Schwarzbock 2010 Gruner Veltliner 1L

The Family... Anita Schwarzböck is a very gracious, polite ambassador for her family’s wines. When I tasted with her in Vienna, there was clean, correct and still charming quality to be found across the whole line-up. The wines have more ripeness and better fruit than is standard in affordable Austrian bottles. Anita runs Schwarzböck with her husband, Rudolf.

The Region...The Schwarzböcks’ home region (Weinviertel) is by far Austria’s most productive (32.8% of volume in 2009). This fertile region close to Vienna is dotted with Heurigen, small country restaurants run by winemakers who serve cold foods (cured meats and asparagus) along with abundant carafes of their own wine. Heurigen are popular weekend destinations for Viennese looking to escape the city and briefly reconnect with traditional rural Austria.

The Wine... Tasted in a line-up of similar products from across Austria, Schwarzböck really stands out. The winery’s liters of Grüner Veltliner are exceptionally ripe, sunny, and dry, with the scent of Meyer lemon and fresh hay. This is the kind of wine you can drink all day long. Serve with pike or trout, grilled summer vegetables or marinated/ oil-cured antipasti.