If It Wasn’t for That Umlaut ...

[lsanderson]

FROM HERE TO YOUR BACKYARD The Wachau region of Austria produces the rich and multi-talented grüner veltliner wines.
Tasting Report: Grüner Veltliners, the Quiet Austrians
By ERIC ASIMOV
Published: July 7, 2009

GRÜNER VELTLINER is one of summer’s great, unlikely pleasures.

As eager as we were to embrace the wines, the tasting was somewhat disquieting. While we very much liked our favorites, we found too many wines that were not up to snuff.

Why unlikely? Well, it may seem shallow, but Americans have always been riveted by the mellifluous, flowing wine names drawn of the romance languages — the chardonnays, pinot grigios and Sancerres. Germanic terms, with their umlauts and consonant pileups, have historically posed obstacles, whether gewürztraminer, blaufränkisch (its alternate name, lemberger, is no better) or the ever-popular trockenbeerenauslese. More

* 1. Domäne Wachau
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner, Federspiel Terrassen, 2007 *** ½
$15

Pure, deep, balanced and refreshing with complex citrus, spice and herbal aromas and flavors.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Vin DiVino, Chicago
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 2. Prager Wachau
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Prager Wachau Grüner Veltliner, Smaragd Achleiten, 2007 ***
$56

Bright and rich with classic peppery minerality.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Vin DiVino, Chicago
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 3. Birgit Eichinger
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Birgit Eichinger, Kamptal, Grüner Veltliner Hasel, 2007 ***
$17

Light-bodied and tangy, with lingering flavors of grapefruit and white pepper.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa.
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 4. Alzinger Wachau
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Alzinger Wachau Grüner Veltliner, Mühlpoint Smaragd, 2007 ** ½
$45

Bold and assertive with rich aromas and flavors of flowers, pepper and lemon.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Terry Theise/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 5. Graff Hardegg
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Graff Hardegg Grüner Veltliner, Veltlinsky, 2007 ** ½
$14

Balanced, with aromas and flavors of grapefruit, flowers and minerals.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Monika Caha Selections/Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 6. Büchegger Kremstal
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Büchegger Kremstal Grüner Veltliner, Holzgasse, 2007 ** ½
$17

Rich and balanced with spicy citrus flavors.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa.
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 7. Hiedler Kamptal
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Hiedler Kamptal Grüner Veltliner, Thal, 2008 ** ½
$20

Rich and savory with flavors of lemon and white pepper.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Terry Theise/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 8. E.&M. Berger Kremstal
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
E.&M. Berger Kremstal Grüner Veltliner, 2007 **
$13, 1 liter

Spicy, with aromas and flavors of flowers, citrus and peach.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

Importer: Terry Theise/Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.
o E-Mail This Wine
o Send to Mobile
* 9. Anton Bauer Wagram
What’s This?
Send a Reminder
Anton Bauer Wagram Grüner Veltliner, 2007 **
$19

Nicely textured with straightforward flavors of citrus and white pepper.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times