by Patrick Ogle
Pinnacle Ridge's Grunder Veltliner (2017) is made from an Austrian Grape that has found a new home in Eastern Pennsylvania.
This wine's nose is like a clear, crisp summer day right after a sun shower.
Yes, I actually thought that.
The smell is also lightly green and a tad astringent. The taste is quite, well, Gruner-like. It is deceptive on the first sip because you get fruit and roundness before the bracing acidity smacks you in the face. There is stone fruit--like a ripe peach--here and maybe a hint of some sort of citrus. This wine compares favorably to Austrian Gruners that cost about the same amount (around $18.99 retail, $13.99 from the winery). It has solid fruit, a sort of big mouth feel but also quite solid acidity, which is why this wine is so good with food.
The first time I had it was with Japanese food and it worked wonderfully. I confess I'd already had a few so I bought a second bottle to try out later. If anything my opinion of the wine rose.
Pinnacle Ridge is a winery in the Lehigh Valley AVA in Kutztown in Eastern Pennsylvania. In addition to this lovely Gruner they produce an excellent 100 percent Chardonnay sparkler that retails around $25 and $19.99. Judging from this small sample size the winery is one to keep an eye on. One gripe with smaller wineries from states not generally associated with wine is price. Small producers often have to charge more but these wines are value priced given the quality.
Of course my writing that this wine is "Gruner-like" above is a broad statement. I've had light Gruners that were fairly fruity and light on acidity, gruners that were sparse and super acidic. There are Gruners that are citrus-y or that taste
like peaches. I've had a few golden-colored oak aged Gruners that should have been aged much longer than I aged them. Gruner can produce large yields. This sounds like a GREAT thing but with wine grapes? The more grapes the lower the
quality.When growers go for large amounts of grapes they get a lesser wine. Likewise when the grapes are harvested makes a difference. Early harvest means less sugar and possibly more acidity. Find out more about the grape HERE. Gruner is grown all over the area of the former Austro-Hugarian Empire and, in recent years, is being grown in the Pacific Northwest.
It isn't all terroir (the land and climate etc) and grapes as some say. It is winemakers and Pinnacle Ridge must have solid ones.
Pinnacle Ridge's Grunder Veltliner (2017) is made from an Austrian Grape that has found a new home in Eastern Pennsylvania.
This wine's nose is like a clear, crisp summer day right after a sun shower.
Yes, I actually thought that.
The smell is also lightly green and a tad astringent. The taste is quite, well, Gruner-like. It is deceptive on the first sip because you get fruit and roundness before the bracing acidity smacks you in the face. There is stone fruit--like a ripe peach--here and maybe a hint of some sort of citrus. This wine compares favorably to Austrian Gruners that cost about the same amount (around $18.99 retail, $13.99 from the winery). It has solid fruit, a sort of big mouth feel but also quite solid acidity, which is why this wine is so good with food.
The first time I had it was with Japanese food and it worked wonderfully. I confess I'd already had a few so I bought a second bottle to try out later. If anything my opinion of the wine rose.
Pinnacle Ridge is a winery in the Lehigh Valley AVA in Kutztown in Eastern Pennsylvania. In addition to this lovely Gruner they produce an excellent 100 percent Chardonnay sparkler that retails around $25 and $19.99. Judging from this small sample size the winery is one to keep an eye on. One gripe with smaller wineries from states not generally associated with wine is price. Small producers often have to charge more but these wines are value priced given the quality.
Of course my writing that this wine is "Gruner-like" above is a broad statement. I've had light Gruners that were fairly fruity and light on acidity, gruners that were sparse and super acidic. There are Gruners that are citrus-y or that taste
like peaches. I've had a few golden-colored oak aged Gruners that should have been aged much longer than I aged them. Gruner can produce large yields. This sounds like a GREAT thing but with wine grapes? The more grapes the lower the
quality.When growers go for large amounts of grapes they get a lesser wine. Likewise when the grapes are harvested makes a difference. Early harvest means less sugar and possibly more acidity. Find out more about the grape HERE. Gruner is grown all over the area of the former Austro-Hugarian Empire and, in recent years, is being grown in the Pacific Northwest.
It isn't all terroir (the land and climate etc) and grapes as some say. It is winemakers and Pinnacle Ridge must have solid ones.
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