When it comes to once-in-a-blue-moon offers like today's, it’s hard to focus on anything other than the amazing value-for-dollar. Petra Unger’s “Zieselrain” Grüner Veltliner has it all: site specificity,
Smaragd-level ripeness, and multiple years of bottle maturity—all at an oh-so-generous price. Any lover of wine couldn’t possibly ask for anything more than this when factoring in the $20 price tag—because it isn’t lacking anything!
When we tasted this at our “round table,” our infatuation was immediate. However, we kept our excitement in check because all of us expected a high-$20s, low-$30s price point to accompany it. Weren’t we glad to be wrong by a heft margin! Austrian Grüner Veltliner is generally hard to beat in terms of quality and authenticity per dollar, but this is so fairly priced that it’s paradoxically unfair. Blessed with an extra layer of body thanks to the superb 2015 vintage and loaded with mineral texture, Petra Unger’s Kremstal Grüner will undoubtedly go down as one of our best summer values this year—make that any year!
As the Danube snakes its way toward Vienna, the striking river valley region of Lower Austria is a spectacle to behold. If you were to travel upriver in a boat from Vienna, you’d cruise past the concentrated trifecta of elite Austrian appellations (DACs), with Kremstal wedged in between Kamptal and Wachau, straddling both sides of the river. This is the beating heart of Grüner Veltliner and its preferred loess soils: a wind-blown sedimentary soil with calcium carbonate. Today’s “Zieselrain” is named after a special pocket of 15- to 30-year-old vines that lie beneath the watchful eye of the Göttweig monastery. They, too, are buried in deep sandy loess.
Within the southern portion of Kremstal, in the small satellite village of Furth, you’ll find Petra Unger and her eponymous estate. In 1999, upon completing her viticultural studies in Vienna and an internship in Napa, Petra took the reins of the winery her father had started 12 years prior. Her philosophies in the vineyard and winery are simple yet refreshing: Let the terroir speak! In order to achieve that sentiment post-harvest (manually), whole-bunch grapes were gently pressed and lees aging occurred in stainless steel vessels.
Having traveled in Austrian wine country many times, I taste this wine and I’m immediately transported to a Viennese heuriger, an outdoor tavern set amongst vineyards. To sit at a picnic table drinking wine like this (even if it’s in your backyard) is an experience every wine lover should have. The amazing freshness, boosted body, and palate-enlivening minerality in Unger’s 2015 “Zieselrain” will make for a memorable day, guaranteed! Simply pour into all-purpose stems at a cool 45 degrees and, just like the zippy aromatics, let the good times roll. You’ll discover high-toned notes of Asian pear, ripe yellow apples, melon skin, white flowers, tangerine peel, Meyer lemon, white pepper, arugula, and a bed of finely crushed river rock. The palate is filled with invigorating minerality and piquant, juicy fruits that are only heightened by a lifted backbone of acidity. It pings every taste bud while delivering impressive concentration that is typically reserved for the next price tier. What a wine this is! A weisswurst is about as traditional as you can get when it comes to pairing, but if you’re short on ingredients, check out the alternative dish—when done right, it’s equally delicious. Cheers!
