Anna spreads the picnic blanket over the vetch, clover and wild grass growing in the rows between the vines. It is a sunny late summer day in the Kamptal and we have a huge ice bucket full of wines to taste. I help arrange our spread of cheese, organic sausage, salads and fruit. Before her mother can stop her, little Marie quickly pops a grape in her mouth and squeals with delight.
My eyes glide over the rolling vineyard hills and mountains as Anna names them for me: Gaisberg, Ofenberg, Heiligenstein. Behind those vineyard mountains is the Kamp River which lends its name to this appellation, and on the other side of the river, yet more vineyard mountains: Seeberg, Hasel, Käferberg, and Schenkenbichl. 4,000 hectares of vineyards – those are just a few of the familiar vineyard names that one sees on the labels of Kamptal wines. “The actual boundaries of the Kamptal appellation are judicial; it comprises the legal district of Langenlois. Kamptal borders the other Danube area appellations. Kremstal is to the west, Traisental south, and to the east we have the Wagram.”
Anna takes a long cool bottle out of the ice bucket and pours each of us a taste of the Arndorfer Riesling. Marie continues to munch on grapes as her mother and I chat. “I grew up on a winery. My sisters and I were always following my mother and father around in the vineyards, the cellar, the office, the kitchen. There were always a lot of happy people around drinking wine, eating good food and enjoying the peaceful countryside. It’s a nice life and one I would like to share with my children, too.” Anna married the talented young vintner Martin Arndorfer, and moved a few kilometres from her family’s Steininger winery in Langenlois to the Arndorfer winery in Strass. The Riesling Anna has poured for me bears the “Kamptal DAC” origin. It is pale green-yellow and has pronounced aromas and flavours of white vineyard peach and apricot that are highlighted by racy, citrusy acid and cool minerals reminiscent of a mountain stream pebbles linger on the finish.
“Kamptal DAC” and “Kamptal DAC Reserve” were established in 2008 as controlled labels of geographic origin. Like AOC in France or DOC/DOCG in Italy, Austria’s DAC always follows the name of the appellation. The Kamptal DAC and the Kamptal DAC Reserve are always single-varietal wines from either Riesling or Grüner Veltliner. To pass the strict tasting inspections the wines must exhibit pure and clearly defined varietal character. No new oak or botrytis notes are allowed for the Kamptal DAC, but a hint of both are allowed for the more powerful, full-bodied Kamptal DAC Reserve.
Heiligenstein, one of the Grand Cru or "Erste Lage" for Austrian Riesling (c) Himmel, AWMB
“Grüner Veltliner and Riesling have been established as the most important grape varieties in Kamptal for generations. They quite simply find an ideal terroir here and make up more than half of the Kamptal vineyard area.” The Heiligenstein is one of the appellation’s most famous sites. Directly translated, Heiligenstein means “holy stone”, but its historic name was Höllenstein, probably because the meagre sandstone with volcanic components dating back to the Palaeozoic era 270 million years ago, can get as “hot as hell” in summer. Luckily large forested areas and open exposure to cool air masses coming from the north ensure large diurnal temperature differences. The Heiligenstein vineyard is particularly favoured for Riesling and some of Austria’s very best examples come from this site.
As you travel further south and closer to the Danube River, the soils change. Loess and loam terraces provide ideal conditions for Grüner Veltliner. Marie is now sitting comfortably on my lap as Anna pours me a glass of Grüner Veltliner Kamptal DAC Reserve. It is pale medium yellow, full-bodied and generous, but with firm acid structure. Exotic fruit reminiscent of mango and grapefruit mingle with pepper, celery and even a hint of lentils. The Kamptal DAC Grüner Veltliner is generous and full-bodied, but with good acid structure and plenty of peppery spice.
This logo is found on bottles of Grüner Veltliner and Riesling from sites that are classified as "Erste Lage" - the very best vineyards of the Danube wine regions.
In 1992 the Association of Traditional Wineries Austria was founded with the ambitious goal of achieving a vineyard classification in the Danube area. The creation of region of origin labelling in the form of DACs was the foundation for the further development of aprime single vineyard concept. It was a historical moment for the association when after 20 years of research and discussion, the members presented 52 vineyards which were classified as ‘Erste Lage’ (grand cru). This is the beginning of a classification process that is expected to last for at least another 20 to 30 years.
