2016 Jurtschitsch ‘Stein’ Grüner Veltliner

Region: Kamptal < Austria
Grapes: Grüner Veltliner
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: organic farming, quartz, granite, dolomite rock soils, 500m elevation; fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and left to rest on the fine lees before bottling in spring; bottled with <50ppm SO2
Winemaker: Alwin Jurtschitsch

The family-owned Jurtschitsch winery, the oldest in the area (16th century), has now been passed on to Alwin Jurtschitsch and his wife, Stefanie Hasselbach, a young couple who are leaders in the Kamptal’s natural wine movement. Alwin and Stef started working at the winery in 2006, converted all of the vineyards to organic viticulture, and from day one made wine in an old-school classic style, without any additions, aside from minimal sulfur at bottling. This is really rare in cold, wet Austria! The grapes for this wine come from various mountain-sloped vineyards – pristine, Alpine, Heidi territory. And it is textbook perfect Gruner: cool, elegant and compact, with grapefruit, salt, stone fruit and wet rock, zippy, refreshing and appetite-whetting. Give it a swirl and a few minutes in the glass, and you get something like peppery arugula, green pear and lemony spritz. The ultimate, all-purpose food wine – if you’re unsure what to serve with dinner, go Gruner!