Gruner Veltliner Wine

/ GROO-ner VELT-lee-ner /
Super-ripe Grüner Veltliner grapes | ©Daniel Weber

Styles & characteristics of Grüner Veltliner wines

Classic Grüner Veltliner wines show citrus aromas (lemon peel and grapefruit) complemented by stone fruit and fresh vegetal notes and the variety's trademark hint of white pepper. But within this there are two key styles of Grüner Veltliner wine.

The first – lighter, fresher and focused on minerality and citrus character – is typical of Weinviertel. The wine often bottled with a slight spritz, to lift the wine and emphasize its fresh, fruity notes.

The second style – spicier, weightier and more complex – is embodied by the top wines from the warmer Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal DAC (Districtus Austriae Controllatus) wine regions. These wines are richly textured and well structured, and require several years in bottle before reaching developed maturity. While most wines from this grape variety are fermented and aged in stainless steel or large old oak casks, some modern-styled weightier examples might be made using smaller new oak barrels.

With time they soften and take in honeyed, marmalade-like characteristics that match their attractive, deep golden hue. Some writers have noted similarities with mature white Burgundy. The bigger wines combine naturally high acidity and full-bodied texture making them a versatile and exotic alternative to Chardonnay.

Nomenclature

The variety's name might be hard to pronounce for the uninitiated, but Austria's incisive marketers have turned this to their advantage, dubbing the variety "Gru-Ve" and even "Groovy". Grüner means "green", which neatly reflects both the variety's yellow-green berries and the fresh green-pepper character that typifies Grüner Veltliner wine. Veltliner – a name shared by several European grape varieties (notably Roter Veltliner) – is thought to be a reference to the varieties' possible origins in Valtellina.

Winegrowing regions

Grüner Veltliner is grown extensively in almost every Austrian wine region. The finest Austrian expressions come from vineyards above the Danube River, in Wachau, Kremstal and Kamptal.

Unfortunately, the late-ripening variety has not proved successful in the cooler, wetter climes of neighboring Germany, or anywhere else in northern Europe. It is also widely cultivated in Slovenia and the Czech Republic, and to a lesser extent in northern Italy, New Zealand, Australia and the United States.

Synonyms

Weissgipfler, Grunmuskateller, Veltlin, Veltlin Zelene, Veltlinske Zelene, Zeleni Veltlinec, Zoldveltelini, Zold Veltlini.

Food pairings

  • Traditional Wiener Schnitzel
  • Wasabi and Tuna Salad
  • Zucchini Quiche
Based on search frequency, updated monthly
Product
 
Region
Popularity
Critics' Score
Avg. Price / 750ml
Wine Label of Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Honivogl Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
2,156th in popularity
$ 143
/ 750ml
93 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Prager Stockkultur Achleiten Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
2,685th in popularity
$ 58
/ 750ml
93 / 100
Wine Label of Schloss Gobelsburg Ried Lamm Gruner Veltliner Erste OTW Lage, Kamptal DAC, Austria
2,770th in popularity
$ 56
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of F.X. Pichler 'Unendlich' Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
3,675th in popularity
$ 344
/ 750ml
98 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Prager Zwerithaler Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
4,330th in popularity
$ 100
/ 750ml
94 / 100
Wine Label of F.X. Pichler Durnsteiner Kellerberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
5,692nd in popularity
$ 90
/ 750ml
94 / 100
Wine Label of F.X. Pichler M Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
6,839th in popularity
$ 99
/ 750ml
94 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Emmerich Knoll 'Vinothekfullung' Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
8,333rd in popularity
$ 87
/ 750ml
94 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Emmerich Knoll Ried Loibenberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
9,308th in popularity
$ 53
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Jurtschitsch Stein Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal, Austria
9,515th in popularity
$ 20
/ 750ml
90 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Prager Achleiten Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
10,456th in popularity
$ 57
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Rotes Tor Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
10,700th in popularity
$ 57
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Emmerich Knoll Ried Kreutles Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
11,852nd in popularity
$ 42
/ 750ml
91 / 100
Wine Label of Domane Wachau - Freie Weingartner Achleiten Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
11,902nd in popularity
$ 37
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Leo Alzinger Loibner Loibenberg Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
12,313th in popularity
$ 35
/ 750ml
93 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Prager Wachstum Bodenstein Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
12,881st in popularity
$ 57
/ 750ml
93 / 100
Wine Label of Schloss Gobelsburg Renner Gruner Veltliner Reserve Erste OTW Lage, Kamptal DAC, Austria
13,251st in popularity
$ 39
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Emmerich Knoll Loibner Schutt Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
13,646th in popularity
$ 58
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Brundlmayer Langenloiser Alte Reben Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal DAC, Austria
13,978th in popularity
$ 39
/ 750ml
91 / 100
Wine Label of Schloss Gobelsburg Gobesburger Gruner Veltliner, Kamptal DAC, Austria
14,490th in popularity
$ 19
/ 750ml
90 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Emmerich Knoll Loibner Gruner Veltliner Federspiel, Wachau, Austria
14,661st in popularity
$ 29
/ 750ml
90 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Bernhard Ott Feuersbrunner Rosenberg Gruner Veltliner Erste OTW Lage, Wagram, Austria
16,405th in popularity
$ 58
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Leo Alzinger Loibner Steinertal Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
16,783rd in popularity
$ 47
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Weingut Franz Hirtzberger Axpoint Gruner Veltliner Smaragd, Wachau, Austria
17,024th in popularity
$ 56
/ 750ml
92 / 100
Wine Label of Schplink Gruner Veltliner, Burgenland, Austria
17,689th in popularity
$ 9
/ 750ml
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