How to pour it
a grüner veltliner in
Place the bottle in the refrigerator for about three hours, so the wine reaches 8 to 10 degrees. A light veltliner can be served at the cooler end of that range, while a mature, full-bodied one is best at the warmer end. Serving it ice-cold suppresses the spiciness and pepper.
Much grüner veltliner comes with a screw cap, and the one-litre bottles served at Austrian heurigers have a crown cap. If there’s a cork, cut around the capsule just below the ridge of the neck, place the spiral in the center of the cork, and twist it straight down.
Decanting isn’t necessary. A young veltliner relies on its freshness and gains little from extra air. For a mature bottle that’s a few years old, you can open it half an hour in advance, but above all, place the bottle in a cooler with water and ice beside the table.
Fill the glass to about one-third. This leaves room for the aromas, and because there is little wine in the glass, it stays cool. It’s better to top up with a small amount more often than to fill the glass to the brim.
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The story
Grüner veltliner belongs to Austria as riesling belongs to Germany. Most of it is grown in Lower Austria, on terraces and slopes along the Danube and its tributaries. In the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal, the grape produces serious wines; on the flatter land beyond, simpler ones are served in and around Vienna at the heuriger from a one-litre bottle with a crown cap. This dual life is typical of the grape: the same name appears on a bottle you can finish without a second thought and on a wine that can remain in the bottle for years.
The right glass
Drink grüner veltliner from a glass with a compact bowl. The wine needs little air and plenty of coolness: the less surface area exposed to the air, the longer the temperature and fresh acidity stay intact. A narrower opening also directs the citrus and pepper notes more straight toward your nose, while a wide bowl lets them spread out. See the sizes in the white wine glasses collection; if the bottle stays on the table, a wine cooler does at least as much work as the glass.
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The right tools
For grüner veltliner, besides the glass you mainly need a corkscrew, although much grüner veltliner comes with a screw cap, and a wine cooler to keep the bottle at the right temperature. The bar tools below come in handy once the wine goes into a spritzed drink or a spritz: a bar spoon for stirring and a zester for a strip of lemon peel. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 67,85.
What do you serve alongside it?
Grüner veltliner is a wine for the table, but there is usually more on offer. These are the wines that come before, alongside or after it, from a glass of crémant to start to a moscato with dessert. On each drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
The range lies in the region. In the Wachau, winemakers use three designations of their own: steinfeder for the lightest wines, federspiel for the medium-bodied ones and smaragd for the ripest and fullest. Outside the region, the label usually only shows a regional name. At the other end of the spectrum is gespritzter, where Austrians dilute simple white wine with sparkling water to make a long, light drink. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Serve at 8 to 10 degrees and keep the bottle in a cooler. Grüner veltliner is one of the few wines that can hold its own alongside asparagus: its spicy note echoes the green character of the stalk, which makes many other wines taste bitter. And in Austria, it is served alongside schnitzel for good reason, because its fresh acidity cuts through the fried coating.
Good to know
What steinfeder, federspiel and smaragd mean
These are three designations that winemakers in the Wachau use among themselves and that you do not encounter outside the region. Steinfeder refers to the lightest wines, federspiel to the medium-bodied ones and smaragd to the ripest and fullest. They say something about the ripeness of the grapes at harvest and therefore about the wine's weight in the glass, not about the producer's quality. Almost no one knows them, yet a bottle from the Wachau immediately tells you what to expect.
The white pepper it is known for
Many tasters detect a note in grüner veltliner reminiscent of freshly ground white pepper, alongside green apple and citrus. How pronounced that note is varies by bottle and region. It stands out most in light, early-harvested wines; in the riper, fuller bottles it recedes into the background, making way for yellow fruit.
The liter bottle with crown cap
In Austria, simple grüner veltliner is served at the heuriger from a one-litre bottle with a crown cap. That does not mean it is an inferior wine, but that it serves a different purpose: drink it young, cold and without fuss. The same grape produces bottles in the Wachau and Kamptal that can age for years. Grüner veltliner is both, and the label tells you which of the two you have in your hands.
How much alcohol it contains
That varies by style. Light, early-harvested wines are lower in alcohol, while ripe, full bottles from the Wachau are clearly higher; across the range, roughly 11 to 14 percent is common. The percentage is stated on the label, and with this grape it also says something about the wine's weight in the glass.
How long you can keep it
The simpler bottles are made to be drunk young and are best enjoyed within a year or two. The ripe wines from the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal, on the other hand, can age for years; the fresh fruit slowly gives way to a rounder, more honeyed note. Store the bottles on their sides, somewhere cool and dark.
Frequently asked questions
What does grüner veltliner taste like?
Dry and fresh, with green apple, citrus and a spicy note. Its signature characteristic is a hint of freshly ground white pepper. Lighter bottles are slender and high in freshness; the ripe wines from the Wachau are fuller and have more yellow fruit, with the pepper receding into the background.
What do steinfeder, federspiel and smaragd mean?
These are three designations used by winemakers in the Wachau, in ascending order of ripeness: steinfeder is the lightest, federspiel is in the middle and smaragd is the ripest and fullest. They appear only on bottles from that region. Outside the Wachau, the region name on the label tells you more about what you will get in the glass.
At what temperature and in which glass do you serve grüner veltliner?
Between 8 and 10 degrees, in a glass with a compact bowl. The wine needs little air and should mainly stay cool; a narrower opening keeps the temperature stable for longer and directs the citrus and pepper notes towards your nose. Pour to one-third full and place the bottle in a cooler.
What do you eat with grüner veltliner?
Asparagus and Wiener schnitzel are the two classics. With asparagus, the spicy note complements the green character of the stalk; with schnitzel, the fresh acidity cuts through the fried coating. It also pairs well with fish, chicken, green salads and dishes with lots of herbs.
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