Pale straw color; pear, yellow apple, pepper on the nose; lemon-lime, yellow and green apple, grapefruit, citrus, flint, minerality on the palate.
Dry; crisp, clean, fresh. Extraordinarily versatile—a classic grüner trait. Light-medium body. All the juice spent time in stainless steel; no oak influence. Grüner veltliner “green wine of Veltin” is fresh and tangy when young, like this bottle, and can be compared to a dry riesling. It also is cited as an exotic alternative to sauvignon blanc. As it ages—and it can age for decades—it becomes more round, creamy, and powerful. Comparable to chardonnay. Austrian winemakers sometimes lament that people drink grüner too young. 12% ABV
Grüner is Austria’s most important wine. It is versatile and can be made in many styles. The most popular style today is lean, peppery, herbaceous. It is a great food wine—thanks to its herbaceousness, it even pairs with notoriously difficult dishes such as asparagus and artichokes. It also is grown in Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—but it is Austria’s classic wine. While its name includes veltliner, it has no known connection to other veltliner grapes—roter veltliner and frühroter veltliner. Analysis suggests savagnin is a parent grape, which makes it a grandchild or half-sibling of pinot noir.
The grape traces its roots back to Roman times. Its name derives from Veltlin (Valtellina) in northern Italy, but the grape likely is indigenous to Austria. The current name first appeared in the mid-1800s, but it was not until the 1930s that grüner veltliner was established as the standard moniker. It was regarded as just another Austrian grape until the introduction of the Hochkultur system of vine training developed by Lenz Moser in the 1950s. It now is Austria’s most planted grape variety—accounting for one-third of all Austrian grape plantings.
Weingut Berger is located in the Kremstal wine growing region of Austria, northwest of Vienna, in the village of Gedersdorf. This is classic grüner country. The Berger family makes the wine—Eric Berger is the winemaker, assisted by his son, Maximilian. Eric’s wife, Michael, runs the guest house and wine tasting venue. Their daughter, Katharina, is still in school.
Berger Grüner Veltliner 2020 is excellent expression of grüner veltliner with great QPR—it comes in a one-liter bottle, not 750 ml. Intense purity. Brisk, refreshing. Very fruity, which helps it pair with spicy dishes. So food-friendly it has long been a favorite of sommeliers, especially because it is not well known and thus easy to create a wow response. It also is especially nice as summer wine, where it can be enjoyed sipped by itself or with light snacks.
Pair with pork; seafood and shellfish; lighter meats; vegetarian fare; poultry; cured meats. Works nicely with charcuterie board. Cheese—goat cheeses; fresh cheeses like mozzarella, feta, halloumi, brie. Outstanding QPR—sells in one liter bottle. $13-19
Weingut Berger website (needs Google translation)
