I was extra excited for this week. I would be trying my first Grüner Veltliner. A few days before I had read an article from Wine Folly * about this varietal and it really got me amped to try this wine. This would also be my first wine from Austria.
I did a little research into the Pratsch winery before trying this wine, since I knew nothing about Austrian wines. I discovered that this particular winery was an organically certified winery and had been since the early 1990s. The main wine and most popular wine from the Pratsch winery is their Grüner Veltliner. *
I thought this white would surely be a good way to end February and transition into March. Its leafy label and crystal-straw color made me thing of bright spring days and new buds on vines.
This wine was from Niederösterreich, Austria and sampled on February 25, 2017. I took a deep inhale and smelled sweet green apple. However, I also smelled an acidic smell, which was a little off-putting. That high acidity really hits you on the first sip. I was listening to “Ooh La” by The Kooks, which made me laugh because I had a feeling this wine was a little kooky. Once I got over the acidity, I could taste a very bright citrus smell and also a slight grassy taste. After trying the pepper jack cheese I thought that the wine would cut some of the spice with the juiciness, but instead the acidity of the wine only intensified and added to the bite.
I gave this wine a rating of 2.0. I didn’t thoroughly enjoy drinking, but it was tolerable. I would not seek it out to purchase on my own.
Sources:
http://winefolly.com/review/gruner-veltliner-wine-taste-to-food-pairing/