Wine Review: Hahndorf Hill’s Austrian achievement

It must be the season for sprucing up wine labels? I’ve seen a few new label tweaks in the past month or so but I must say, this Hahndorf Hill one is quite lovely. Bottom line is labels shouldn’t really matter and it’s what is in the bottle that counts but the aesthete in me still likes to stare at nice labels when they are done well.

But enough of this label malarkey. Gruner Veltliner can be pronounced several different ways: with a barely perceivable Germanic lilt to your voice, which makes you appear serious and perhaps more precise than you actually are, or, the forceful and power Arnold Schwarzenegger technique.

The latter is a more assertive option for sure; bound to turn some heads and get you noticed and in theory it is technically more correct as both Arnie and Gruner Veltliner hail from Austria. That said, it is definitely worth practicing both versions in front of a mirror to see what works best for you.

So what’s Gruner Veltliner taste like?

You should expect citrus, white peach and pear fruit characters, some light floral notes, perhaps some crushed rock and marzipan notes, that sort of thing. It will be savoury and dry with bright, sapid acidity that has an almost saline/brine twang and stimulates the ‘ol saliva glands.

Bone-dry, bright and energetic, it has a fearsome reputation for versatility in the food and wine matching stakes and truth be told; we should be drinking more of it. Ja danke!

HAHNDORF HILL 2017 Adelaide Hills Gruner Veltliner

hahndorfhillwinery.com.au