Jess Drinks... Gruner Veltliner

In my previous life as a sommelier and wine school owner, I drank A LOT of wine. So you can imagine, having a another $15 California Chardonnay became a bit lackluster. It’s like having to do yet another multiplication table in the 5th grade. BO-RING!

In my personal life, I seek out and enjoy wines that are different, new, and exciting, not necessarily the ones that are the best or most expensive. A Zweigelt from Austria? An orange wine from The Republic of Georgia? A $12 killer Pinot from Chile? YES, PLEASE!

My favorite part of wine, however, has always been sharing amazing finds. So, I will be sharing with you wines that I am drinking at home and with friends that are unique, but not impossible to find, and of course, the ones that simply, kickass.

Grape Varietal: Gruner Veltliner

Country/Region: Austria

Why I love it: Truth be told, I just LOVE saying the name of this varietal… always, always, always with a horrible Austrian accent. Try it. Fun times.

I do also love the crisp acid, green apple and white pepper. Side note, I started buying white pepper when I first started learning about wine so I could understand what everyone was talking about when they said “white pepper”. I loved it so much, I typically replace black pepper with white pepper when cooking - it achieves the same flare without being such a bully to the other ingredients.

And I’m a sucker for that “stoney” minerality...People often ask, what I mean by that… Go suck on a stone. Seriously. Or, breathe in some chalk dust. Sounds gross. It’s not. You’d be surprised how well apples and pepper go with chalk.

Suggested Pairing: Fall. The crisp apple and white pepper flavors pair perfectly with the crisp air, apple-picking and abundance of root vegetables and squashes on the menu… it’s also pretty damn good with grilled sausages at your next tailgate.

Try This If You Like: Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

The bottle in my hands? Herz & Heim 2017 from Bright Cellars, $20. This GV is a bit softer than other GVs with riper fruit, namely peach and pear. Be warned, my friends, it goes down REAL EASY!

Cheers,
Jess

Inventor & Chief Wine Drinker, HaloVino

I, of course, love pairing HaloVino, our stackable wine glasses, with Gruner Veltliner! These portable wine glasses allow you to enjoy GV wherever you go, namely tailgating, camping and beer gardens. Cheers!