Think Austria, drink Austria (Boots Optional) By Dave McIntyre, Tuesday, September 11, 3:40 PM First of a two-part series on Austrian wines When you are presented with several glasses of white wine and asked to determine which one is gruner veltliner, my advice is to think in reverse. Find the oaky, toasty wine and eliminate it as chardonnay. That overtly grassy one is most likely sauvignon blanc, the flowery flirt is the Virginia viognier ringer, and the ripe peach with lime zest is probably Riesling. The enigmatic wine in the last glass, the one with the bracing acidity that had you thinking Riesling and with the slight herbal quality that unconvincingly suggested sauvignon blanc . that one.s the gruner. Wine recommendations: Gruner veltliner So one way of approaching gruner is to define it by what it isn.t, because we.re not familiar with it. But of course it can be described positively as well. Gruner veltliner echoes some of the better-known varieties yet ultimately speaks a language of its own. You have to get rid of the noisy wines in order to hear it, which is to say: Shed your preconceptions about what white wine should taste like and listen to your palate. Gruner veltliner is the main white grape of Austria. Riesling shines there as well. So think Germany as your reference, but don.t simply lump Austrian white wines in with their northern neighbors. Austrian whites are almost invariably dry, so they should appeal to consumers wary of sweetness in German wines. (I don.t condone that fear in German Riesling, but it exists, and Austrian wines are the answer.) Austria.s dry whites are often compared with those of Alsace, which have a German accent as well. But I find them more delicate and subtle. Gruner veltliner enjoyed a mini-popularity wave about a decade ago, when the quality of these wines was discovered and unscrupulous wine writers and PR folks tried calling it .GruVe.. (I.ll stick with .gruner,. no matter how angry that makes me sound.) American winemakers are taking interest: Black Ankle Vineyards in Maryland and Galen Glen in Pennsylvania make respectable gruner, and the grape is being grown in small amounts on the West Coast. Yet these wines are not all the rage among consumers. .People remain wary of umlauts and words that sound too much like .schnitzel,... importer Terry Theise wrote in his 2012 catalog on Austrian wines. Theise was one of the first importers to bring these wines to the United States; he has been joined by many others. .Austria produces very food-friendly wines . red and white,. says Klaus Wittauer, who imports wines for his Northern Virginia-based KW Selections brand. .Our biggest challenge is that for the average consumer, Austrian wines are in the same category as German wines.. There are several reasons to explore Austrian gruner veltliner, and to do so now. Simply put, the wines offer tremendous value throughout the price spectrum. At the low end, they are almost uniformly good and occasionally spectacular in a vibrantly fun, fruity way. At $15 or more, gruner begins to show complexity and subtlety, with lemon grass (citrus and herbs), meadow flowers and a faint talc minerality. Spend $30 or more and, yes, the wines get expensive, but they can rival and exceed any other whites at that price range for excitement and value. The 2011 vintage was particularly ripe and successful in Austria, and the whites are now on the market here. That means quality was high throughout the entire range of wines, including several that are sold inexpensively in the one-liter format . 33 percent more than the typical bottle. .You are advised to go stir-crazy on this category,. Theise wrote. I could not agree more. Wine recommendations: Gruner veltliner Next week: Austrian red wines. McIntyre blogs at dmwineline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dmwine. Tuesday, September 11, 3:06 PM Recommendations ...Exceptional ...Excellent..Very Good Prices are approximate. Check Winesearcher.com to verify availability, or ask a favorite wine store to order through a distributor. Austrian white wines, especially gruner veltliner, are easier to find today than they were just a few years ago as importers and retailers have discovered the tremendous value they represent. The best single selection in the Washington area is probably at Weygandt Wines in Cleveland Park, where importer Peter Weygandt features his own portfolio. He specializes in France but has made a strong effort