Information about White Varietal

Gros Manseng

Grüner Veltliner

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The Grüner Veltliner grape
Grüner Veltliner is an indigenous Austrian grape. It has been used for widespread production of cheap wines, with high production based on the Lenz Moser training system. It is now used for high quality wines, depending on the terroir.

Growth of Grüner Veltliner
Withstanding cold winters, and ripening late, Grüner Veltliner is planted only in Central Europe, mostly in Austria. The best wines come from Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal in the North East of Austria. It tends to be grown on sites with a loess soil, although it does best when there is some stone under the loess. Under the name Zöld Veltelini, a little is grown in Hungary in Mocsény and the Northern of Lake Balaton.

Winemaking with Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner is usually vinified as a monovarietal (although there have been some recent experiments in blending with Chardonnay). Vinification is most often in stainless steel, which may be followed by maturation in old oak. It is rare to use maceration with the skins (as can be seen from the typically pale color). However, there have been experiments with barrel fermentation.

The taste of Grüner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner makes wines with good fruit and high acidity, slightly spicy, often with a slight spritzen. Usually vinified dry, the wines are pale green in color and can be dominated by citrus and slightly aromatic flavors. The citrus tends to lemon (as opposed to the more grapefruit flavors of Riesling) and the aromatics are less pronounced than Riesling. The hallmark is said to be a note of white pepper. When not successful, Grüner Veltliner can verge on sour; when really successful, it may be almost as good as Riesling, but with less minerality than a dry Riesling. When grown on rock it resembles Chardonnay, when grown on loam it resembles Riesling, but is not so aromatic; aficionados claim that it may even age longer than Riesling.