The past couple of weeks, our wine class has covered Germany and Austria. One of our instructors, Sandy Block, MW (the VP of Beverage Operations for the Boston culinary institution Legal Seafoods) shared his opinion that Grüner Veltliner isn't his favorite white variety. After tasting a flight of Riesling from Germany and Austria, I can understand why. GV is the Toyota to Riesing's Lexus, (or, perhaps more appropriately, the Volkswagen to Riesling's BMW) for the most part. Where an Austrian Riesling can be full-bodied, with a striking balance between fruit and acidity, a Grüner can be heavy on the acidity, with bitter finish that seems a bit more angular. But occasionally, A Grüner can achieve ageworthy greatness. More often than not, this GV will be from the Wachau.

Last night, Vinilicious decided to crack a bottle of Austrian Grüner Veltliner that had been lying in my fridge for a good amount of time. The 2005 Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner
Terrassen Federspiel had a good amout of fruit, with a hints of small berries, tart green apple, dill, and white pepper. Medium bodied with white peach flavor, striking acidity and nice spicy finish. While drinking it, there were moments where I felt as if I had tasted a white Burgundy from the Maconnais. The spicy flavors of Grüner Veltliner pair well with Asian food. The next time you try Thai take-out, I recommend it highly.