Aichenberg Premium Gruner Veltliner 2020
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Wong
Wilfred
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Aichenberg's Premium Gruner Veltlinern is a family-run Austrian delicacy. It has aromas of fresh fruit and spiciness, with notes of tropical fruits and pepper. The freshness in taste gives off flavors of green apples which are long-lasting and pack a punch at the finish.
This wine pairs well with white meat, fish, cheeses and Italian dishes such as pizza and pasta.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Aichenberg Premium Grüner Veltliner is clean and satisfying. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits appealing aromas and flavors of dried fruit, a hint of hazelnut, and lemon peel. Try it with linguine and clams in black pepper, garlic, wine sauce. (Tasted: August 10, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
Other Vintages
2022-
Wong
Wilfred
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Wong
Wilfred
Fun to say and delightfully easy to drink, Grüner Veltliner calls Austria its homeland. While some easily quaffable Grüners come in a one-liter—a convenient size—many high caliber single vineyard bottlings can benefit from cellar aging. Somm Secret—About 75% of the world’s Grüner Veltliner comes from Austria but the variety is gaining ground in other countries, namely Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the United States.
Appreciated for superior wines made from indigenous varieties, Austria should be on the radar of any curious wine drinker. A rather cool and dry wine growing region, this country produces wine that is quintessentially European in style: food-friendly with racy acidity, moderate alcohol and fresh fruit flavors.
Austria’s viticultural history is rich and vast, dating back to Celtic tribes with first written record of winemaking starting with the Romans. But the 20th century brought Austria a series of winemaking obstacles, namely the plunder of both world wars, as well as its own self-imposed quality breach. In the mid 1980s, after a handful of shameless vintners were found to have added diethylene glycol (a toxic substance) to their sweet wines to imitate the unctuous qualities imparted by botrytis, Austria’s credibility as a wine-producing country was compromised. While no one was harmed, the incident forced the country to rebound and recover stronger than ever. By the 1990s, Austria was back on the playing field with exports and today is prized globally for its quality standards and dedication to purity and excellence.
Grüner Veltliner, known for its racy acidity and herbal, peppery aromatics, is Austria's most important white variety, comprising nearly a third of Austrian plantings. Riesling in Austria is high in quality but not quantity, planted on less than 5% of the country’s vineyard land. Austrian Rieslings are almost always dry and are full of bright citrus flavors and good acidity. Red varietal wines include the tart and peppery Zweigelt, spicy and dense Blaufränkisch and juicy Saint Laurent. These red varieties are also sometimes blended.