“Certainly Riesling and Grüner Veltliner are our flagship wines in Kamptal, but we have other varieties and specialties, too. You can find several other varieties like Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc and there are a couple vineyards that are predestined for early-ripening red wine varieties like Zweigelt, St. Laurent and Pinot Noir. My family, the Steiningers have specialized in the production of sparkling wines and Bründlmayer and Schloss Gobelsburg also make superb alternatives to Champagne.” Not only does the Kamptal offer much diversity, 10% of Austria’s vineyard area is now organically cultivated and two of Austria’s leading vintners and champions of the organic movement are located in Kamptal: Fred Loimer and Hannes Hirsch.
Many of the Kamptal wineries, like the historic cultural gem Schloss Gobelsburg, welcome visitors by appointment on weekdays.
Wine culture and tourism play an important role in the Kamptal region. Langenlois is the largest community and has a superb tourist information office called Ursin Haus that has bicycle rental and will help you find accommodations. The Ursin Haus also serves as a regional wine shop where you can taste wines from all over the region before you purchase and also attend seminars and events. Restaurant Schwillinsky has the best wine list in the appellation and is located in the picturesque heart of Langenlois. Weinkontraste is another recommendable regional wine shop in Strass that is very generous with information and tourism assistance in the region.
The innovative little winery that Anna grew up on has grown to a sizeable venture for Austria at 30 hectares. The Steiningers also initiated quite an exciting wine experience centre that has become a major attraction for the region. The Loisium is a futuristic architectural monument to wine designed by the New York architect Steven Holl. Visitors begin with a walk through the vineyard and are led through a 1 km long network of wine experiences. The cellar of the Steininger winery is integrated in the facility and one follows in the steps of the winemaker as he guides the grapes from the vineyard to the bottle. The Loisium now includes a designer hotel and restaurant called the Vineyard, which has a very good selection of regional wines by the bottle and by the glass.
“Producing wine is a wonderful lifestyle,” exclaims Anna. “It is for me and I think for most of the vintners here in Kamptal. Every village has a couple of winery-operated taverns where you can experience the typical country ‘Gemütlichkeit’ of the Kamptal. These are the places that locals go and they have the function and atmosphere of our second living rooms.”
Gourmets in the USA call it “Grüner” and it is sipped in the chic, top restaurants from New York to San Francisco. Grüner Veltliner is now finding its way into American vineyards as well.
“Unique. Versatile. A culinary genius. The last of the great European grape varieties!” Ten years after its successful breakthrough in the USA, Grüner Veltliner remains the darling of the wine scene. The popularity of Austria’s leading wine variety in the land of boundless possibilities continues.
The export of Grüner Veltliner in the USA began at an ideal time. The market was saturated with faceless wines at the end of the 1990s. One spoke of the ABC syndrome – Anything But Chardonnay. And one also cried, “Anything but oak!” At this time Austrian vintners were in the process of discovering the potential of the variety to express a unique terroir. The glycol scandal of the 80s had catalysed giant leap in wine quality. Low yields and improved vinification methods brought a broad spectrum of Grüner Veltliner styles in a quality that had never before been experienced. It was only a question of time until thirsty American head hunters discovered the talented natural beauty.
Permanent Place in the Hall of Fame
Terry Theise of Michael Skurnik Wines said, “Grüner Veltliner is not just chic at the moment, it deserves a permanent place in the Hall of Fame of important grape varieties and a leading role among the wines to pair with food.” Its place of honour became guaranteed through praise from wine critics like Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer as well as diverse wine magazines like Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast.
The USA is one of the few growing wine markets in the world. Continued per capita consumption growth is predicted that would put the USA ahead of France, Italy and Spain. New vineyards are being planted in nearly every State. Because nearly no historic, cultural, or legal restrictions exist, the choice of grape variety is colourfully diverse. The number of Grüner Veltliner vines thriving in American soil is growing.
Pioneers on the East Coast
Many Europeans think that the only American wine comes from California. Only insiders know that there are great wines from Washington and Oregon as well. One might be tempted to claim that only European wine geeks know about the wonderful wines of the East Coast.
