Grüner Veltliner: the great peppery white of the Austrian Danube
17 bottles, from regional wine to premier cru for ageingA lively white that smells of citrus and white pepper, a taut, saline palate, then, in the great single vineyards, a depth that refines over ten years in the cellar: Grüner Veltliner offers all of this. Austria's king grape variety covers nearly a third of the country's vineyards and finds its best ground on the loess and ancient-rock slopes that line the Danube.
The selection follows the river, from the Kamptal to the Wachau, from the Traisental to the Wagram, and reads in tiers: regional wine, village wine, single vineyard, then Erste Lage.
Ott Estate - Ried Spiegel Feuersbrunn 2021
A terroir-driven Grüner Veltliner, precise and saline, which finely expresses the loess depth of the Ried Spiegel.
Huber - Berg Erste Lage Grüner Veltliner 2021
A terroir-driven Grüner Veltliner, precise and saline, which highlights the mineral elegance of the Kamptal.
Huber - Terrassen Grüner Veltliner 2024
A terraced Grüner Veltliner combining incisive freshness, aromatic precision and a mouthwatering finish.
Weingut Bründlmayer - Langenloiser Steinmassl 2019
A terroir Grüner Veltliner, vibrant with saline freshness and depth.
Weingut Bründlmayer - G. V. Ried Lamm Erste Lage 2021
A Grüner Veltliner of great depth, where the breadth of loess meets vibrant mineral freshness.
Weingut Bründlmayer - G. V. Langenloiser Alte Reben 2022
An old-vine Grüner Veltliner, broad and spicy, carried by saline freshness.
Weingut Bründlmayer - G. V. Kamptal Terrassen 2024
A terrace-grown Grüner Veltliner, lively and peppery, where fruit meets fine mineral tension.
Ott Estate - Ried Rosenberg Feuersbrunn 2021
A terroir-driven Grüner Veltliner, precise and saline, which intensely expresses the loess depth of Wagram.
Ott Estate - Ried Stein Engabrunn 2021
A terroir-driven Grüner Veltliner, precise and saline, which brilliantly expresses the stone and freshness of Engabrunn.
Emmerich Knoll - Ried Schütt 2022
A terroir-driven Grüner Veltliner, precise and profound, where the Wachau expresses itself with intensity and minerality.
Huber - Obere Steigen Grüner Veltliner 2024
A precise and vibrant Grüner Veltliner, marked by the freshness of the Traisental and the minerality of its limestone slopes.
Huber - Zwirch Erste Lage Grüner Veltliner 2023
A precise and saline Grüner Veltliner of the terroir, which reveals all the finesse of the Zwirch en Erste Lage cru.
Huber - Alte Setzen Erste Lage Grüner Veltliner 2023
A terroir-driven Grüner Veltliner, precise and saline, which expresses all the limestone finesse of the Traisental.
Ott - AM Berg Grüner Veltliner 2023
A white wine that perfectly embodies the revival of great Austrian white wines: terroir, precision and elegance.
Emmerich Knoll - Grüner Veltliner Loibner Federspiel 2024
A white wine of great finesse from steep vineyards over 40 degrees!
Gritsch - Grüner Veltliner cru Setzberg 2017
An elegant white with a perfect balance between tension and minerality
Karl Steininger - Grüner Veltliner «Grand Grü» Reserve 2018
A round, fine and complex white with intense flavors of yellow fruits
Four valleys along the river
All these regions are in Lower Austria, west of Vienna. The Danube tempers the swings in heat, cool winds from the Waldviertel come down at night, and the soil changes from bank to bank: deep loess, limestone, gneiss and schist.
