Hahndorf Hill Winery
  Adelaide Hills
Beautiful cool-climate Adelaide Hills. Double-click on image to ‘smell’ the Hills.
This month proved to be a seminal moment in the beautiful, cool hills of Adelaide with the ‘uncorking’ of no less than eight different labels of Gruner Veltliner from the region. In a very short period of time in viticultural terms – between 2008 and 2013 – Gruner has been embraced, planted and now harvested by an exciting and diverse group of vignerons and winemakers.
The Adelaide Hills now boasts the largest plantings of this exciting new variety in Australia and the variety has leap-frogged into pole position as the largest planted new-wave white variety in the region. In planted acreage in the Adelaide Hills, Gruner Veltliner now exceeds the plantings of other alternative white varieties such as Albarino, Savagnin, Arneis, Vermentino, Fiano, Verdelho and Pinot Blanc.
So it is an understatement to say that I was extremely excited earlier this month, to participate in the first combined tasting of bottled Gruner Veltliners from the Adelaide Hills. As mentioned, there were eight wines to taste – but, in addition, there were two further wines produced in the region this year that were not available for this particular tasting.
I can report that all the wines were excellent examples of this variety, with exciting variations between individual expressions of style. It left me with little doubt that this variety will have a big future in the Adelaide Hills and is going to thrive in our unique cool-climate region. I use the word ‘unique’ in describing the cool nature of the Adelaide Hills since its degree of coolness is specifically defined and calibrated by relatively warm days that are balanced by particularly cool nights during the growing season. This all results in a mean January Temperature of 19 C and less, depending on where in the Hills you are situated. And it is this type of cool climate, dependent upon significant diurnal variation of temperature, that is so very suited to the quality production of Gruner.
Wines tasted (In alphabetic order)
Craft
Esanti
Hahndorf Hill GRU
Hand Crafted by Geoff Hardy
K1 by Geoff Hardy
Mount Bera
Nova Vita
The Pawn, The Austrian Attack
Tomich Hill and Pike & Joyce were not available for the tasting, but these wines will be commercially available later this year.
Go Adelaide Hills! Go Gruner!
To order the Hahndorf Hill GRU 2013 –  and further Gruner information – please go to http://www.hahndorfhillwinery.com.au/Buy-online