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Steinschaden, Grüner Veltliner

Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), Austria 2016 (750mL)
$16.00
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Steinschaden, Grüner Veltliner

Some of you—actually, lots of you, if sales are any indication—may remember Steinschaden’s Kamptal Grüner Veltliner as one of our greatest values of 2017. Its combination of vintage, pedigree, and price was simply perfect, and while we wouldn’t have thought it possible, they delivered a repeat performance in 2016.
While most experts characterize 2016 as a more “classic” vintage in comparison to the warm, dry blockbuster that was 2015, Steinschaden managed to pack significant concentration into this extraordinarily well-priced ’16. If I were tasting this wine blind, I’d peg it as a reserve-level wine—not an entry-level wine in the under-$20 category. Not even close! This is the quintessential by-the-case white for every occasion, with the versatility to pair with myriad cuisines and raise eyebrows at larger gatherings. If you’re starting to stock up for summer, this is a can’t-miss!
This is DAC-level wine, i.e. a wine that meets the requirements for a controlled appellation of origin (Austria’s version is ‘Districtus Austriae Controllatus’). The Kamptal is one of Austria’s premier Grüner appellations, situated along the Danube River west of Vienna (Kremstal and Wachau lay to the west). Kamptal takes its name from the Kamp River, a tributary of the Danube, and the primary soil type (for Grüner) here is loess, a mineral-rich, wind-blown silt fused with calcium carbonate. The Kamptal is the easternmost of the Wachau-Kremstal-Kamptal triumvirate, feeling a slightly more profound influence from the warmer Pannonian plain to the east, although all of these regions are influenced by a push-pull of warm and cold air—the latter coming in the form of mountain-born breezes from the Waldviertel region to the northwest. This lengthens the growing season, enabling Steinschaden (and others) to harvest Grüner as late as mid-October to ensure optimal physiological ripeness.

Although I wouldn’t call it a carbon copy of the ’15 (it is a little more laser-focused), the overall scale of this wine is ‘bigger’ than you’d expect at this modest price point. Grüner lovers know that the different Austrian appellations have multiple ‘quality’ tiers within them based on grape ripeness levels at harvest, and when I tasted this wine my first thought was that it was ‘reserve’-level bottling. It is a big wine (for Grüner), but one that finishes dry, with perceptible minerality complementing the ripe fruit.

The 2016 Steinschaden Grüner Veltliner is straw-gold in color with green and silver highlights at the rim. It is dry and detailed, with precise minerality and fresh acidity, while still showing off a luscious medium body. Notes of green apple, white peach, grapefruit, and lime blossom are complemented by spicy/savory hints of coriander and white pepper. And while it's delicious on its own, this wine will really be at its best with fresh spring and summer cuisine. Enjoy it with salads that incorporate seasonal fruit—attached is a recipe for a great one. Serve at 45 degrees in all-purpose white wine stems and be sure to have a backup bottle (or two!) chilled, because the first one will be gone in no time!
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Country
Austria
Region
Niederösterreich (Lower Austria)
Sub-Region
AustriaKamptal
Soil
Loess
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Grüner Veltliner
Alcohol
12.5
TEMP.
45
Glassware
All-Purpose White Stems
Drinking
Now
Pairing
Summer Fruit Chopped Salad

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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