Gruner Veltliner for Christmas?

-

Best darn rack of pork I've ever had, courtesy of Fima.

On the first day of Christmas... I was going to serve Champagne with dinner. Gruner Veltliner was supposed to be a pre-dinner curiosity drink. But when my mom and I gave the 2008 Forstreiter Gruner Veltliner Schiefer Reserve from Kremstal DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) a sip, I thought I heard jingle bells. At just under $20 (at WineChateau.com), this wine delivered outstanding QPR this holiday season.

Champagne? What Champagne! The bottle of Gruner lasted us all through the meal. It worked with both the salad (of Romaine lettuce, Brussels sprouts, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, and home-made Caesar style dressing with anchovies, mustard, and olive oil) and with an incredible rack of pork that my step-dad Fima roasted to moist, juicy, savory, sweet perfection!

Gruner Veltliner (or "grooner" or "gru-vee") is the wine grape of Austria. If you think Zweigelt, Zierfandler, and Rotgipfler are too obscure for you, you might actually recognize Gruner. It's a sort of Austria's answer to German Riesling. Austrians make world-class Riesling too, but that's minority of their production.

Gruner Veltiners have great minerality. Completely dry, crisp and clean, without sugar or oak masking anything, the crushed stones in the Austrian wine feel alive, almost like drinking electron-infused mineral water. That, combined with tangy citrus peel, hints of apples and peaches woven into inexplicable complexity with razor-focused acidity makes Gruner a versatile and impressive white wine.

Why would anyone outside of Austria drink Gruner Veltliner? Well, as someone who drinks a lot of wine from around the world, and especially Old World, after dipping into a couple of Gruners over this past weekend, I am a fan. In fact, I would put them into the same league of nobility as Riesling, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. To learn more about the ins and outs of Austrian wines, I recommend Christian Schiller's most informative blog and the official Austrian Wine website.

As much as I like the whites of Italy, especially Friuli, Veneto, and Campania, I have to say - from my recent experiences with Austrian wines, they are starting to earn a spot in my virtual white wine hierarchy alongside Germany, just below France.

Comments

Dan Raveneau said…
Ahhhh Gruner, spectacular versatile wine!
December 28, 2010 at 3:37 PM
Dr. Christian G.E. Schiller said…
Gary - Here is more on Austrian wines, posted today. http://www.schiller-wine.blogspot.com/2010/12/austrias-best-wines-and-winemakers.html
December 29, 2010 at 7:38 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rajun Cajun - when only a beer will do

-
Image
I thought I'd never say this... but sometimes, wine just doesn't seem to make sense. Or perhaps my wine courage has found its limit, 'cause I just don't know what wine would stand up to this food. In the middle of mostly Vietnamese area in San Jose is a hole-in-the-wall most awesome seafood joint, called The Boiling Crab . Combining Asian with Cajun sure makes for one hell of a blissful and unbridled foodie experience. Well, apparently this is no secret for the crowds standing in line for hours to get in. Even at 2pm on a Sunday, we had to wait for well over an hour. Oh, but the smell that hits you when you just open the door is so deliciously haunting! Their shrimp/corn/sausage combo delivered in a giant plastic bag packed in a "rajun cajun" hot, tangy, garlicky sauce is shockingly strong and flavorful, awakening the farthest, most dormant zones of your taste buds that you didn't even know existed! Taking part in the zesty symphony are the most succulent
Read more

Most expensive Cognacs in the world?

-
Image
In case you have some spare change... 10. $5,000 – Courvoisier L’Esprit Decanter Made from a variety of blends, some which date back to Napoleon I, Courvoisier’s L’Esprit is smoky and rich, with fragrances of cinnamon and dried apricot flowers. The flavor is initially powerful but has a mellow aftertaste. 9. $5,500 – Jenssen Arcana Aged 98 years in Oak barrels, Jenssen’s Arcana is powerful, “extraordinarily” concentrated and only bottled, sealed and certified upon request. 8. $6,000 – Hine Triomphe Talent De Thomas Hine Crystal Decanter Each bottle of Hine’s high-end Talent de Thomas is bottled in a Baccarat decanter and placed within an actual cigar humidor made from Maccasar ebony and Honduran Mahogany which helps preserve the spirit’s delicate floral bouquet. 7. $6,400 – Frapin Cuvée 1888 A rare blend of Cognacs from Frapin’s reserves, the Cuvée is bottled beneath a 24-karat gold stopper in a twisty crystal decanter that looks like a prop from a community Shakespeare staging. Flower
Read more

Shaoxing rice wine - learning the taste

-
Image
This is part 2 of the Shaoxing rice wine series. Click here for Part 1. Determined to investigate taste differences between different grades and producers of Shaoxing rice wine, the Yangs and I scoured the Bay Area for 5 bottles ranging from low-end $2.99 to the highest-end we could find 20-year-aged at $21.99: 1. Shaohsing Huadiao Rice Wine by Kuaijishan Shaoxing Wine Co, 17% alc, $2.99. 2. Nu Er Hong Rice Wine, Yuequan brand, 17% alc, $4.99. 3. Aged Shao Xing Rice Wine, Pagoda Brand by Zhejiang Celeals, Oils & Foodstuffs I/E Co., 17% alc., 8-year-aged, $5.99. 4. Shaoxing Rice Wine by Zhejiang Gu Yue Long Shan Shaoxing Wine Co, 18% alc, 8 year-aged, $5.89 for 500ml. 5. Kuaijishan Shaoxing Rice-Wheat Wine with Caramel color added, specially designed for state banquet, aged in china jar for 20 years, 15% alc, $21.99 for 500ml. We then opened all of them at once and tried them at room temperature in 3 different ways: with a Chinese meal, by themselves without food, and blind. Our me
Read more