We’re Releasing Our Signature White Wine This Weekend: Grüner Veltliner

When we began growing Grüner Veltliner grapes nearly 20 years ago, we were the only ones in the Garden State; few wine drinkers in the U.S. had even heard of it.

This was a risk for us, but we bet Austrian varieties would flourish here since our climate was very similar to theirs and more generally the former Austro-Hungarian empire. And since Grüner is the most widely-planted grape there, we simply had to try it. And we were right; it loves growing here.  We’ve been making this wine ever since in the Old World style – harvest by hand, crush and settle the juice, and ferment with 100% indigenous yeast in neutral oak barrels – and this Saturday from 11 am to 5 pm we’ll release our 2021 Grüner Veltliner to case subscribers and guests.

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In the spirit of autumn in Austria, we’ll pair this Grüner with Wachau Chicken, a savory dish from Upper Austrian wine country that has long been a favorite here at Mount Salem.  Made of chicken, slab bacon, porcini mushroom, onion, potato, white wine, fresh thyme and stock, it pairs beautifully with our signature white wine.

Try our Grüner and you’ll find subtle hints of grapefruit and lemon curd, with a bit of honey on the back palate. And despite how easy it is to enjoy this wine you might find it hard to pronounce, so on our label you’ll also find another name, Sophie-Anne. Who is Sophie-Anne?

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She is the eldest child of our founders who, when starting Mount Salem twenty years ago, were also nurturing a new family.  They hoped the name Sophie-Anne would be easier to pronounce than Grüner Veltliner, and to this day many longtime case subscribers and case club members refer to this wine by that very name.  You are welcome to call it that, too.