Peternell Grui 2022

Kollektiv Peternell relocated from Burgenland to Niederösterreich, settling in Carnuntum to make this natural orange wine from Grüner Veltliner and Goldmuskateller. Carnuntum sits east of Vienna on the Danube plain, where loess and gravel soils and a warm Pannonian climate moderated by the river give ripe but balanced fruit, the diurnal swing holding acidity through the season. The white grapes are fermented in contact with their skins, the same method used for reds, which draws phenolics, colour and texture from the skins rather than just clear juice. Twelve months in stainless steel preserves primary aromatics and keeps the wine bright, the low 10.7 percent alcohol pointing to an early pick and a light frame. The colour is pale amber. The nose leads with orange peel, white peach and apricot, lifted by the Goldmuskateller into white flowers and a grapey, faintly gingered note. The palate is dry and gently grippy, the skin contact adding savour and a citrus-pith edge that carries a fresh finish. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees in a white wine glass.