While many regions have established an identity with a particular variety – take Finger Lakes and Riesling, for example – other areas are still searching for a vine with which they can position their region. The vintner couple Ed Boyce and Sarah O’Herron from Black Ankle Winery in Maryland planted one thousand Grüner Veltliner vines in 2002. Sarah had fallen in love with the variety as she tasted a wine from the Martin Nigl Estate from the Krems Valley. They purchased their vines from a nursery in Massachusetts that has had Grüner Veltliner in its inventory since the 1970s. His Grüner Veltliner is lean, straight-forward and somewhat sauvignonesque with aromas of pear and fresh garden herbs. Ed is enthusiastic about the demand for the variety, but is not so thrilled about its performance in the extremely wet climate. Black rot makes his efforts with organic viticulture frustrating.
Herbert Zillinger, flying vineyard consultant from the Weinviertel in Austria
A vintner association on the central East Coast sees Grüner Veltliner as a promising possibility for the region. John Weygandt of Stargazers Vineyards and president of the Pennsylvania Quality Assurance Group invited the Weinviertel vintner Herbert Zillinger to their vintner conference. Zillinger spoke about the vinification of the variety and inspected several Grüner Veltliner vineyards. “For the most part, the yields on the East Coast are exceedingly high and they are harvesting much too early. The wines are also vinified far too reductively for my tastes. Despite this, the climatic and geological conditions, particularly in Pennsylvania, are similar to those in Austria. Tremendous potential certainly exists.”
Galen Glen Vineyards in Pennsylvania is situated at a fairly high elevation of 320m. Grüner Veltliner feels at home here in a slate slope. The decision to plant Grüner Veltliner was actually not even based on the affinity to terroir. Winemaker Sarah Troxell admits, “I read in Food & Wine magazine about how well Grüner Veltliner pairs with my favourite vegetable, white asparagus. After my husband Galen and I drank a wine from the Hirsch Estate, Grüner became our favourite variety.” The vines bring Galen and Sarah very healthy, aromatic fruit. After Herbert Zillinger’s motivating visit, further quality improvements are being made and another 2.5 hectares of Grüner Veltliner is planned.
Washington
Bob Betz MW of Betz Family Winery produces predominant red wine of premium quality from fruit that he obtains from the Columbia Valley on the other side of the Cascade Mountains. But right beside his front door in Woodinville near Seattle are 150 Grüner Veltliner vines. “I adore Grüner. It is a combination of crystal clear structure and intensity; its balance can simply not be exceeded. I will harvest my first GV in autumn 2009 and produce a few bottles just for myself and my friends. I will never be able to achieve the quality of Pichler, Alzinger or Bründlmayer here, but it would be possible in the Columbia Gorge.”
The Columbia River cuts a deep gorge in the volcanic Cascade Mountains on the east end of the Columbia Gorge AVA. Cool ocean winds rush through this river canyon. The vegetation on the west end is green and lush, but as one travels east, it grows dramatically warmer and drier. There are currently only around 120 ha of vines in this AVA, but the quality of the fruit is extaordinary. The vineyards are breathtakingly beautiful on both the Washington and on the Oregon side of the river. “2009 will be my third harvest with Grüner Veltliner from the Underwood Mountain Vineyard,” says Rich Cushman from Viento Winery in Hood River. “I press whole bunches and let the wine mature long on the fine lees. Grüner thrives wonderfully here and my clients just as enthusiastic as I am.” The vineyard is situated 400m above the river with a majestic view of the snow and glacier covered Mount Hood. The climate is harsher than in the Wachau and the slopes are dominated by basalt rather than primary rock. Perhaps this is the explanation for the unique exotic fruit and mineral components of the Viento Grüner Veltliner and from the neighbouring Syncline Winery.
Prayer Rock cellar door welcomes visitors for wine tasting
“We were the first to plant and produce Grüner Veltliner in Oregon,” says Stephen Reustle. Reustle and his wife Gloria moved from Pennsylvania to Umpqua Valley in south Oregon to establish Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards in 2001. After consultation with the experts Greg Jones and Dr. Richard Smart, they planted 14 hectares of vines where grapes had never before been planted. The vine material was sourced from University of California Davis and 1.5 ha of Grüner Veltliner was planted in a loam slope of 35° inclination. All of the vineyards have biblical names and were planted with the help of Reustle’s friends and church community. Umpqua Valley is situated east of the Cascades and protected from the wet influence of the Pacific making it a hot and dry area. But Prayer Rock is situated at 800m and a forest on the ridge of the mountain above the vineyard provides cool evening lee winds. Drip irrigation relieves stress. The result is a very typical Grüner Veltliner with refreshing acid, green apple fruit and a hint of pepper.
