Grapevine: Austrian wines on the top shelf

Austria has had a hard time establishing its wines on the international market for some time.

A scandal in the mid 1980s certainly didn’t help matters, but since then they could hardly have put a foot wrong.
The existing climate for moderate oak use and lower alcohol reds has helped to put the spotlight on their unique red varieties such as Sankt Laurent, Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt, meanwhile a similar trend in whites has elevated their unique white offering to the world in Grüner Veltliner; a variety that offers excellent value light, easy drinking whites that can have the pleasing simplicity of Pinot Grigio through to the complex, textured examples that can match it with the finest whites in the world.
At the top end of Gruner Veltliner production, producers across the famed Austrian regions of Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal can reliably put their wines up against the world’s best and most sought-after whites. In 2002, a tasting helped to do just that, put the best of Austrian Gruner up against the best of French burgundy where the Gruners won the day. It should not make you instantly think of Chardonnay, though, as they rarely see time in new oak or in many cases any oak at all, thus it is a variety with plenty of inherently interesting qualities that don’t need too much winemaking influence to build complexity.
The flavour profile also differs from Chardonnay, orchard fruits tend to dominate such as apple and pear of varying ripeness levels, where Chardonnay will often reach in to stone fruits and sometimes tropical too for very sunny examples. Gruner Veltliner also has marked spice notes of pepper and radish that are noticeable at the back of the palate, which is where you would have noticed a similar pepperiness in cool-climate Shiraz, for example. As with most light, dry whites, there is also plenty of citrus flavours and sometimes a ‘minerally’ sensation.
As far as the wines go at ‘lower’ price points, up to say $30 or so, the wines tend to fall into the crisp, dry white category, which is no knock on the wines but they won’t quite have the level of depth and complexity that you will find in the higher quality tiers.
A reasonable set of comparisons would be in some instances a crisp dry Riesling, which we all know to be an excellent value white variety at similar price points or equally so Pinot Grigio. The acidity won’t be as searing, steely or as much of a focal point as it is in Riesling; it’s a little more lively and tangy like a Pinot Grigio but it is there to frame the wine rather than drive through the core of it. It will also lead with apple and pear fruits as grigio tends to before a subtle spice/ pepper note on the finish in comparison to Pinot Grigio’s slightly nutty/bitter finish.
Stadt Krems Lössterrassen Grüner Veltliner – $23
Fritz Miesbauer has elevated several historic Austrian producers over the past couple of decades, from the Domane Wachau in the Wachau region to the Stadt Krems in Kremstal. You don’t need to reach into the premium tiers to see the elevation in quality as it is just as evident at the lower levels as well which is always a good sign in a producer when they take as much care for their everyday wines as their flagships. This is a nice jumping off point from Pinot Grigio, ripe pears, grapefruit, a dry subtly texture palate that is still fresh and lively with a crisp clean finish showing just a whiff of pepper.