Drink This: Loew Vineyards 2021 Gruner Veltliner

Gruner doesn't always taste like gruner on the East Coast, but that doesn't mean it can't be delicious

My benchmark for grüner veltliner in North America is what winemaker Sarah Troxell is doing at Galen Glen Winery in eastern Pennsylvania. I don’t use the term best often, but those grüners are the best — bar none. They have the flavors and mouthfeel/structure most expect and are always absolutely delicious (and great values too).

They are the wines that I compare every other East Coast example to.

Not only do they never stand up, they almost never taste all that much like grüner to me. I used to blame the young vines and winemakers still learning how to approach the grape in the cellar.

This week’s “Drink This” Loew Vineyards 2021 Grüner Veltliner is a deliciously vibrant white wine that this is made using Maryland-grown grüner… that doesn’t taste that much like grüner.