Our Favourite Things: 'Grü-Vee' No More

I remember the first time I drank a dolcetto; I was about to tuck into a meal with my wife at Vancouver’s legendary Cannery Seafood Restaurant, glancing at the twinkling lights of the North Shore across the harbour. The first time I tasted petite sirah was in the mid-1990s at a long-gone late-night bistro on West Fourth Avenue; the soundtrack consisted of Oasis, Pulp and way too much trip-hop. I’m pretty sure I was wearing a toque with an 8-ball on it, and for this, I am sorry.

I do not remember the first time I tried a grüner veltliner. Nor do I have an “a-ha moment” in mind to pinpoint when I became enamoured with the grape.

The important thing is that I am currently smitten with grüner and will wave the grape’s flag whenever and wherever possible. I love the grape so much, I am personally offended whenever I see any evidence of that marketing campaign a few years back that re-christened the wine as “Grü-Vee,” in hopes that the simpler it was to say, the easier it would be to sell. Seeing and hearing this term thrown around by the higher-ups in the wine community was like watching your parents dance to hip hop at a wedding: awkward, at the very least.

Grüner veltliner isn’t even that difficult to pronounce; it’s phonetic, no?

What is Grüner Veltliner?

It is a charismatic, high-acid white grape hailing from Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic; there are also now a few plantings of vines in Oregon, California, New York state and even the Okanagan Valley. Most grüners I've had — and most in our market — are Austrian and delicious.

I love that grüner is like pinot grigio on steroids, with more citrus, minerality, confidence and pizzazz. I love that it is as nuanced as riesling, but much more bratty and not so high-falutin’. The aromatics can be as lovely and colourful as those of a gewürztraminer, but, on the palate, a grüner is much more bold, with fresh-squeezed key lime and a good dusting of white pepper. It is less Beatles and more Stones. As much a complement to ceviche and sushi as it is to tacos and curry, grüner veltliner speaks to the place it comes from, but it is comfortable wherever it travels.

I love that grüner veltliner is delicious, casual and approachable. I love that it is generally inexpensive and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Most of all, I love that this little story may make you want to try one for the first time.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll remember that moment forever.

Read about more of Our Favourite Things about wine.