| Region | Village | Soil and landscape | Vintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kamptal | Langenlois, Kamp Valley | Loess terraces, silt and ancient rocks | Kamptal Terrassen 2024Bründlmayer |
| Kamptal | Langenlois, Ried Lamm | Deep loess mixed with clay and limestone | Ried Lamm Erste Lage 2021Bründlmayer |
| Wachau | Dürnstein, Ried Schütt | Steep south-facing terraces of gneiss and schist | Ried Schütt 2022Emmerich Knoll |
| Traisental | Reichersdorf | Terraced limestone and gravel slopes | Terrassen 2024Huber |
| Wagram | Feuersbrunn, Ried Spiegel | Gentle south-east-facing slope of deep loess | Ried Spiegel 2021Oct |
| Wagram | Feuersbrunn, Ried Rosenberg | Loess mixed with limestone and clay | Ried Rosenberg 2021Oct |
| Left bank of the Danube | Engabrunn, Ried Stein | Stony soil of loess, gravel and limestone | Ried Stein 2021Oct |
Loess, a fine silt deposited by the wind, gives broad, spicy Grüners; gneiss and limestone bring a more saline tension.
From regional wine to Erste Lage
The Danube appellations classify their wines by origin, from the broadest to the most precise. The narrower the place, the more depth and ageing potential the wine gains.
| Tier | What the label says | Style and ageing | To taste |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regional wine | Terraced plots brought together under a cuvée name, "Terrassen" | Citrus, white pepper, mouth-watering finish; one to five years | Huber Terrassen 2024€16.80 per bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Regional wine | Hillsides in the region, here "Am Berg" in the Wagram | Pure fruit, mineral freshness; five to ten years | Ott Am Berg 2023€22.90 per bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Village wine | Grapes from a single village, named on the label (Langenloiser) | Old vines, spicy breadth; five to ten years | Langenloiser Alte Reben 2022€55.80 a bottle, in lots of 2 |
| Ried | A single vineyard, named after the word "Ried" | Precision, depth of loess; five to ten years | Ott Ried Spiegel 2021€66.00 a bottle, in lots of 2 |
| Erste Lage | Premier cru recognised by the association of Danube estates | Saline tension, limestone finesse; five to ten years | Huber Alte Setzen 2023€31.80 a bottle, by the case of 6 |
| Erste Lage for ageing | An estate's most renowned cru | Breadth, spice, vibrant freshness; ten years and more | Bründlmayer Ried Lamm 2021€96.00 a bottle, in lots of 2 |
| Wachau | Its own scale: Steinfeder, Federspiel, Smaragd | From the lightest to the ripest; ten years and more for a great single vineyard | Knoll Ried Schütt 2022€69.00 a bottle, in lots of 2 |
Indicative ageing times, for a bottle lying down in a cool, dark cellar.
A Grüner for every table
Start with the occasion, and the bottle will follow.
The everyday white
Limestone terraces of Reichersdorf, in the Traisental: incisive freshness, clean citrus and a mouth-watering finish, for aperitifs as well as for fish in the evening.
Huber Terrassen 2024, €16.80 a bottle, by the case of 6The white pepper of the Kamptal
Terraced plots around Langenlois, on loess and ancient rocks: a lively, peppery Grüner, where fruit meets a fine mineral tension.
Kamptal Terrassen 2024, Bründlmayer, €24.00 a bottle, by the case of 6A premier cru to discover
An Erste Lage from Huber on loess and limestone deposits: precise, saline, ideal for tasting what the classification brings to the glass.
Zwirch Erste Lage 2023, Huber, €35.80 a bottle, in lots of 3The terraced Wachau
Ried Schütt, at the foot of Dürnstein, on gneiss and schist facing the Danube: a deep, mineral Grüner, built for the cellar.
Ried Schütt 2022, Emmerich Knoll, €69.00 a bottle, in lots of 2The loess of the Wagram
A hillside in Feuersbrunn, on the north bank of the Danube, harvested by hand: an intense, saline white, to serve with roast poultry.
Ried Rosenberg 2021, Ott, €82.00 a bottle, in lots of 2The bottle worth waiting for
Ried Lamm, an Erste Lage in Langenlois on deep loess: a broad, spicy, taut Grüner that refines over ten years and more in the cellar.
Ried Lamm Erste Lage 2021, Bründlmayer, €96.00 a bottle, in lots of 2The Danube's other great white
Riesling shares the slopes of the Wachau and the Kamptal: more floral, sharper, it is best tasted alongside Grüner.
