Little J, Gruner Veltliner 2009, Austria
Gruner Veltliner positively burst onto the wine scene in the UK and USA around five or six years ago, when it became the darling of restaurant wine lists for its flexible food matching and easy drinking style with a bit of real personality. Thought the Gru-V craze might have died down slightly, there are plenty of excellent examples around including this vibrant, punchy wine from the Kamptal grower Jurtschitsch. It has a hint of tropical fruit and even an estery banana note on the nose, some lightly custardy creaminess and a sprinking of white pepper. On the palate it is full and generous, and the flavour just bangs out of the glass with loads of apple and citrus, and again that little clove, pepper and spice background from the grape. Nicely confident and characterful stuff, it would be great with a bowl of gnocchi or pasta with pesto and chile, but for more details and food matching suggestions, please watch the video.
