Glatzer Gruner Veltliner

The wine... I often thoroughly enjoy the big liters of Austrian Gruner Veltliner that we sell: Berger, Hofer, Setzer, many others. But inside Glatzer's "standard" size bottle is a wine that gets a little closer to the reason why this Gruner Veltliner is pretty special. Fermented in stainless steel and then aged for several months on its fine lees, Glatzer's wine is more than pleasant. It has a little substance to it, and always leaves me feeling like I've invested my dollars (and happily too many of them) wisely. 

The grape... Why is Gruner Veltliner so uniquely Austrian? The grape covers nearly 50,000 acres of vineyard, mostly in lower Austria and around Vienna, but rarely makes memorable wines abroad. The basic reason is Gruner Veltliner ripens too late to be of use to farmers in most of northern Europe. In Austria is finds the right soil and climate to shine, to make one of the world's great food whites.

The land... Carnuntum is close to Neusiedlersee, east of the Danube. It was a Roman provincial capital on the Danube, and while today many worthwhile wines are made in the area, the total output of the region is currently relatively insignificant (less than 1,000 hectares are currently planted with vines) probably far less tha in roman times. The 16-hectare Glatzer estate is something of a standard-bearer for this small region, well-known at home and abroad for the quality.