliner

By: Eric Guido

I think back to when I had just started getting into wine and the excitement I would feel whenever I was introduced to something new. I’ve often wished that I could recapture some of those moments. It’s unfortunate, but when you taste wine nearly every day of your life, you find that you are surprised less and less often. However, sometimes a wine will revitalize those magical tasting sensors and send up fireworks. But what I didn’t expect was for an entire tasting of wines to make me feel that nostalgia. Well, that’s exactly what happened at the Wines of Austria tasting during Snooth’s “People’s Voice Wine Awards” tasting.

Vineyards along the Danube river, Austria

I will admit to being completely new to this region, having only tasted a small number of Rieslings from some of the top houses. What I had never experienced was Grüner Veltliner, and now I feel like I’ve been missing out all along. Being a fan of northern Italian and Slovenian whites, it’s no wonder that Austrian wine (or, to be more specific, Grüner Veltliner) would hit my sweet spot. The regions literally border each other; in fact, a large chunk of this part of Italy once belonged to Austria.

The tasting included wines that spanned the entire range, from easy sipping aperitifs to layered, rich top shelf bottles. As I worked through the lineup, I continued to be more and more impressed with every new wine I sampled. At first they were light and wirery with zesty acidity and mineral, peppery notes. As I went deeper, the wines gained momentum, body and depth as focused fruits and exotic floral tones began to entice the senses. Finally, with only a few wines left in front of me, the fruits ripened as the structure of the wines broadened. The aromas turned deeper, richer—sexier. With hours opened in bottle, they continued to gain complexity. It was truly an awakening for me; I love Grüner Veltliner.

Aldo Sohm gives his rundown of rocks found in
Austrian soils, along with sharing samples from his
own collection.

So what makes these wines so incredible? Honestly, there isn’t just one answer to that question. One of the main reasons (and I know you guys hear this a lot) is terroir. As was explained by our host, Aldo Sohm , is that Austria is home to soils layered with a unique mixture of mineral-laden stones and Loess, which is a windblown silt made up of clay and sand. The Loess is credited with giving many Grüners their rich creamy textures and buoyancy, as they seem so weighty yet light and refreshing, seeming to almost hover on the palate. What’s more, Austria’s climate (of which there are four different distinct microclimates within the region) allows for optimal physiological ripeness of the grapes. The result is perfect fruit with a depth of character and the ability to age for decades.

Of course, I am just skimming the surface here. The fact is that Austria is home to a large number of family, well educated, artisanal growers, making high-quality wines that only a quarter of which ever make it out of Austria. Have I piqued your interests yet? I hope so, because nothing makes me happier than sharing my excitement about wine, and I’m sure I’ll be digging deeper into Austria in the coming months. Until then, I’ve supplied my favorite wines from the Snooth P.V.A. tasting. There are a number of excellent Grüners to get you started.

2011 Graf Hardegg Grüner Veltliner Vom Schloss – The nose showed mineral laden rocks up front with saline notes, followed by green apple and floral stems. On the palate it was lush yet refined with ripe white fruits and lasting saline minerals that last through the long, fresh finish. (89 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2011 Roman Pfaffl Grüner Veltliner Austrian Pepper – The nose showed clean, pure white fruits, mineral stone, white flowers and pepper notes. On the palate, it had great presence, being surprisingly smooth yet juicy with hints of apricot, which linger through the finish. (89 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2011 Veyder-Malberg Grüner Veltliner Kreutles – The nose showed heady floral and orange notes with slate and a spicy twist. On the palate it was rich yet pure with herbal, inner floral tones and limestone minerals. The finish showed incredible depth with peach skins and a taste of flower petals. This was a very unique and pretty wine. (90 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2011 Sohm & Kracher Gruner Veltiner – The nose was deeply rooted in the earth with notes of wet rocks, limestone, green apple, undergrowth and the slightest hint of tropical fruit. On the palate it was fresh yet with weighty textures and a slight spritz, displaying a mineral core offset by ripe pit fruits and spice. This wines attractive presence on the palate lingered into the finish, adding a slight bitter tinge, which was a welcome addition to the juicy and vibrant close. (92 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2009 Moric Grüner Veltliner Sankt Georgen - The nose was intense with rich, spicy floral notes , yellow fruits and herbal tones, followed by a hint of mineral laden rock. On the palate, it showed rich textures with a dense concentration of stone fruits offset by balanced acidity, which left it seeming rich, yet juicy at the same time. Spicy floral tones lingered through the long finish seductive finish. (93 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2011 F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Dürnsteiner Liebenberg – The nose was clean with steely notes of green apple, minerals, undergrowth and a hints of tropical fruit. On the palate, it was rich yet unbelievably pure and balanced with ripe, white fruits and spicy inner floral tones, which lasted beautifully through the mineral laden finish. Stunning. (92 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2011 Prager Grüner Veltliner Stockkultur Smaragd Achleiten – The nose was at first floral with undergrowth and limestone, leading to rich peach, which filled the senses with a slight effervecense. On the palate it was gorgeous with ripe stone fruits saturating the senses and oily textures offset by balanced acidity. The finish was long and seemed to melt from the senses revealing a beautiful refreshing character. (93 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2011 Bernhard Ott Grüner Veltliner Fass 4 – The nose was vibrant, showing chalky minerals, green apple and a hint of citrus. On the palate, there was an attractive clash of sweet versus tart fruit with great balance and flavors of green apple lasting through the mouth-watering finish. (92 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Lamm # 1 - The nose was intense yet soothing, showing ripe peach, hints of citrus, wet rock and stony minerals. On the palate, it was fresh yet lush, seeming to touch on all of the senses with notes of sweet stone fruits, citrus and inner floral tones. The finish was long, turning slightly tart, tinged with green apple and minerals. (93 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

