Dürnberg 'Getränk' Grüner Veltliner

Region: Falkenstein < Weinviertel < Austria

Grapes: Grüner Veltliner

Winemaker: Christoph Körner

In Austria, Grüner Veltliner, a huge part of the national culture, has
traditionally come packed in a liter-sized bottle with a crown cap (at least since WW2, when lack of materials prompted this eco-friendlier change) intended for fresh, immediate consumption and for sharing among friends.  In fact, it's brilliant how well the Austrians do big bottles with both quality juice and great packaging, so that the liter bottle format makes you feel smart and  environmentally conscious for choosing it, instead of just cheap.  The Dürnberg estate, located on a high altitude high plateau close to the Czech border, does only Grüner, and they do it well, because their real focus is vineyard health.  They rely on green management to build up the humus content of the soil without erosion and compaction and eliminate the need for irrigation -- and two years ago they even succeeded in convincing all their vintner colleagues in the valley to abstain from insecticides, meaning they've also eliminated the risk of cross contamination.
Currently certified sustainable (first in the Falkenstein region!)
they have always worked organically, and will have European
certification beginning with the 2023 vintage.

For the “Getränk,” they're using younger vines at higher altitudes,
with 2/3 of the grapes coming from Dürnberg estate vineyards, with the remaining from two growers in the same village who closely follow the same rules of certified sustainable farming.  Bursting with all of the citrus – lime, lemon, grapefruit – plus hints of white pepper, intense minerality and Gruner’s signature acid that literally pops, this wine tastes like bone-dry 7up filtered over rocks in an alpine stream.  A jug of happy juice, excellent for all of the season's gatherings, because 750ml is never enough when the bottle is this good and easy drinking.