Grüner Veltliner
Also known as Weissgipfler
Eastern Austria, Austria
Austria's signature white: fresh, peppery and mineral, from light Weinviertel wines to the rich, long-lived bottlings of the Wachau.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Cool climate
Ripening
Mid season
Wine styles
Still, Sparkling
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Austria
Weinviertel, Kamptal and Kremstal
The Weinviertel makes the peppery, zesty everyday style; Kamptal and Kremstal are more serious.
Vienna
A component of many Gemischter Satz field blends and also made as a varietal wine.
Background
Origin & History
DNA profiling showed Grüner Veltliner to be a natural cross of Savagnin and St. Georgen, an unnamed variety from the village of St. Georgen am Leithagebirge near Eisenstadt, of which only one old vine was found. It has nothing to do with Roter Veltliner despite the shared name.
It covers roughly a third of Austria's vineyards. In the Wachau the Vinea Wachau growers classify it as Steinfeder, Federspiel or Smaragd by ripeness, and the Weinviertel was named Austria's first DAC in 2002 for its peppery, unoaked style.
Lineage
Family tree
Ancestry above, descendants below. Click a related grape to explore its own lineage.