Grüner Veltliner

We have an interesting-looking Grüner Veltliner (GREW-ner Felt-LEEN-er) that I was curious about. My research into the varietal showed me that it’s pretty much Austria’s national wine, although it is also grown in Czechoslovakia. and Hungary. My references say that about 30% of vineyards in Austria are planted with the grape.

Although it comes in three different styles, from the light, bone-dry Steinfeder, to the full-bodied Smaragd (which I dare you try to say five times quickly), we have the mid-weight Federspiel, from Domane Wachau, which means it comes from the premier growing region, the Wachau Valley.

Typically, Grüners are known for being assertive whites, with a melon, peach and citric nose, tasting of those fruits, minerality and white pepper, plus a nice acidity and a touch of spritz. Fans of the wine recommend pairing with rich foods and shellfish, and drinking it young. Ours has the color of straw with a little greenish tinge (Grüner means green in German), and has the expected characteristics. I also tasted some grapefruit. It had a lovely long finish, which brought joy to my palate several minutes between sips.

Asparagus? Really?

Controversially, many fans of Grüner Veltliner feel that it pairs well with asparagus. Now asparagus is known as an impossible food to pair with wine, due to the strong taste of the chemical methyl mercaptan.[1] I recently paired a bottle of our delicious Grüner with three dishes we have on the menu, the charcuterie plate (with Bob Sargent’s home-made saucisson sec, Black Forest ham, and pork liver paté), scallops, and the asparagus and lobster risotto. I had no qualms about the first two dishes, but Ken shook his head when I suggested that the wine might go well with the asparagus dish. “There is no wine that goes with asparagus. It won’t work!” He added, “Well, it’s true that I drink wine while eating asparagus. I just make sure I eat something else before I have the wine.”

Since several sources suggested the Grüner would do well, I decided to risk it. More on that experiment below.

As expected, the wine paired beautifully with the charcuterie: the acidic and citrusy character lending sumptuousness to the rich sausage and paté. I found that it rather overwhelmed the Black Forest ham and was in turn overwhelmed by the gherkins, but those drawbacks were more than compensated for by the combination of the other tastes with the wine.

Pairing the scallops with the wine was a revelation. Whereas the wine paired beautifully with the charcuterie’s richness and salt, the sweetness of the scallops changed the character of the wine in the mouth in a way that’s hard to describe, but was truly delicious. Instead of being bold and forthright, as it was with the meat, the wine became subtle and smooth, almost like an unoaked Chardonnay.

Finally I got to the asparagus and lobster risotto, a favorite dish of mine for some time.

Interestingly, the combination was not a disaster, but it also wasn’t an unqualified success. Possibly due to the incorporation of the lobster flavors into the asparagus, the methyl mercaptan flavors were somewhat muted, but by no means gone. What I found to my surprise was that the taste of the Grüner Veltliner completely trumped the asparagus flavor, but it didn’t clash with it. The flavor of the asparagus disappeared. I agreed completely with Ken’s comment: “It isn’t a pairing. The flavors don’t mix. The wine isn’t hurt by the asparagus flavor, but it isn’t helped by it either.” Our conclusion is that what fans of Grüner mean when they say it goes well with asparagus, they mean that the wine doesn’t suffer with the combination. However, we wouldn’t recommend Grüner (or really, any other wine) paired with Asparagus officinalis. For a white wine that goes well with many other tastes, however, particularly in the summer, there are few wines that match the versatility and deliciousness of Grüner Veltliner.

Tasted: 2010 Grüner Veltliner Domane Wachau (Austria) $35

In this post, I wanted to give you an idea of how Ken obtained his deep knowledge of wine, through the “interview” format. In the next post, we’ll start discussing wines that are available in Flora, and our experience with them. In that post we’ll begin with a summer favorite: Grüner Veltliner.

I began by asking Ken about when he starting drinking wine.

• How did you get interested in wine?

Wine was a part of dinners in my home since I was a child, It was not seen so much as alcohol as a significant aspect of a fine meal. I have always loved to cook and entertain.

•  How did you discover it?

