Grüner Veltliner (Green Veltliner) is a
white wine grape variety grown primarily in
Austria,
Hungary,
Slovakia, and the
Czech Republic. The leaves of the grape vine are five-lobed with bunches that are long but compact, and deep green grapes that
ripen in mid-late October in the
Northern Hemisphere.
In 2008, Grüner Veltliner plantations in Austria stood at 17,151 hectares (42,380 acres), and it accounts for 32.6% of all vineyards in the country, almost all of it being grown in the northeast of the country. Thus, it is the most-planted grape variety in Austria. Some is made into
sparkling wine in the far northeast around
Poysdorf. Along the
Danube to the west of
Vienna, in
Wachau,
Kremstal and
Kamptal, it grows with
Riesling in terraces on slopes so steep they can barely retain any soil. The result is a very pure, mineral wine capable of long aging, that stands comparison with some of the great wines of the world. In recent blind tastings organized by the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, Grüner Veltliners have beaten world-class
Chardonnays from the likes of
Mondavi and
Maison Louis Latour.
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