I was making pork chops, with a side of beets/leeks and felt like having an Austrian/German wine while prepping them. So I pulled the 2020 Dom .Wachau ‘Federspiel’ Gruner Veltliner [Wachau] which is light bodied, 12% abv, and VERY peppery. I’ve had a couple of these before, different vintages, but usually during the summer by the pool, and a cold evening may not work well for these. As TomHill notes, it does feel ‘commercial’ and correct, and not so delightful/memorable. Maybe I’m being unfair, and if it was 40F warmer, I’d be smiling more. Not a good value, for what it is. In my ledger, this brisk screwcapper gets a B-.
For some reason, the local grocery stores near me are now stocking this (albeit at a more attractive price of $18), but they seem to have no idea where to put it. It generally gets placed between the Rose’ and Moscato, but I’ve also seen it put in the “French/German” section next to various Burgundies. Probably not very conducive to getting many purchases (and, of course, no shelf talkers or any guidance for those not in the know).
I’d agree that for the price, you can find better Gruner. But this does seem to be more widely available than most.
