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Gruner veltliner needs a stage name. Difficult to find, let alone pronounce, this grape variety is saddled with a somewhat unwieldy name for a racy white wine. Gruner veltliner (pronounced greener felt-leaner) is one of the most exciting white wines in the world, but it is relatively unknown outside its homeland, Austria. Lately it has been espied on fine-wine lists in Paris, London and New York, where sommeliers refer to the grape as gruner, gru vee, G.V. or groovy.

The name gruner veltliner first appeared in Austrian viticulture literature as early as 1855 but the variety did not become common until the 1930s. In the interim, growers were preoccupied with learning how to pronounce it. Today, gruner veltliner is the most widely planted grape in Austria but, while there is some experimental planting in New Zealand, little is grown elsewhere.

Gruner is a versatile wine whose profile can range from vibrant citrus and tropical fruit to quiet lentil and celery flavours, but its trademark is a distinctive finish of freshly ground white pepper. In its youth, gru vee resembles a powerful, incisive riesling, but with age can be surprisingly similar to a white Burgundy and has fooled experts in blind tastings.

The best gruner veltliner is produced in the Wachau (pronounced vagh-how) region of central Austria. Though known for its chilly alpine winters, Austria is astonishingly warm in summer, which results in wines far more robust than those of its northern German neighbours. Wachau producers are a quality-conscious bunch, producing some of the most exquisite white wine in the world, whether riesling or gruner veltliner. Tending Wachau vineyards is a painstaking labour of love as the vines are planted on the impossibly steep slopes lining the Danube river.

The finest dry white wines from the Wachau are classified into three categories. The lightest styles are called steinfeder, which is the name of a feathery wild weed, and are best consumed while young. The next step up in quality is known as federspiel, which has alcohol levels of 10.5-12 per cent. Federspiel is named after a lure used in falconry to attract hawks back to the handler. The best wines from the Wachau are in a class called smaragd (pronounced shmar-rahgd), charmingly named after the little emerald-green lizards that sun themselves in the vineyards. Smaragd wines have 12.5-14 per cent alcohol.

While all three quality levels are exported, smaragd is generally the only level found in Hong Kong. Smaragd-classed wines are from the Wachau region's finest vineyard sites and are ripe, complex wines capable of lengthy ageing. Top growers include Hirtzberger, Jager, Knoll, F.X. Pichler and Prager.

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