In the last 5-10 years, a great darling
of the Anything But Chardonnay crowd has been Grüner Veltliner, the mainstay
grape grown in Austria. Grüner has some
great virtues; there are moderately-priced versions that showcase the varietal
quite well, but also some tremendous (and costly) bottles from producers who
want to convince wine lovers that Grüner can be something very special.
Another noteworthy feature of Grüner is
that it combines very well with most vegetarian cuisines. Vegetables can sometimes be tricky for
sommeliers, but Grüner is a one-stop shop for veggie lovers. It can also work surprisingly well with spicy
cuisines; I recently had a Grüner that stood up to some full-bore Indian spices
at Devi, one of New York’s finest Indian restaurants. There are some acceptable Grüners that come
in one-liter size with beer-bottle caps. But if you want to take a step up, here
are some recommendations…
2012
Leth Grüner Veltliner Steinagrund: Medium greenish-gold. Sweet citrus aromas predominate, but there
are many facets to the nose, including lime, stone and even a bit of smokiness. Luscious, velvety texture. Beautifully balanced citrus flavors, with a
long finish. This is produced according
to biodynamic principles (see below),
and it has the lovely purity that is the hallmark of so many biodynamic
wines. Quite good on its own, but also a
fine match with curried chicken and mixed veggies. Excellent value at $16.99, but superb at the
case price of $13.59. Delicious! ****1/2
 |
| Simple label, excellent wine |
2012
Höpler Grüner Veltliner (Austria): Medium greenish-gold. Lovely aromas of Granny Smith apples, lime
and orange, with a hint of white pepper.
New-mown hay scents arrive with a little air, as well as some mineral
notes. Tangy lime dominates the palate. Silky texture. A lovely match with chicken in an Indian
curry; also good with mixed raw vegetables.
Tried it with Channa Saag after one night under Private Preserve inert
gas, and, once again, it was an elegant accompanist for the food. This is a zippy, refreshing, and well-balanced
wine – generous and fun! Fine value at
$16.97; outstanding at the case price of $13.58. Very impressive. ****
The
Wine Face-Off this time pits wines from the same
vintage, but at slightly different price points. There’s also a slight difference in the
appellation – i.e., the geographic designation for the wine. One is more specific, which can be a good
thing, telling the consumer that the wine should reflect the specific qualities
of the place where it’s grown. Let’s see
if this general rule plays out in this case…
 |
| You know it's a good tasting when the lowest-rated wine in the bunch is still good |
2013
Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg Gobelsburger Grüner Veltliner (Kamptal, Austria): Vivid yellow-gold
color. Lemon, wildflower and metallic
scents. Broad tangerine flavors. Could use more acidity; as it stands, a
pleasant but slightly unfocused wine. A
good match with sushi, but better with Channa Saag, which brought out a little
more cut to the wine. $15.99 regular
price; purchased as part of a case, it cost $12.79 ** ½ - ***
 |
| Don't let the rather funky label put you off this lovely wine |
2013
Ott Am Berg Grüner Veltliner (Austria): Medium greenish-gold color. Open aromas of Granny Smith apples, quince,
lime and minerals. Excellent acidity;
precise, refreshing, and nicely balanced.
This is good stuff; not cheap at $22.99 ($18.39 case price), but worth
the money. Very fine, and a good match
with sushi (a salmon/avocado roll), and also went well with Channa Saag, the
other test dish for the evening. Another
wine that showcases the value of biodynamic viticulture. ***1/2 - ****
A clear winner here; the Ott Am Berg was
like a laser beam on the palate, beautifully focused and graceful, while the
Gobelsburger was broader and a bit less precise. Still, the Gobelsburger, which is the lowest-rated
wine in this post, is quite enjoyable indeed, and would be a good introduction
to what Grüner Veltliner has to offer.
Once again, tasting these wines offered
yet more proof that different foods bring out distinctive qualities in each wine. Although both wines were worthy matches with
the test dishes, the contest was considerably closer with the Channa Saag,
which evoked a much more focused palate for the Gobelsburger than the
sushi.
One thing is for sure: all of the four
Grüner Veltliners tasted for this post confirm that this is a food-friendly
varietal, par excellence. The Voyager poured them with fish, with
chicken, and with spicy vegetarian dishes, and all of the wines came through
with flying colors. Grüners have enough
complexity to satisfy all but the most fussy wine lovers, combined with
invigorating acidity and enough fruit to entice wine novices. Grüner Veltliner has something to offer
everyone; tasting these wines was an absolute joy.
So
what are Biodynamic wines? And are they
any good?
Pretty much everyone who reads a blog
about wine will probably be familiar with organic farming, and its little
brother, sustainable farming.
Biodynamics, however, might be unfamiliar to some. It’s sort of like organic farming, only on
steroids, and it can sound a little weird.
Farmers using biodynamic methods
certainly embrace all the traditional organic methods – including doing without
chemical pesticides, and instead planting beneficial cover crops in their
vineyards that will attract insects that prey on other bugs that are harmful to
the vine. So far, so good, right?
However, disciples of biodynamics go
much further. They plant and harvest
according to certain prescribed phases of the moon. Okay, you may be thinking, that may be a
little beyond what I’m used to hearing, but where’s the weird part?
The weird part comes in when the
followers of biodynamic principles make special composts out of animal dung,
etc., to spray over the leaves in the vineyards – and also use a similar specially-made
compost that they place into a hollowed-out bull’s horn, which they then
proceed to bury in their vineyard at a prescribed time in the calendar
year. Beginning to get the picture? It sounds a little out there.
However…for whatever reason, biodynamic
farming seems to work…big time. I’ve had
organic wines that, while they may be made without chemical intervention, still
aren’t all that great. On the other
hand, I can’t recall ever having a wine made according to biodynamic principles
that was anything less than impressive.
Biodynamic wines always seem to have a kind of purity – it’s a quality
that’s hard to describe, but you know it when you taste it.
Whether
it’s all the unusual components that make these wines special, or simply
because farming this way demands that viticulturalists pay extra attention to
their vines is beside the point. If you’re
in a wine store, and you have a choice between a wine that’s grown
biodynamically and one that’s otherwise equivalent but isn’t grown according to
biodynamics, go with the one where you’re going to experience that
extraordinary level of purity.
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