- Beautiful bunch of 2013 Gruner Veltliner
Just look at this picture! What does it conjure up for you?
For me these slowly ripening little orbs of Gruner Veltliner are bursting with an irresistible freshness and vibrancy as they dangle in the afternoon sunlight. Pluck a juicy berry, pop it in your mouth and crunch it to release a splash of melon, kiwi-fruit, citrus and peach – plus a gentle spritz of spice.
I have to be careful, as the natural temptation is to gorge myself on this wonderful treat – and the birds like them too, hence the bird netting to keep their little eager beaks at bay.
But be patient, because soon we’ll be harvesting our Gruner Veltliner to make your next bottle of GRU 2013!
Here are some interesting facts about this wonderful Austrian variety:
The wine made from these grapes is never a fruity-tooty concoction, but rather a wonderful balance of savoury elements, stone fruit, pears and spice. Think vibrant and textural with celery, apple skin, coriander, pear and that exotic spritz of white pepper.
Austria is the spiritual home of the exciting variety where it has references going back to between the 17th and 18th centuries. It is, however, also planted in Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary and, of course, now also in Australia.
Gruner Veltliner has the reputation of being the most food friendly wine on the planet. This is because of its unique savoury / umami characteristics. The umami component is thought to come from the fermentation of the high protein content found naturally in the Gruner juice, combined with its unique flavour profile.
Perfect food matches include:
Natural oysters and all other shellfish and sea foods
Made in heaven for Chinese, Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine
Salads and vegetables including artichokes and asparagus, beans and lentils
Perfectly at home with many exotic and flavourful spices. Try Gruner with foods seasoned with curry, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, mace, star anise, cumin, and tumeric
Rich white meats, fowl, and charcuterie such as Italian salami or German Wurst
So it’s not difficult for you to understand why I can barely contain my excitement for the coming vintage of GRU 2013!
For pre-release allocations of our GRU 2013, and further information, please go to http://bit.ly/ilfxBa