in Austria. I.m especially fond of the wines of Birgit Eichinger. Here are some other Austrian whites that are more widely available in the area. Don.t serve them too cold; they taste best with just a slight chill. Schloss Gobelsburg Gobelsburger Gruner Veltliner, 2011 ... Kamptal, Austria, $19 .Textbook. makes this wine from importer Terry Theise sound ordinary, but it is indeed what gruner should be: crisp and refreshing, with hints of straw and lemon grass overlaying exotic tropical fruit flavors plus a long and enticing finish. Consider this a blanket recommendation for any wine from Schloss Gobelsburg. Country Vintner: Available in the District at Cork Market, Dupont Market, MacArthur Beverages, Paul.s of Chevy Chase, Rodman.s, Schneider.s of Capitol Hill; on the list at Central Michel Richard, CityZen, Corduroy, Cork Wine Bar, Hank.s Oyster Bar (both locations), Mintwood Place, Proof. Available in Maryland at Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington; on the list at 8407 Kitchen Bar in Silver Spring. Hermann Moser Gruner Veltliner Per Due 2011 ... Kremstal, Austria, $16 Very few wines at this price level offer as much complexity and subtlety of flavor, which includes a faint but persistent lemon grass herbaceousness and the quince and apricot flavors dusted by a floral, talclike minerality. All without the excessive makeup of oak aging. J.W. Sieg: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits; on the list at Westend Bistro. Available in Virginia at Unwined in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner; on the list at Alegria and Bazin.s on Church in Vienna. Anton Bauer Riesling Berg 2011 ..1 / 2 Wachau, Austria, $18 Here.s a delicious Riesling from importer Klaus Wittauer of KW Selections: dry and bracing, with great focus to its lime zest, apricot and peach flavors. Think of a tuning fork, the purity of its tone ringing out, and as it fades you perceive the hidden harmonies of an unsung arpeggio. This producer makes one of my favorite bargain gruner veltliners, called Gmork; other gruners, called Rosenberg and Spiegel, are more serious and also highly recommended. Select Wines in the District and Virginia; Prestige in Maryland: Available in Virginia at Balducci.s in McLean; Harris Teeter and Planet Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria; Red, White & Bleu in Falls Church; Twisted Vines Bottleshop in Arlington; Vienna Vintner; Wine Cabinet in Reston; various Total Wine & More and Wegmans locations. On the list at Euro Bistro in Herndon, Lalou Bistro in Leesburg. Wimmer-Czerny Gruner Veltliner Fumberg 2011 .. Wagram, Austria, $20 This Demeter-certified biodynamic wine is softer than other gruners, with scents of straw, lemon grass, lime and talc and flavors of star fruit and an apricot just on the cusp of overripeness. The wine has a meditative stillness. Bacchus: Available in the District at Cork Market; on the list at Komi. Available in Maryland at North Charles Fine Wine & Spirits in Baltimore; on the list at Bolton Hill Bistro and Chesapeake Wine Co. in Baltimore. Biohof Pratsch Gruner Veltliner Rotenpullen 2011 .. Niederosterreich, Austria, $20 Another fine gruner with flavors of star fruit and talc. It would be fun to sit down and examine the subtle differences among the bottles included here. But at this level, just enjoy. Country Vintner: Available in the District at Pearson.s; on the list at Proof. Available in Maryland at Finewine.com in Gaithersburg and the Perfect Pour in Columbia. Available in Virginia at German Gourmet in Falls Church, Rick.s Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria. Schloss Kinzer Gruner Veltliner 2011 .. 1 / 2 Niederosterreich, Austria, $14 (1 liter) Several Austrian wineries offer one-liter bottles of their basic gruner veltliner and zweigelt (red) wines. This one is relatively pricey; several are around $10. But it has excellent quality, with fruit-forward flavors of green apple and pear. Drink this, and you might wonder about the party you.re missing in Austria. M Touton Selection: Available in the District at Ace Beverage, Best in Liquors, Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor, Magruder.s, Morris Miller Wine & Liquor, S&R Liquors. Available in Maryland at Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits in Annapolis, Old Farm Liquors in Frederick. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 * * james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *