2013 Hans Herzog Grüner Veltliner, Marlborough

Hans Herzog

Herzog is a family owned New Zealand winery and restaurant, supported by a unique team of individuals who all share the same values: a passion for wine and food, commitment to excellence and quality, and a love for the great New Zealand environment.

As the name suggests, Hans Herzog's roots lie in Switzerland where the family has grown wine since 1630. There Hans and Therese owned the successful 'Taggenberg' vineyard and restaurant in the Zurich wine country.

Looking for a new challenge, in the mid-1990s they planted an 11 hectare vineyard bordering the Wairau River here in Marlborough and later moved the winery and Michelin-starred restaurant.

Here Hans has adopted an experimentalist stance, cultivating an eclectic array of varieties, including Arneis, Barbera, Tempranillo and Zweigelt - as well as the more traditional Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The organically-managed vineyard benefits from a warm, dry microclimate and Hans ferments at cool temperatures using wild yeasts, the white wines barrel-fermented in 500 litre oak puncheons, the reds aged for 12-30 months in French oak barriques, creating wines rich in varietal character.

The boutique estate and restaurant is now widely acclaimed as one of the best in New Zealand.

Grüner Veltliner

Grüner Veltliner is Austria's most famous grape variety. It is indigenous to Austria and is grown extensively in every Austrian wine region with the exception of Steiermark. It constitutes 36% of all vineyard plantings with the best wines coming from the north-east of the country, particularly regions such as the Wachau, Kamptal and Kremstal which border the Danube river.

Grüner Veltliner is a late ripening variety that typically produces wines that are pale green in colour and display fruit notes of grapefruits, limes, pears, and sometimes hints of white pepper. They normally possess a steely backbone of acidity which enables the best bottles to age gracefully. The grape's natural acidity accompanied by its restrained and understated fruit characters makes its wines ideal partners for food. A marvellous alternative to the more mainstream white grape varieties.