Glassware

A glass decides where the first sip lands on the tongue. For a wine as defined by acidity as Traisental Grüner Veltliner, that's no minor detail.

A wide, open glass, the kind used for heavy red wines, directs the wine straight to the tip and sides of the tongue, where acidity is perceived most sharply. With a wine this fresh, that quickly tips into unpleasant territory: the wine ends up tasting thin and aggressive, even though it isn't.

A narrower glass with an opening that curves slightly inward works better. It guides the wine more toward the middle of the tongue and lets the fruit arrive before the acidity does. At the same time, the narrow opening captures the peppery aroma of Grüner Veltliner instead of scattering it immediately — and that aroma is meant to reach the nose first, before you even take a sip.

Much the same applies to Riesling from the Traisental, only more so. Its acidity is even more pronounced. Its aromas range between stone fruit and an almost dusty minerality that comes from the conglomerate soils. A tall, slender glass with a small opening concentrates exactly these subtle notes, which would simply get lost in a larger glass.

Temperature matters here almost as much as shape. Served too cold, both shut down. The pepper in the Veltliner and the stone fruit in the Riesling go quiet, because cold mutes aromas. Eight to ten degrees Celsius is enough — not the icy chill many Heurige serve out of habit.