Domäne Wachau, Grüner Veltliner, Federspiel Terrassen

Bright and crisp but with something in reserve, this is a medium-full and complex Grüner that is layered with white apple flavour, blossom and at this point on the scale, you really do get the peppery, rocket and white peppercorn flavours which make it wonderfully versatile!

This is a cracking Grüner that is from the middle tier of the classification of Wachau wines in Austria, called Federspiel, which literally translates as "feather play"... but also means "feather stones". It's a reference to the light grasses that grow widely in and on the stony soils of the Wachau and almost no where else. This elegance and lightness of touch coupled with the racy acidity and precision in the wines gives them a really captivating set of characteristics. It's a category that also has set criterion for alcohol levels between 11.5% and 12.5% with no chaptalization (that's adding sugars to the wines) and a maximum residual sugar content of 4g per litre, which makes them very dry indeed.

Grüner Veltliner is a brilliant grape variety that seems to be the perfect food matching wine. Textural and semi-aromatic, it often has flavours that are on the culinary spectrum, such as tarragon, sage, oregano and, most typically, white pepper. There are very classic Grüners that almost appear as though they're made with a bouquet garni...

This wine is made by the very important Domäne Wachau who are based in the eponymous region, one of the largest and most important in all of Austria. Set along the banks of the Danube, the winery gets grapes from its hundreds of members who each supply in the form of a co-operative. This allows for a selection of the many varied vineyard sites, each that offer alternative flavours and quality profiles in the grapes grown, predominantly Grüner Veltliner. Their single site wines are spectacular, complex, age-worthy and rewarding, while their entry-level wines lose nothing of the charm and quality that the headline acts proffer, just at a different level.

This one is taken just from their steep slopes along the Danube for which the Wachau is famous, and blends to get this superb and wonderfully well-priced wine.