Wannabe Wino

A bottle of Velt.1 2005 Gruner Veltliner. Cost $13.99 at the Curious Grape on Saturday in our quest for everyday wine, screw-cap closure and 12% alcohol by volume (though their website says 12.5%). My first Austrian wine (I think, though I've had people show me I'm wrong before, but I really think this is the first Austrian one).

Nice nose of spiced pear and apple. Crisp and acidic in the mouth, a very light feel. Big granny smith apple in the mouth. I served it with chicken roll-ups, brocolli and white rice, with a cream sauce. Decent match since the sauce is creamy and thick, good acidity and minerals to cut through the flavors. I like it a lot, but Matt, not so much. But I'm a big fan of crisp white wines, he prefers much sweeter whites and wines in general than I do. Some so sweet I can't even tolerate them. I will convince him my crisp ones are better, someday....

Never had this grape before either. So off I go to my trusty Oxford Companion to Wine to figure out what in the world it is. Apparently, it's the most widely planted grape and Austria and with time in the bottle an excellent one can taste like a Burgundy. I find it most interesting that the website for the wine proclaims it to be most commonly found at progressive picnics.....(I'm assuming they mean picnics where you progress from one station to the next, kind of like a progressive house party, appetizers at one, main course at the next, etc. Though I have never heard of a progressive picnic before!).