2010 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Kamptal Reserve Tradition – The nose showed peach with spicy florals tones, green apple and moist mineral stone. On the palate, it was lush yet balanced with ripe pit fruits, citrus and minerals leading to an long, long ,long finish. (91 points) Find it on Wine-Searcher! / Producer's Website

** The best part about this tasting were the people I enjoyed it with. This Austrian Wine tasting was hosted by Snooth for their "People's Voice Wine Awards". My tasting companions were made up of some of the best wine bloggers from around the country. Below are links to their impressions from this exciting lineup of wines. Enjoy!

My Vine Spot: #SnoothPVA: Wines of Austria Master Class

Benito's Wine Reviews: Snooth PVA: Wines of Austria

The Reverse Wine Snob: Gruner Love Featuring the Stadlmann Gruner Veltliner 2011

Jameson Fink: High Line Park and Gruner Veltliner: Contemplating Time and Space

Vindulge: So you think you know Grüner

Wine Julia: SnoothPVA: Terroir Driven Grüner Veltliners of Austria Create Food Friendly Wines with Distinctive Flavors

Vinesleuth: Gruner Veltliner: A Delicious Puzzle

Snooth PVA: A World of Wine In N.Y.C.

By Eric Guido

I have just returned from a rollercoaster ride of a tasting weekend. The Snooth People’s Voice Wine Awards managed to take me from Italy, to Spain, to Austria, to Brazil and even South Africa. It was a massive event with focus group tastings, guest speakers, cooking demos, food & wine pairings and a group of some of the best wine bloggers from around the country. It will take many days to sort through the massive amount of pictures, tasting notes and overall impressions that I collected over the last few days. All of those impressions will find their way into these pages.

However, until that time, I thought it would be great to go over a few of the highlights of my weekend. In the world of wine tasting, you always have the ones you love, the ones you like and the ones that fall flat, but I can tell you that this weekend opened my eyes to large number of excellent wines. What’s more, the people that made it happen, the bloggers that shared my experience (which you should be following, see below), and the foods—oh the food. So I’ve attempted to put something of a scrapbook together for you here. Enjoy.

The Aurora Carnaval Moscato Rose

We started early Saturday with the wines of Brasil. My overall impression of this up-and-coming region was good, however the tasting was marked by an unusually large amount of corked bottles. I certainly enjoyed a number of the red wines, but the show stealer (and great for the upcoming spring) was the NV Aurora Carnaval Moscato Rosé, a spicy floral and fruity rosé with soothing bubbles, ripe fruits and spicy inner floral tones on the palate. At $14.99, this would be a great way to sip through your summer BBQs.

Costilla al Vino Tinto
Ribera del Duero braised short ribs

With Brazil behind us, we made our way to Salinas Restaurant for a tasting of wines from Ribera Del Duero. This was an eye-opening tasting for me, as I admittedly have not spent enough time exploring this region of Spain. The wines were ripe and juicy, but not over the top. They were great with food, yet could easily be sipped for your enjoyment, and I can’t wait to compile my notes and present them.

Chef Luis Bollo

Then there was the food. Salinas Restaurant presented us with a four-course meal prepared by Chef Luis Bollo. It was fantastic with the warm, soothing Caldo de Temporada (Galician style Pumpkin-Chicken soup) and the Costilla al Vino Tinto (Ribera del Duero braised short ribs). The setting was comfortable, yet uplifting, with skylights and a warming fireplace. I can’t wait to go back and spend some time perusing the menu.

