Grüner Veltliner has a fun and forward personality, making it a great wine for the spring! Like Riesling, the grape tends to have a natural high acidity, giving it a delectable mouthwatering quality. The wine is precise, bone-dry, lively, yet minerally with a creamy finish on the palate. This grape variety is made in the purest form, almost never blended with other grape varieties. It is famous for its lightning strike of white pepper aroma and flavor, along with subtle hints of apricot and green legumes.
This particular Grüner Veltliner is from Austria's biggest wine growing village, Langenlois in the Kamptal region. It comes from a family winery where the couple inherited the farm as an engagement gift from his parents in 1980. They quickly learned that the only way to survive on an international market would be to produce high quality wines that stood out from similar wineries in the famous region. (read more about their story below)
Wine is not sold in stores - only available to purchase for Savor club members.
GRAPE VARIETY: 100% Grüner Vetliner
WINEMAKING: Hand harvest and Austria certified sustainable, biodynamic
AGEING: Harvested in the beginning of October. Four-hour maceration. Fermented in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks & aged 4 months on th lees.
PRODUCER: Weingut Steininger
WINE MAKER: Karl & Peter Steininger (father & son)
REGION: Langenlois, Kamptal, Austria
SMELL: Green bell pepper, green bananas, citrus
TASTE: Juicy & spicy with beautiful minerality
BODY: Medium
ACIDITY: High
Grüner Veltliner pairs well with veal, turkey, pork, chicken, white fish, shellfish and a variety of spices and herbs. However, where you really will find the perfect pairing is with creamy cheeses and vegetables. Our recipe below includes both the creaminess from the brie cheese along with the bright flavors of the artichoke. Be sure to take a sip of the bright and crisp wine before taking a bite and pay attention to magic that happens!
Our choice:
People are sometimes intimidated cooking or eating artichokes. This recipe we hope will change your mind, these brie stuffed artichokes are super easy to make and are to die for. Making the breadcrumbs yourself is optional, but also not hard and highly recommended!
*make sure to remove the "hair" in the chokes center after boiling*
NERDY NOTE ABOUT GRÜNER VETLINER:
The grape is an ancient cross between Savagnin and a nearly extinct German variety, St. Georgener. Going back even further in the family tree, Grüner Vetliner is related to Pinot Noir. It is a dry white wine that is an exotic alternative to Sauvignon Blanc.
OTHER WINES TO TRY IF YOU LIKE GRÜNER VELTLINER:
Dry Riesling, Grenache Blanc, Muscadet, Vermentino, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc
About the Steininger Family
The Steininger family estate comprises 135 acres and is owned by Karl & Brigitta Steininger. Karl inherited the farm from his parents in 1980, at this time and as young newlyweds, Brigitta and Karl decided to focus on grape growing and Karl soon found himself in oenology school. The winery was launched 1989. Brigitta and Karl realized very quickly that they could only survive on the international market with high quality wines. “Our philosophy is to make wines, which show the fruit and the character of the grape. We love the stylistics, which we receive because of the cool climate and the terroir of the Kamptal – the flavors are clear, proud and expressive. We focus on the main varieties of Kamptal, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. These varieties are very attractive to us because they produce very interesting wines from different vineyards and the different vintage conditions.” Karl’s chief lesson to his children is that good wine cannot be rushed. It must be given the time it needs to develop, mature and evolve. Their oldest daughter Eva and her husband Peter are the next generation of winemakers. Peter is working with Karl in the winery and Eva is responsible for sales and marketing.
