Raise a glass to groovy ‘first-growth’ Grüner Veltliner and friends

Our wine writer helps you navigate the delicious gamut of Grüner Veltliner

'Grüner delivers more personality than many popular peers, with lemon tang, orchard fruits and refreshing acidity'

Aoife Carrigy

As a grape name, Grüner Veltliner can be a mouthful to master. (It’s pronounced Groo-ner Velt-LEE-ner, like its nickname of GrooVee.) However, we’re increasingly au fait with Austria’s most distinctive, widely grown and fashionable grape, thanks to its versatility, food-friendliness and potential for greatness in the right hands and terroir.

Even at fresh and fruity entry level, Grüner delivers more personality than many popular peers, with lemon tang, orchard fruits and refreshing acidity. Rabl’s Grüner Veltliner is a smart example (€13, 20pc off until 07/08 as part of the M&S Classic Range) or track down the limited-edition ‘Der Komponist’ (€8.99, Aldi), if you can. Trade up a bit and that personality ramps up, as do the rich and spicy notes of stone fruits and white pepper. The large-format Arndorfer from Kamptal DAC (Sheridans, €22 for 1L), recommended recently, exemplifies Grüner made for sharing with casual meals. At the other end of the spectrum, serious producers are making weighty, complex and age-worthy wines, with various levels of complexity in between.