Grüner Veltliner
Species:	Vitis vinifera
Also called:	Grüner Muskateller, Veltliner
Origin:	Austria
Notable regions:	Lower Austria, Burgenland, Moravia, Czech Republic
Notable wines:	Smaragds from Wachau

Grüner Veltliner is a variety of white wine grape widely grown primarily in Austria and widely also in the Czech Republic, but almost nowhere else. It has a reputation of being a particularly food-friendly wine.

It is made into wines of many different styles – much is intended for drinking young in the Heuriger (bars serving new wine) of Vienna, a little is made into sparkling wine, but some is capable of long ageing. The best has proven to be world-class in blind tastings against Chardonnays.

The steep, Rhine-like vineyards of the Danube west of Vienna produce very pure, minerally Grüner Veltliners intended for laying down. Down in the plains, citrus and peach flavours are more apparent, with spicy notes of pepper and sometimes tobacco.

History

It is said that Grüner Veltliner dates back to Roman times but the name only appeared in the mid 19th century – before that time it was known as Grüner Muskateller.  Until the Second World War it was regarded as just another Austrian grape, it took Lenz Moser’s Hochkultur system of vine training to really get the best out of it. Since the antifreeze scandal of 1985, Grüner Veltliner has been at the forefront of the switch in Austrian winemaking towards better quality, dry, wines.

Traminer is one parent of Grüner Veltliner according to recent DNA analysis. The other parent is unknown at present, but there appears to be no relationship to any of the other Veltliner varieties.

Distribution and wines

Austria

Grüner Veltliner accounts for 36.0% of all vineyards in Austria, almost all of it being grown in the northeast of the country. Along the Danube to the west of Vienna, in Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal, it grows with Riesling in terraces reminiscent of the Rhine, on slopes so steep they can barely retain any soil. The result is a very pure, minerally wine capable of long ageing, that stands comparison with some of the great wines of the world. In recent blind tastings organised by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, Grüner Veltliners have beaten world-class Chardonnays from the likes of Mondavi and Louis Latour.

In the deeper clay soils in the Weinviertel to the northeast of Vienna Grüner Veltliner develops more of a spicy, peppery character, which can be aged although a lot of production is intended to be drunk young in the heurigen bars of Vienna. Some is made into sparkling wine in the far northeast around Poysdorf.

A little is grown south of Vienna, in the warmer climates of the vineyards towards the Hungarian plains, although the growers there are more interested in red and dessert wines.

Two of the first three DACs (geographical appellations) in Austria apply to Grüner Veltliner, the Weinviertel DAC and the Traisental DAC.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, particularly Southern Moravia close to the Austrian border, produces some Grüner Veltliners of notable quality. Grüner Veltliner wines form approximately 11% of Czech wine production. This makes Grüner Veltliner the second most widely grown white grape variety in the Czech Republic.

Hungary

A little is grown in Austria’s former imperial partner.

Vine and viticulture

The leaves are five-lobed and the bunches are long but compact, with deep green grapes that ripen in mid-late October.