All of Austria
The complete Austria section, to set Grüner Veltliner alongside the country's other grape varieties and its reds.
One grape, two faces
Young, Grüner Veltliner is an easy-drinking white: lemon, green apple, a hint of white pepper that Austrians call "Pfefferl", and an acidity that makes you want a second glass. The Terrassen wines from Huber and Bründlmayer show this face.
On a great single vineyard, the grape changes scale. The loess of the Wagram and the Kamptal gives it breadth and spice, the gneiss of the Wachau an almost stony tension. In the cellar these wines develop notes of honey, hazelnut and smoke. Ried Lamm, Ried Schütt or Ried Rosenberg keep for ten years.
The Wachau scale
The Wachau classifies its whites by the ripeness of the grapes. Steinfeder, named after a grass that grows on the terraces, is the lightest, up to 11.5% ABV. Federspiel, named after a falconry instrument, aims for finesse. Smaragd, like the green lizard of the dry-stone walls, brings together the ripest wines with the greatest ageing potential.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What people ask us about Grüner Veltliner
What does Grüner Veltliner taste like?
Young, it offers aromas of citrus, green apple and pear, a characteristic note of white pepper and a lively, often saline palate. With age and on the great single vineyards, it gains breadth, spice, and notes of honey and smoke. The soil plays a big role: loess rounds the wine out, limestone and gneiss make it tauter.
What do Ried and Erste Lage mean on the label?
Ried means a single vineyard, a named and delimited plot. Erste Lage is a premier cru, recognised by the association of Danube estates for its best slopes. At Huber, Zwirch 2023 costs €35.80 a bottle, in lots of 3, and Alte Setzen 2023, €31.80 a bottle, by the case of 6. Bründlmayer's Ried Lamm also carries the classification.
Why are these wines sold in lots or by the case?
The Grüners in this section are sold in lots of 2 or 3, or by the case of 6, and we always show the price per bottle. Huber Terrassen 2024 costs €16.80 a bottle, by the case of 6; Zwirch Erste Lage 2023, €35.80 a bottle, in lots of 3; Ried Schütt 2022, €69.00 a bottle, in lots of 2.
Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd: how do you tell them apart?
These three terms are specific to the Wachau and classify whites by the ripeness of the grapes. Steinfeder is the lightest, Federspiel the most elegant and slender, Smaragd the ripest with the greatest ageing potential. They are added to the name of the single vineyard, as on the terraces of Ried Schütt, near Dürnstein.
How long can you keep a Grüner Veltliner?
A regional wine like Huber Terrassen or Kamptal Terrassen is best drunk within five years, for its fruit and liveliness. Village wines and Erste Lage wines open up between five and ten years. The great single vineyards, Bründlmayer's Ried Lamm or Emmerich Knoll's Ried Schütt, keep for ten years and more, with the bottle lying down.
Which dishes go with a Grüner Veltliner?
It is the white of Viennese cuisine: breaded escalope, potato salad, roast poultry. It also works with asparagus, a notoriously difficult pairing, with white fish, white meat, sushi and spicy dishes, where its pepper and freshness answer the chilli.
At what temperature should you serve a Grüner Veltliner?
Serve a regional wine at 8–10 °C, for aperitifs or with fish. An Erste Lage or a great single vineyard shows better at 11–13 °C, in a fairly wide glass; open it half an hour before the meal. The white pepper and citrus aromas come through as the wine warms slightly in the glass.
Where is the Huber estate?
The Huber estate is in Reichersdorf, in the Traisental, a small region of Lower Austria south of the Danube. Its limestone slopes give straight, saline Grüners. The range runs from the Terrassen, at €16.80 a bottle by the case of 6, to the Erste Lage wines, including Berg 2021 at €53.00 a bottle, in lots of 2.
Grüner Veltliner or Riesling: which should you choose?
The two grapes share the slopes of the Danube. Riesling is more floral and sharper, with notes of peach and stone. Grüner offers more body, a peppery note and a broader texture, which makes it more versatile at the table. To compare, open a Kamptal Terrassen from Bründlmayer at €24.00 a bottle, by the case of 6.