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Högl, Grüner Veltliner Federspiel “J&G”

Wachau, Austria 2019 (750mL)
Regular price$29.00
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Högl, Grüner Veltliner Federspiel “J&G”

Whether it’s writing these offers or writing a wine list, I’ve developed a level of trust in certain producers from around the world. It’s instinctual at this point—I see the label/name, I know the wine is going to be good. Högl has become this kind of producer for me; they rarely, if ever, strike a false note, and more important still, their wines remain some of the best pound-for-pound values in the Wachau, be it Grüner Veltliner or Riesling.


The consistency these wines display, vintage after vintage, is no small feat, so while it would be accurate to describe today’s “J&G” Grüner as an ideal “daily drinker,” that seems like I’m damning it with too-faint praise. It implies that there’s something workmanlike or pedestrian about it, when in fact this wine is not just consistently spot-on but consistently exceptional. Across the entirety of their lineup, the Högl family over-delivers in dramatic fashion, so much so that I marvel at how they’re not better known. This vigorous, versatile Federspiel is what I’d call a “back pocket” white wine—that is, a white wine option to always have in your back pocket. Scoop this up by the case and you’ll be well-prepared for any scenario life throws your way—not only does it jolt your palate to life, it goes with just about anything!


Growing grapes in cooler regions came with plenty of challenges in the late 20th century, but as global warming creeps into the world’s greatest terroirs, producers like Högl have found a newfound advantage. The Wachau is Austria’s premier region for Grüner Veltliner, and like many wine regions, there is a warm side and a cooler side. The only major European river to flow in an eastward direction is the Danube, and it is the lifeline of the Wachau—the ultimate regulator of temperature, frost, and humidity. Högl finds itself in the Wachau’s beginning, the westernmost section, at the end of the famous Spitzer Graben vineyard, where temperatures are slightly cooler compared to those at the eastern end. Josef Högl and his son, Georg, are the “J&G” in today’s wine, which is an ‘entry-level’ bottling: a step lower in alcohol than their other bottlings, but by no means dumbed-down. By law in the Wachau, “Federspiel” wines must achieve an alcohol of at least 11.5% but stay below 12.5%. So, when you buy a wine that says “Federspiel,” you know you are getting a fresh, lively style of Grüner Veltliner that also displays some real substance. No simple quaffer, this!


The fruit comes from a collection of vineyards all over the Wachau from west to east, from the less steep terraces which give the wine its “ready-to-go” flavors. The wine’s freshness, though, is an ode to Spitz, home of the Högl cellar. Josef’s philosophy is purist, standing by healthy fruit over manipulation in the cellar, making the final wine a precise snapshot of grape and place.


Today’s wine has the best of both worlds—there is plenty of ripe fruit and wet earth on the nose, but the palate surges to bone-dry. With those characteristics, it’s incredibly refreshing, so make sure to have a back-up plan (i.e., more bottles behind the first). The fruit ferments in the cold cellars of Spitz in stainless steel tanks with natural yeasts, followed by the wine resting on its lees (spent yeasts) until late winter. The Federspiel styles drink better a touch cooler than their richer Smaragd counterparts, so serve this wine around 45-50 degrees. In the glass, the wine’s core is pale straw with threads of green, moving into a watery rim with moderate concentration in the glass. As sommeliers, we’re trained like robots to look for peppery spice notes with Grüner, but if you drink a lot of Grüner, you know that spice is not always a dominant flavor. 


Högl’s 2019 Federspiel, as in vintages past, is floral over spicy. On the nose, there is a juicy blast of green-yellow apple and pear fruit with an undercut of white peach and greenish white flowers. The earth plays around with wet rock, white pepper and radish (yes, there’s some), and chive blossoms. On the palate, the wine takes stride, full of delicious Grüner pep and bounce. With moderate alcohol and moderate-plus acidity, today’s wine is an appetizer’s best friend, taking comfort in cold salads, vegetable terrines, lightly fried fish, and platters of charcuterie and cheese. If you really want to impress your company, then have a go at a vegetable terrine. You’ll have to spend a little more time in the kitchen with the attached recipe, but don’t worry, you’ve already got the wine part down!

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Austria

Northeastern Austria

Weinviertel

Considered by most to be the oldest growing zone in Austria, Weinviertel is also, geographically, the largest in the country and covers the vast, northeastern expanse of Lower Austria, stretching from the western border of Slovakia, following the Danube inland and veering up to the southern border of Czechia. Its name, which translates to “wine quarter,” reflects the region’s rich, ancient wine heritage and, according to the Weinviertel DAC website, there are “7,000 years of artifacts to prove it.”

Northeastern Austria

Wachau

Austria’s Wachau appellation is the country’s most acclaimed region. About an hour northwest of Vienna along the Danube River, the vista of the steep, terraced vineyards of the Wachau creates a magnificent landscape akin to a verdant, ancient amphitheater—it is a UNESCO World Heritage site, after all. With rich and unique soils here of löess and gneiss, which lend vivid minerality to the wine.

Eastern Austria

Burgenland

The Burgenland appellation, running along Austria’s border with Hungary southeast of Vienna, has a diverse topography and a mix of soils, with more primary rock and slate at higher locations and dense loams in the rolling hills that extend toward the Pannonian plain.

Southeastern Austria

Steiermark

The region of Styria (Steiermark) is in southeastern Austria which sits near the border with Slovenia. This area is studded with long-extinct volcanoes whose deposits are a key component of the local soils and the vineyards benefit from a classic Austrian push-pull of cool Alpine air and warmer “Pannonian” currents from the east.

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