Emmerich Knoll Grüner Veltliner Ried Kreutles Federspiel 2023

Emmerich Knoll works from the Loibnerhof in the Wachau, one of Austria's most respected white wine regions, and this Grüner Veltliner comes from the Ried Kreutles vineyard. Federspiel is the Wachau's middle ripeness category, a dry, medium bodied style that sits between the lighter Steinfeder and the fuller Smaragd. The Wachau terraces run along the Danube on weathered primary rock and loess, soils that drain hard and stress the vines, while warm days and cool nights coming off the river preserve acidity and slow the ripening. Grüner Veltliner grown here keeps its cool climate cut and its peppery snap. After fermentation the wine rests on its fine lees, where slow autolysis releases mannoproteins that broaden the texture and add a subtle savoury depth without masking the fruit. The colour is pale lemon green. The nose gives green apple, pear and lemon with a twist of white pepper and dried herbs, and the palate is dry, precise and mineral, finishing long and clean. Serve it at around 9 to 11 degrees in a white wine glass.