The afternoon found us tasting through the white wines of Italy, a region that I have the most experience with. However, on this day, nothing truly wowed me from this lineup of wines. No matter, because right afterwards we were brought to Snooth’s Grand Tasting, featuring the finalists from the People’s Voice Wine Awards. It was amazing with some of the best wines from around the world.

Chipotle-Rubbed Swordfish
with a Papaya-Fennel Slaw

Many of my favorite wines were present along with cuisine from a number of local and, not so local, chefs. We even enjoyed a cooking demo from Chefs Vidyadhara Shetty and Keith Griffin of the Cayman Islands, preparing a Chipotle-Rubbed Swordfish with a Papaya-Fennel Slaw. The crowd was massive and there was a feel-good aura to the entire event, which I seldom find at tastings.

Some of the highlights from my evening included a great performance from the Australian wines of Yalumba, a Masciarelli Merlot, and the Villa Ghemme Montepulciano d’Abbruzo, as well as the young yet spellbinding ’09 Burlotto Barolo Monvigliero. My detailed notes will follow in the weeks to come.

At this point, you’d think there’s nothing much to top what we had already tasted, but you’d be wrong.

Aldo Sohm talks rocks, dirt
and Gruner Veltliner.

With Sunday came an early morning tasting of the wines of Austria. The tasting was magnificent with a great presentation Aldo Sohm, on terroir, and so many stunning wines that I was floored. As I continued to work through them, it seemed as if they just kept getting better and better. My experience with Austrian wine has been limited, and this tasting left me as a fan, with a new love in life, Gruner Veltliner. One of the highlights of this tasting was the 2011 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Lamm # 1, a completely seductive white wine that was stunning for it’s richness, yet balanced and laced with minerals and tart citrus. It’s a wine that will find its way into my cellar.

Smoked Ostrich

Lunch brought us to my alma mater, The Institute of Culinary Education, for a paring of South African food and wine. One of the highlights of this tasting was to find the 2009 Glenelly Lady May in the lineup, a wine that I became familiar with from a tasting late last year. Different vintage, but same amazing performance. The Lady May is a Bordeaux blend from South Africa that truly proves that the possibilities are endless in this region. It’s a wine that could be decanted and enjoyed now, or better yet, placed in the cellar for years.

With only a few hours left to our day, we made our way to a tasting of the wines of Rioja. It’s amazing to me that I don’t have more of these wines in my cellar, because each time I have a chance to taste both young and aged Rioja, I swoon over them. It’s a region of remarkable beauty and ancient cellars that are filled to the brim with treasures waiting to be released.

The '85 Conde de Valdemar Gran
Reserva.  A perfectly aged bottle.

This tasting put a number of vintages in front of us, but what was truly stunning were the wines from 1994 and 1985. They were so intense, still fruity and young, yet they showed all the depth of aged wine, along with price tags that are surprisingly easy to swallow. Our last wine of the weekend, the 1985 Conde de Valdemar Gran Reserva, was so beautiful that I couldn’t help myself from drinking it down—and going for a second glass.

What a weekend! But that’s not all; the people that I shared it with were such a big part of the experience. I had the honor of tasting with, and have been humbled by, some of the most talented and interesting wine writers and artists. Their links are all below, and I urge you to check them out. It’s amazing what resources are out there for wine and food lovers; you just need to look.

The Wine Hub: Wine Exploration Starts Here
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Wine Julia - A focus on Oregon wine & so much more
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Wine Harlots - On wine and all things that inspirer her
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Richard Jennings on Wine - A truly epic wine taster and writer
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Seema Gunda of the Serious Eats Amateur Taste-Along.
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Wine Folly - Wine tips, maps and tools.  An amazing resource for wine lovers.
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Wine by Benito - Food, wine and great perspectives, a blog after my own heart.
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Reverse Wine Snob - Down to earth, looking for great wines that are good values.
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Makers Table - Food, Wine and the pleasures of the table.
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Brunello Bob - Love Sangiovese? This is the blog for you.
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Vineyard Adventures - Wine, food, Travel and Tours.  A beautiful site to dig into.
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Vines Sleuth - "the wine blog for casual wine drinkers" but so much more.
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Vindugle - Wine Education and Consulting
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Wannabe Wino - Totally down to earth with a great selection of reviews
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Hip Tastes - A totally hip website about wine, food, travel and music, as well as a published wine 
guide.
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Vine Spot - appreciation, education and the enjoyment of wine.
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Avvinare - An amazing, experienced palate with perspectives on food and wine. 
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Jameson Fink - Wine without worry