I like the word discovered when referencing wine. For indeed we didn’t invent it we simply embraced a process that gift from the Gods.

My mother and father opened the door, once I walked through, I discovered that it is a most complex and fascinating course of study…and the homework is the best!!

• What experiences have you had that helped you learn about wine?

Bartending, managing and serving at a charming little French restaurant …although my father’s family was French, at home we tended to have more American and Portuguese wines.

• What books or publications have you and do you read to keep up with trends and education about wine?

I regularly review many industry periodicals for trends etc. Keeping up with what’s going on with new wines one needs to taste, taste, taste!

• What has changed for you about what you like in a wine, and what kinds of wines you like?

Throughout my life I’ve had a close relationship with bubbles. When I was younger they were always wines of celebration and while they still are a part of celebrations, I have come to appreciate how great they can be when matched with foods. While in my 20’s I tended to focus on dry red wines.. my 30’s was also the time of the burst of fruit- intense wines from California, my 40’s saw a new love affair with ports, my 50’s an appreciation of the complex nature of  demur whites…..now I love them all.

• What drives you crazy (bothers you the most) about wine, wine drinkers, working in wine? Why?

Often many journals tend to review wines that also advertise in their periodicals, it leaves one a tad distrustful of their rating of the wines.

Some of the “snob” appeal of wine I think misses the appreciation of the simplicity of the gift.  I smile when someone “sniffs” the cork…many believe one should feel the cork to make sure the wine was stored on it’s side…the only way to judge if the wine is ok is to taste it! The practice of placing the cork in front of the guest began a long time ago, and simply the guest checked the cork to make sure it matched the wine on the label.

• What about working in wine gives you the most pleasure? Why?

 Pairing a wine list with the dynamic menu at flora is a welcome challenge

• Do you have a favorite wine maker or wine makers? Who is it (are they), and why?

I really don’t have a favorite. That’s like asking parents about who’s the favorite child. I delight both in wines that are true to traditional regions and varietals. But when someone challenges traditional ways and successfully coaxes a new style to fruition, it is a great event.

Next Post: Is there a wine that asparagus pairs well with? We’ll investigate claims that Grüner Veltliner is the one!

Welcome to Flora Restaurant’s new blog about wine and food!

The authors of this blog hope to accomplish three things. The first is to introduce Flora’s family and friends who are not regular wine drinkers to the delicious wines that are available in the restaurant. We are enthusiastic about drinking wine while eating food, and simply cannot understand why other people don’t think that wine and food go together like ducks and quacks, tables and chairs, and Click and Clack.

But we don’t want to just tell you what the wines are, we want to tell you why we’re excited about these wines. Ken the wine buyer, or sommelier if you prefer, has chosen this particular collection of wines from among the thousands that he is introduced to, by written description, by attending tastings, or by having been presented the bottles by distributors and sales people. The wines that are actually available in the restaurant change almost weekly, although there are some wines that continue to be just too good to let go, and get re-ordered season after season. Ken will buy this wine and won’t buy that wine because he knows the menu, he knows what wines pair well with the delicious foods on offer, and he knows the clientele. He also wants to make sure that there are offerings that meet different budgets, and always ones that offer good value.

The second purpose of this blog is to expand awareness in our wine drinking friends and family about the wines they already know and enjoy. In our descriptions, we discuss not only why we offer a wine and what foods it goes well with, but also share vignettes and stories of interest about the background of the wine, the grape, the region, or the winemaker. For example, did you know that all of winemaker Maison Chapoutier’s wine labels have Braille on them? Michel Chapoutier began imprinting Braille onto all the labels after he saw his blind friend, singer Gilbert Montagnie, say on a TV interview that he couldn’t buy wines alone. He had to have someone read the labels to him.[2] Since then, more and more winemakers have begun to add Braille to their labels.

The third reason for the blog is quite selfish. It’s simply that we love thinking, drinking, learning, and talking about wine. It’s a pleasure to have a reason to spend a little more time each week thinking about one of life’s amazingly complex, yet marvelously simple delights. We hope that you will join us as we toast the presence of wine in our lives.

Cheers!