The Willamette Valley is situated on the other side of the Cascade Mountains and is world famed for its Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. There we discovered three wineries producing Grüner Veltliner in three different AVAs. The Raptor Ridge Winery planted their GV in a strip of loess in the Chehalem Mountains AVA and had their first harvest in 2009. Winemaker Scott Schull planted his vines with 5 meters between the rows and 1.5 m between the vines – he will hardly achieve the concentration of his role model Emmerich Knoll at this density.
Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem wines, Photo (c) Marvin Collins
Harry Pederson-Nedry of Chehalem Wines is more experienced; he was the first to plant 22 ha of vines in what is today the Ribbon Ridge AVA in 1980. A unique soil composition of Basalt, marine limestone and loess called Willakenzie soil initially inspired him to plant Burgundian varieties. His newest baby is Grüner Veltliner which he planted over a consecutive three year period. Due to the fertile soil and the abundant rain of the region, he chose low-vigour roots for his vines and planted at 1m x 1.5m density. The first yield was small and only 40 cases were produced in 2008. These were immediately sold out and unfortunately, we could not taste it.
Daedalus Cellars was also convinced that the cool climate of the Willamette Valley would suit Grüner Veltliner. Pam Waldon and her husband Aaron Hess encountered the variety during their travels and work in Europe. The young couple was able to convince their growers in the Eola Hills near Salem to regraft ¾ of a hectare of Müller Thurgau to Grüner Veltliner. The first harvest was in 2007 and the wine was literally ripped out of their hands – people loved it. The young winemakers do not yet own their own vineyards. They would like to have not only the region’s dominant varieties Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Gris, but also more Grüner Veltliner.
California
Rudi Strasser’s father was Austrian and his mother was from Hungary. It was this Austro-Hungarian heritage that inspired the Cabernet vintner to plant a couple Grüner Veltliner vines in 2003. The first harvest was experimental. Rudi underestimated Grüner Veltliner’s need for protein stabilisation with the second harvest and had to recall the few bottles that were initially sold. Despite this, the Californian’s curiosity had been stirred and the pre-oders for his Grüner Veltliner far exceeded his production capacity. For this reason Rudi von Strasser decided to donate a quantity of this wine to the Napa Valley Charity Auction and sell the rest exclusively in local restaurants. In the meantime the vineyard area has been expanded to 1 hectare. Still, Rudi views himself as a Cabernet Sauvignon specialist, “And besides, the soil and warm climate here in the Diamond Mountain AVA is predestined for red wines. Grüner will remain a little niche specialty.”
Richard Alfaro is new to the wine branch and quickly made a name for himself with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah. His success is based on the unique terroir of the Santa Cruz Mountain AVA south of San Francisco. Richard and his wife Mary Kay purchased a 30 ha apple orchard and converted this to wine. Alfaro experience a “groovy epiphany” on a visit to Nikolaihof. As a result, the newest plantings are Grüner Veltliner. “I know that it will be easy to sell, but I swear my reasons are not only commercial. The life of a vineyard is long and you have to plan for the next generation. Grüner is not just a passing fashion. It is quite simply one of the very best grape varieties and accompanying wines to food.” As the eyes wander over the raw, mountainous terrain and one feels the cool breeze, one knows intuitively that Grüner Veltliner will feel at home here.
International Classic
There is still yet little track record for Grüner Veltliner production in the USA. As so often in young wine regions, vines are not initially always planted in their ideal soil and climate. There are presently only two main Grüner Veltliner clones available in the USA. The vine nurseries are supplied by the University of California Davis. In a couple of successful vineyards, for example the one at Galen Glen in Pennsylvania and in the Eola Hills near Salem, Oregon, it is not the Davis clones, but more likely “suitcase” clones of unclear origins that are cultivated. Experience still needs to be collected in the various vineyards and adjustment made. Experiments with vinification are also being made and methods perfected. Much of what Austrian vintners know and have practiced with the variety for generations still appears to be mysterious magic to colleagues in the USA. Austrian vintners should feel flattered by this admiration. Austrian Grüner Veltliner is seen as a role model on an international scale and can now be considered a true classic wine.