WTN: Steininger Gruner and Green Beans

I found myself opening a 2011 Steininger Gruner Veltliner Grand Gru Kamptal Reserve and with some green beans in the refrigerator it was too easy not to make the match. So we ate an omelette with basil and sauteed yellow peppers, couscous, cucumber salad, and the wine-match centerpiece of sauteed green beans with ginger and pine nuts.

Overall, it was a great meal/match. The wine itself was not the most complex and didn't lean too heavily on the vegetal aspect of gruner, as I should have known. It is a broad shouldered rich and slightly-honeyed wine (I believe this is late-ish harvest and some grapes may have been left on for botrytis), but it's not thick or plodding and it has a nice mineral spine and the flavors are somewhat reserved given the big bones. That said, even if the wine didn't scream 'green bean' it was a fine meal and a fine bottle of wine, although I'm not rushing out to get more.

The menu sounds great. I have a Gruner that I will open this month or in August.

I bought this wine at Chapel Hill Wine Company, and it was fine. Although as I said, despite the fun of the meal I wouldn't go out of my way to buy more of the wine. At least for my tastes.

Rahsaan -

Thank you for the note. I haven't seen anything from Steininger in a few years, but the one that I did try (a 2007 GV Kabinett) was not impressive. I have definitely had better Kamptal GVs from the likes of Gobelsburg, Bründlmayer, and Hirsch. If you have tried any of these wines before, I would be interested in how you thought the Steininger compared with them.

Rahsaan -

Thank you for the note. I haven't seen anything from Steininger in a few years, but the one that I did try (a 2007 GV Kabinett) was not impressive. I have definitely had better Kamptal GVs from the likes of Gobelsburg, Bründlmayer, and Hirsch. If you have tried any of these wines before, I would be interested in how you thought the Steininger compared with them.

Those are some big names and I've never heard Steininger mentioned in the same company. But admittedly I don't know much about Steininger, as this was my first bottle from them.