Sohm & Kracher 'Lion' Gruner Veltliner 2019
Primary flavours

Apple

Grapefruit

Lime

Pear

Green Bean

Pepper

Radish
Details
Gruner Veltliner is Austria's claim to fame - a local white variety that is like a hypothetical cross between Riesling and unoaked Chardonnay. It ages brilliantly and shows delicious cool fruit characteristics at all stages of its life. This wine undergoes spontaneous fermentation, and does not see any oak. It is a crisp, fresh, aperitif-style grüner that is salty and easy to drink. Plenty of lime, grapefruit and radish, accentuated by pure acidity.. Great stuff.
Aldo Sohm (one of the worlds greatest sommeliers) and Gerhard Kracher (head winemaker and owner of his highly regarded eponymous wine estate), both Austrians, first met in New York, in 2004. Their friendship was cemented over a shared devotion to great food and wine. It wasn’t long before they realised this love extended to the dry grüner veltliners of their homeland — and a desire to make them. Over a long lunch later that year, the Sohm & Kracher project was born. The wine are made in accordance with two basic principles: the wines should be low to moderate in alcohol and should never be unctuous in character. Since their first vintage in 2009 they have kept a sharp focus on grüner veltliner, even as they have widened the scope of exploration across sites and styles — from the brisk, peppery “Lion” to the Chablis-like “St. Georg.” Gerhard makes the Sohm & Kracher wines at the Kracher family winery in Illmitz, Burgenland. All fermentations are spontaneous and temperature-controlled. Their aim is to fully express the purity and complexity of their favourite variety.
Aldo Sohm (one of the worlds greatest sommeliers) and Gerhard Kracher (head winemaker and owner of his highly regarded eponymous wine estate), both Austrians, first met in New York, in 2004. Their friendship was cemented over a shared devotion to great food and wine. It wasn’t long before they realised this love extended to the dry grüner veltliners of their homeland — and a desire to make them. Over a long lunch later that year, the Sohm & Kracher project was born. The wine are made in accordance with two basic principles: the wines should be low to moderate in alcohol and should never be unctuous in character. Since their first vintage in 2009 they have kept a sharp focus on grüner veltliner, even as they have widened the scope of exploration across sites and styles — from the brisk, peppery “Lion” to the Chablis-like “St. Georg.” Gerhard makes the Sohm & Kracher wines at the Kracher family winery in Illmitz, Burgenland. All fermentations are spontaneous and temperature-controlled. Their aim is to fully express the purity and complexity of their favourite variety.
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Wine region

Weinviertel, Austria
Weinviertel is the largest wine region in Austria, located in the northeastern part of the country. Vineyards here are characterised by deep loess soils, which is well documented to contribute to the wines' distinct peppery and spicy flavours. The top wine style produced in Weinviertel is decidedly Grüner Veltliner, a dry white wine that is known for its crisp acidity and aromas of citrus, green apple, and white pepper. Other notable varietals include Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch, which produce medium-bodied red wines with fruit-forward flavors. The top sub-regions within Weinviertel include Falkenstein and Poysdorf, which are renowned for producing long-lived Grüner Veltliner wines. Overall, Weinviertel is a must-visit on Austria’s wine region bucket list.
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