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It has been Austria’s defining grape for ages and is now being planted in microscopic amounts in B.C. vineyards
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Grüner Veltliner is being planted in microscopic amounts in B.C. vineyards. Still, I have to say it is one of the most promising white grapes to have emerged in the province. There are only a few producers, and what they make is tiny compared to the Chardonnay and Pinot Gris numbers, but this Austrian superstar grape may be one of the most promising white varieties to have emerged in B.C.
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GV, as it’s sometimes referred to, has been Austria’s defining grape for ages, but post-2000, the grape that accounts for roughly one-third of all Austrian vineyard plantings has been on a remarkable upward trajectory in quality. Still, its identity is deeply tied to Central Europe and, not unlike the Italian superstar grapes Sangiovese and Nebbiolo, it rejects international homogenization in favour of cultural anchoring in Europe.
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West Coast Table
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Austrian Grüner Veltliner is a high-acid white wine marked by a taut, lean green-apple nose and palate with herbal undertones and a detectable dusting of white pepper. It can be light or textured, and even ageworthy, squeezing perfectly between the fresh, grassy, unoaked world and the textural, layered crus of the Chardonnay world.
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De Vine Vineyard on Vancouver Island planted the first GV vines in B.C. in 2007 and would be alone until Culmina Estate planted its patch in 2011 on the Golden Mile Bench. De Vine eventually shifted to the distillery business in 2014, ending its foray into Grüner Veltliner. Culmina Estate, under the Triggs family, took a measured approach to researching, planting, and tracking the progress of the GV vines before entering full-blown commercial production in the Okanagan, eventually releasing its first bottle in 2013.
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As it happens, British Columbia is not Austria, but there are key connections that suggest Grüner Veltliner should be more widely planted here. Our cool nights preserve acidity, and our warm, dry days help growers produce fruit with phenolic ripeness that mirrors conditions in certain areas of Austria.
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What is remarkable is the widespread success of Grüner Veltliner plantings across B.C., despite their scarcity. Most offerings are small-lot, premium, experimental bottlings from Vancouver Island, Lillooet, the Similkameen Valley, the Okanagan Valley (Golden Mile Bench, Oliver, Naramata, South Kelowna Slopes, and Lake Country), and the Fraser Valley, closer to Vancouver.
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Current producers on Vancouver Island include Unsworth and Averill Creek. A recent release from Fort Berens in Lillooet has been eye-opening. In the Similkameen Valley, Clos du Soleil is on to something. At the same time, Okanagan Valley producers include Bartier Bros., Bordertown, Culmina Estate, Observatory, Red Barn, Winemaker’s Cut, Summerhill and Peak Cellars, with Singletree in the Fraser Valley.
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Grüner Veltliner aligns with the premium identity B.C. wineries want to project and, with prices from $20 to $60+, it is well on its way to establishing a foothold in the market. All it really needs now is more consumer demand, because without it, there will be no rush to plant more vines and increase production.
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Should demand materialize, Grüner Veltliner could move quickly from a B.C. curiosity to a signature small-lot white. For now, it remains one of the province’s most intriguing unfinished wine stories.
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Weekend wine picks
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Nostalgia Home Vineyard Viognier 2025, Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
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$24.99 | 87/100
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UPC: 626990366553
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Ripe and open, this Viognier blends warmer notes of apricot, peach, and orange blossom with a soft, rounded palate and modest acidity. It’s a touch light in weight but very easy to drink and will be a hit with Viognier drinkers. The finish is smooth and lightly honeyed. Think easy, generous, early-drinking Okanagan style with good overall balance. For best results, serve with lightly spicy food.
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Sartarelli Classico Verdicchio 2022, Marche, Italy
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$23.99 | 89/100
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UPC: 8032919700018
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This Verdicchio is a simple, straightforward white made from gently pressed fruit, handled delicately during fermentation. It displays a light straw hue with greenish hints. On the nose, it offers classic green grassy fruit and hawthorn notes, accented with citrus and a hint of almonds at the finish. This charming Marche white is perfect for West Coast seafood. Its fresh, youthful character makes it an excellent pasta pairing, especially with clams or mussels served with spaghetti.
