The developing story of American Grüner Veltliner

Are you familiar with Grüner Veltliner? Odds are you had never heard of it (unless you are an avid student of wines of the world) prior to ten or fifteen years ago. It lived in relative obscurity, known well only to those in the Austrian wine regions it calls home: the fertile plains of Weinviertel, the south facing slopes of Kremstal and Kamptal, the steep sun-soaked banks of Wachau. So how did it gain a spotlight in the wine world, and what is it doing growing in places like Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan?!

Grüner vines at Lenz Moser winery - www.lenzmoser.at

The rise of Grüner Veltliner in Austria

Grüner was, for most of its history, an unremarkable but pleasant wine. But it turns out this was less due to any intrinsically average quality of the grapes, and more due to improper vine training. After World War II a famous Austrian winemaker, Lenz Moser, decided to grow Grüner differently. He trained it up high, with a low planting density of vines 4 feet in height. The grapes developed more intense aromas and flavors and achieved excellent phenolic ripeness - and thus the ephemeral Austrian Grüner Veltliner known and loved by the wine world today was born.

Austria’s Grüners have become legendary, with some aging well beyond two decades. Grüner is the offspring of Savagnin, a grape of truly ancient origin, and St. Georgener-Rebe, a relatively obscure local Austrian grape. It is claimed to date back to ancient Roman times. It’s prized flavors and aromas of lime, grapefruit, stone fruits (when the grapes achieve maximal ripeness), and a distinct white pepper note can be bright and refreshing or dreamily complex. Some styles can benefit from a creamy texture and pastry-like aroma due to aging sur lie.

For decades, sommeliers have adored Austrian Grüner and wineries like Nikolaihof have produced highly sought-after examples. Demand is often much greater than supply of these gems.

Nikolaihof’s Hefeabzug Grüner, one of my favorite Austrian wines - “hefeabzug” means “sur lie”

What brought Grüner to the US from Austria?

A few events that occurred back to back gave Grüner a PR boost here in the US in the early 2000’s. First, in 2002, a blind tasting held in London and hosted by Jancis Robinson MW and Tim Atkin MW pitted Austrian Grüner against many other revered wines, including the great grands crus of Burgundy. The results? Austrian wines in general did quite well, occupying 7 out of ten of the top spots. And first place went to a 1990 Grüner from Austria’s Wachau! Grüner instantly beamed in the spotlight of the wine world, attracting attention from American sommeliers across the nation.

Then, in 2005, Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards became the first US winery to commercially produce Grüner Veltliner in Oregon’s Umpqua Valley. Stephen Reustle had encountered Grüner during a motorcycle tour of Austria and was immediately fascinated by the wine. Upon his return to the US and relocation to Umpqua he realized Grüner could be a perfect grape to grow there, and was astounded to find that no one in the US had ever grown this grape commercially.

Stephen planted Grüner in 2003 and made history with the first commercial bottling of a US Grüner. His wine racked up awards, press, and adoring sommelier fans, and in fact just this year his Grüner was awarded Top White Wine in North America at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Stephen was not, however, the only one who planted Grüner in 2003. Across the country in the unassuming Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, Galen Glen Winery also planted Grüner at their family’s 200-year-old farm-turned-vineyard-and-winery. Noting that the climate and soils of the region are similar to certain wine regions of Germany and Austria, The Troxells planted Grüner with great success.

The astounding wines produced by Galen Glen and Reustle-Prayer Rock inspired others to follow suit, and Grüner plantings rose dramatically in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest over the next few decades. From these two pioneering wineries rose a great appreciation of Grüner Veltliner across the country.

What US regions make the best Grüner today?

Grüner now grows all over Oregon, and some fine examples can be found in each appellation. The unique climate and soils of the Northeast, however, seem to offer Grüner a special home. Grüner plantings have expanded throughout Pennsylvania (with the standout being, of course, Galen Glen) and across the border into New Jersey. The Hudson River Region produces some beautiful Grüners as well (think Millbrook Winery). Look a bit farther south and you’ll find beautiful wines coming from Old Westminster in Maryland, especially in blends with a few other varieties (like their Salt, a blend with Chardonnay and Albariño). And watch out Northeast and Northwest, northern Michigan is starting to make some quite nice Grüners too (Shady Lane Cellars makes a fabulous one)!

Now go enjoy some Grüner Veltliner!