Austrian Grüner Veltliner: top wines from 2019, 2020 and 2021
On his recent tour of Austria, Stephen Brook took the opportunity to reassess what is undisputedly the country’s most famous white grape, Gruner Veltliner, while tasting a selection of wines from the three most recent vintages.
Grüner Veltliner is Austria’s most widely planted white variety, occupying almost a third of the nation’s vineyards, and it’s not hard to see why – it’s a grape that succeeds in a variety of styles.
Staying with friends in Vienna in the 1980s, we would consume substantial quantities of Grüner Veltliner bought from the producer at a local market. It was simple but fresh, quaffable, and inexpensive.
Later, in 1998, I participated in a famous blind tasting in Vienna that pitted top Grüner Veltliners against some of the most prestigious wines from Burgundy. The Austrian wines triumphed and, at the least, the tasting demonstrated that these were wines to be taken very seriously.
Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 20 Austrian Grüner Veltliner wines
That tasting helped to establish Grüner Veltliner’s international reputation. It may not be as popular as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, but it has a strong following among sommeliers and a growing band of wine lovers who appreciate its versatility.
The simpler styles are excellent aperitifs or accompaniments to charcuterie or chicken; the more serious wines can partner richer dishes.
Nor need it be expensive. So much is produced throughout Lower Austria that prices are competitive (the only regions where it is scarce are the Burgenland and Styria).
Grüner’s personality
Grüner Veltliner does not thrive on very dry soils, nor on very rich sites that can result in high yields.
It is equally at home in the rocky soils of the Wachau and parts of Kremstal, on loam in Kamptal, and on the deep loess of the Wagram.
It’s not particularly susceptible to botrytis (but can give excellent ice wines) and is farmed with relative ease. It is usually aged in steel tanks or large old casks, so costs of production are moderate.
Its stylistic signature is a tang of white pepper, although that is mostly associated with wines from the northerly Weinviertel, where the climate is cool, even marginal, so that ripening isn’t always optimal.
With global warming, however, the wines are delivering riper flavours, although white pepper is still a common component found in simpler wines from the Weinviertel or Kremstal.
At the other extreme Grüner Veltliner can produce wines the Austrians term ‘baroque’, that is rich and opulent, but also tending to sweetness and heaviness, although this style is now falling into disfavour.
Vintage reports
Recent vintages have been very good. 2019 saw an early harvest of healthy grapes after a warm summer and mild autumn.
The summer of 2020 was more variable with some heavy rainfall, so selection was often essential; moreover, hail in the Wachau severely reduced the crop, but the wines turned out well, with fine acidity and ample fruit.
2021 was potentially the best of the trio after a fine September that again led to an early harvest of ripe wines with excellent acidity.
These are wines that can be bought with confidence, and these recent vintages can be broached now, although the best wines will keep for a decade or more.
See tasting notes and scores for 20 Austrian Grüner Veltliner wines
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Weingut Prager, Wachstum Bodenstein, Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2020
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Emmerich Knoll, Ried Loibenberg, Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2021
Despite the warmth of this vineyard, Emmerich Knoll's experience and expertise ensured the wine has excellent balance. There are reserved lime and apple aromas that...
2021
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Alzinger, Ried Loibenberg, Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
The father and son pairing of Leo Alzinger Snr and Jnr may be less well known than some other producers, but their wines are invariably...
2019
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Bernhard Ott, Ried Spiegel, Grüner Veltliner, Wagram, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2020
Bernhard Ott is a crusader for Grüner Veltliner and produces versions from different sites in Wagram. The Spiegel comes from stony loess soils. The nose...
2020
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Ebner-Ebenauer, Ried Steinberg, Alte Reben Grüner Veltliner Reserve, Weinviertel, Austria, 2021
Shy Manfred Ebenauer and the charming marketing whizz Marion Ebner form an ideal partnership at this organic estate. This single-vineyard wine is sourced from 60-year-old...
2021
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Franz Hirtzberger, Ried Honivogl, Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
Honivogl is a warm site lower down in Spitz and well suited to the luxurious style that this winery favours. There are rich apricot aromas...
2019
Franz HirtzbergerWachau
Rudi Pichler, Ried Hochrain, Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2021
Rudi Pichler is known for his intense and often austere wines, which may be too rigid for some tastes but are surely classic expression of...
2021
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Groiss, Ried Pankraz, Grüner Veltliner Reserve, Weinviertel, Austria, 2019
Ingrid Groiss has established a growing reputation in recent years for the wines she makes from her 10-hectare organic estate. Pankraz has marl soils with...
2019
Groiss
Salomon Undhof, Ried Wachtberg, Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
The Wachtberg overlooking Krems is high site with loess soils over gneiss bedrock. The apricot aromas are still subdued, but the attack remains fresh and...
2019
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Veyder-Malberg, Ried Weitenberg, Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
Peter Veyder-Malberg founded this biodynamic property in 2008 but has opted out of the Vinea Wachau classification, as he does not believe quality should be...
2019
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Domäne Wachau, Ried Achleiten, Grüner Veltliner, Wachau, Smaragd, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2021
This Wachau cooperative, with its exacting standards, has long been recognised as one of Europe's finest. Achleiten is one of the Wachau's outstanding sites, a...
2021
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Forstreiter, Ried Tabor, Grüner Veltliner Reserve, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
The Forstreiters claim that their Tabor vineyard, which overlooks the Danube, is planted on its own roots and is the oldest in Austria. In any...
2019
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Hirsch, Ried Grub, Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2019
The Kammerner Grub vineyard lies between the renowned Heiligenstein and Gaisberg sites, and has loamy soil with gravel and loess. There are ripe, juicy...
2019
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Philipp Bründlmayer, Kaiserstiege, Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2021
Kaiserstiege is not a single vineyard but a blend from terraced sites at an elevation of around 300m on loess and limestone soils. The nose...
2021
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Stift, Vom Urgestein, Grüner Veltliner, Weinviertel, Austria, 2021
Röschitz is one of the Weinviertel's most important wine villages, and home to the Stift family. This wine comes from primary rock soils, and has...
2021
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Pfaffl, Ried Hund, Grüner Veltliner Reserve, Weinviertel, Austria, 2021
This large estate of 100 hectares lies close to the city border of Vienna and from here the Pfaffl family produce a wide range of...
2021
Pfaffl
Bründlmayer, Terrassen Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2021
This is a blend of grapes from organically farmed terraced sites in the Kamptal, and is intended for early drinking. The nose is lightly citric...
2021
BründlmayerKamptal
Markus Huber, Ried Berg, Grüner Veltliner, Traisental, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2020
Traisental, on the south side of the Danube, can produce excellent wines, but little is exported. Markus Huber, however, has carved out a large international...
2020
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Stadt Krems, Loessterrassen, Grüner Veltliner, Kremstal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2021
The city of Krems owns 30ha of vines, ably managed and vinified by Fritz Miesbauer. This blend from loess terraces is one step up from...
2021
Stadt KremsKremstal
Loimer, Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2021
The personable Fred Loimer produces a wide range of biodynamic wines from the Thermeneregion as well as Kamptal. This basic bottling doesn't aim for complexity....
2021
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