Gruber Röschitz Grüner Veltliner
I have an excellent friend here in Istanbul who is Austrian. Through her generosity, I have learned a great deal about Austrian wine over the last two years. Even though she mocks (albeit gently) my pronunciation of “Grüner Veltliner“, she nonetheless is always on the look out for new wine to bring back from Austria to share with me.
The König of Grapes
photo from AustrianWine.com
Grüner Veltliner is THE Austrian grape. A case could be made for the black variety Zweigelt, but in the end, Grüner Veltliner holds the title. The grape has been known in Austria since the 18th Century. In 2003 it became the only white grape allowed in the Weinviertel DAC of Niederösterreich. Some 6,700 hectares in the Weinviertel DAC are planted to Grüner Veltliner which represents about half of the total Grüner Veltliner vineyards in Austria.
Site selection and yield amounts are crucial for this grape. It can produce wine at all the quality levels in Austria and displays everything from crisp spicy and peppery wines to wines rife with luscious stone fruits. In addition to white pepper and tobacco, apple, pear, and citrus blossom aromas can also be found in Grüner Veltliner.
The Power of Three
I mean … how cute is this label?!
Enter Weinviertel DAC producer, Gruber Röschitz. Three siblings oversee this family-run winery. They focus on organic and sustainable viticulture to “raise awareness of nature, awareness of the environment and sustainable cultivation for future generations.”
Gruber Röschitz produces six wine series: Black Vintage, Extremes, Single Vineyards, Röschitz, Classics, and Sparkling. I’ve only been able to get my hands on wines in the Röschitz and Classics lines and they’ve left me wanting more. Future goals!
What drew me to their wine in the first place was the label. I am not above buying wine based on how the label makes me feel and they’ve done a fabulous job at Gruber Röschitz designing labels to draw in consumers.
Gruber Röschitz Grüner Veltliner Tasting Notes:
The first wine I had was from the classic line, the 2014 Grüner Veltliner from Weinviertel DAC. 
With 12% abv it sits right in the DAC’s alcohol level regulation. Medium gold color with delicate pear, flint smoke, and mineral aromas. On the palate the wine is generally light but with mid palate weight, lively acid, and flavors of zesty lime and mineral. Overall bright, clean, and a nice Grüner Veltliner intro.
The second wine I had from Gruber Röschitz came from their Röschitz line. A 2016 Grüner Veltliner (also from Weinviertel DAC). Slightly higher alcohol (12.5%) than the wine from the Classic line, it’s smack dab in the middle of the DAC’s 12-13% abv requirement.
Brilliant and intense lemony yellow in the glass gives way to pronounced mineral and flinty smoke, vegetal, citrus, and yellow fruit aromas. The palate was light bodied with peppery and citrus flavors, clean zippy acid, and a medium finish. Really lovely.
After these two wines, I still wasn’t pronouncing the grape name well enough to suit my friend. “Veltliner” is a deceptively difficult word to get correct. I blame the fact that I learned German from someone who actually learned it through the GI Bill and spoke something maybe a step or two above GI German. But if she keeps bringing back wine for me to try I might get it right eventually!