As the weather gets cooler, many wine drinkers opt for richer, redder wines than they’ve imbibed in the last months of summer. Yet some days – and drinkers – still call for white. On unseasonably warm autumn afternoons, we reach for Grüner Veltliner.
Grüner is a white grape variety native to Austria. It can produce wines that range from light and flirty to rounder and more serious. It’s an ideal white for cool-weather drinking, as it pairs well with the heartier fare consumed during chilly months.
Although there are many fantastic producers out there, the Hugl family makes one of the best values available. Husband-and-wife team Martin and Sylvia Hugl practice green harvesting, the act of harvesting immature grapes before the official harvest to encourage the vines to develop the higher-quality grapes still on the vine. They also use cold fermentation, usually fermenting the wine around 50 to 60 degrees, which preserves the aromatics of the wines more effectively. The result is a complex, intense white that’s infinitely food friendly.
On the nose, the Grüner Veltliner holds lime curd, white pepper and notes of tart pear. On the palate, it is silky with refined acid. Yellow plum, lemon zest, melon and intense mineral make this wine a no-brainer for rich or spicy dishes.
The 2013 Hugl Grüner Veltliner is available at The Wine & Cheese Place in Clayton and Creve Coeur.
This article appears in October 2014.