June 2005

Gruner Veltliner is a little-known wine outside Austria, unless you are a fairly advanced cork dork. That’s too bad, because it is a wonderfully crisp, light, fruity wine that goes with just about anything. It’s also a refreshing quencher for barbecues, picnics, and hot summer nights. One excellent and affordable example is Hirsch “Veltliner #1″, which exemplifies the typically clean, character of Gruner Veltliner, adding an attractive tartness, almost-sweet fruit, and a touch of mineral. A nice extra is that this wine comes with a screw-top, so you can stick it back in the fridge and enjoy it over several days. In fact, I’ve been drinking this particular bottle for over a week, and it has not lost any freshness. Find it for around ten to thirteen bucks. (In the NY-Metro area it’s carried by Michael Skurnik, a very reputable importer with a particularly excellent concentration in Austrian and German wines.)

Find Hirsch Veltliner on Wine-Searcher.com

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Real deal price: 8.99

N: Wide-open, superripe berry fruit. Blackberries, raspberries, boysenberries.

P: Upfront ripe berry fruit. Chunks of blackberry, black cherry, and vanilla oak, with a line of chocolate licorice. Smooth texture. Drying acidity in the midpalate and sweet ripe tannins in the finish, which is attractive and longer than expected. Matched nicely with turkey tacos, should do well with other Mexican dishes, mild Indian cuisine, and simple fare such as burgers and barbecue chicken.

In some areas of the country, you may find this at 5.99 or 6.99, in which case it is an absolute steal.

A-8 T-8 B-8 FC-8 V-10

Find a merchant who sells this wine

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Last night after enjoying two glasses of Cantele Primitivo 2002, I (synthetically) corked it back up and put it in the fridge. Tonight I enjoyed two more glasses, and pleased to report that the wine was just as good, possibly better, than last night. Not bad for a seven-dollar wine!

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As you’ve probably noticed, Wine Weekly has changed. In fact, it will continue changing over the next few weeks. Wine Weekly is moving from a traditional website format to a blog style. The main reason is to provide you with more frequent updates. That means, more wine reviews and tasting notes posted more often. In addition, you’ll get occasional bantering, harsh criticism, and an occasional laugh courtesy of Vino Joe.

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