Until its recent popularity in the U.S., the wine was most often found in Vienna’s heurigers, or wine gardens, meant to be drunk young as a light and refreshing quaff. With good viticultural practices, Grüner Veltliner develops a clean, spicy, mineral aspect capable of long aging.
Grüner Veltliner is productive, hardy, and requires long hang time to fully ripen. It does well in steep mountainside vineyards.
Although Grüner Veltliner was once thought to have originated in Roman times, research has shown that it is a cross of Traminer and St. Georgener-Rebe that likely occurred in the 19th century. The name first appeared in 1855. It is the most planted vine in Austria.