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Suavia Soave Classico Garganega 2024, Soave, Verona, Veneto, Italy
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$39.99 | 89/100
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UPC: 8026766001107
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Unlike many Soave wines on the market, Suavia is made entirely from Garganega and is fermented in stainless steel. The fruit comes from vines that are more than 60 years old, and you can expect white peach, pear skin, and almond notes, followed by linear lime-citrus and green-apple flavours, and ending in a light, stony, saline finish. Suavia’s Classico version is not aiming for cru-level intensity but rather a cooler, lighter white with balance at a lower weight — nothing but fun, from the bottle shape to the taste.
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Seven Directions Pinot Noir Rosé 2025, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia, Canada
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$32.00 | 91/100
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UPC: 626990275077
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The Bottega Wine Studio produces the Seven Directions rosés in the Similkameen Valley. The 2025 is made entirely from Pinot Noir. Its colour is subtly Provençal, with strawberry and orange hues. The nose is sweeter than the palate, which ends dry with a hint of citrus rind bitterness that balances the wine. It is back on track in the Similkameen. The fruit comes from multiple vineyards in the Similkameen Valley, as well as from the Bottega estate.
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Winemaker’s Cut Sparkling Grüner Veltliner 2024, Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, Washington
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$25 I 88/100
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UPC: 644625740097
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Sparkling Grüner Veltliner sounds appealing to me. In 2024, when grapes were nonexistent in B.C. due to a deep freeze, winemaker Michel Mosny found some Grüner in the Yakima Valley, Washington. He had it sent to his Okanagan winery for processing. The result is a fresh, clean, green-apple, white-flower bubble with an undertone of minerality and bright acidity. Food-friendly and ready to drink.
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Calendar and other items
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• The hidden patio at CinCin on Robson Street is one of the best-kept secrets in the city to all but wine and food aficionados. Open Wednesday through Sunday, it is the place to be all summer. With dinner from 5 p.m., the wood-fired Italian cucina is a feast for the senses, all happening one storey above the hustle and bustle of Robson Street. Executive chef Andrew Richardson’s modern Italian cuisine, seasonal salads and nuanced housemade pastas are Vancouver icons, perfect companions to its famous wine list crafted by award-winning Wine Director Shane Taylor. If you are looking for a classic restaurant experience fast disappearing across the city, a reservation at CinCin is a summer must.
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• Wine Business reports CalRecycle has awarded Revino a $4,867,070 grant to help fund a certified bottle washer processing facility in Lompoc, Calif., to build infrastructure for a reusable glass-bottle system. Expected to open in late 2027, the facility will wash up to 10 million beverage bottles annually and include label removal, drying, and electronic inspection. Revino is also raising up to $5 million for build out, operations, and expansion. Its first washing facility in McMinnville, Ore., is already operating, and reused bottles cut carbon by 85 per cent per bottle compared with single-use glass. Three reuses are enough to make a bottle carbon-neutral, and up to 50 reuses are possible. Combined with lightweight bottle design, the Lompoc facility gives California wineries a practical way to reduce emissions.
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B.C. wine of the week
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Lunessence Estate Single Vineyard Riesling 2025, Summerland Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
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$26.99 | 91/100
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UPC: 793588413071
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This Summerland estate fruit is 50 per cent destemmed and 50 per cent whole-bunch fermented, then aged on its lees for five months. The result is a fabulous, juicy white wine that dances across the palate with citrus, red apple, lime cordial, and pear from front to back. As before, it is on the verge of being mouthwatering, begging to be served either on a warm patio with appetizers or at the dinner table. This is a style few countries can make, and we need more of it.
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Value wine of the week
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Jabber the Winemaker the Blend Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Valle de Casablanca, Region de Aconcagua, Chile
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$21.97 | 90/100
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UPC: 850038330002
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We’ve known Kim Crawford for decades, but the man who put New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the world map has long since moved on. When he and his wife sold the winery to Constellation Brands, they also sold the rights to the Kim Crawford name. Known as Jabber to friends, Crawford may be making his best Sauvignon yet under his Chilean Jabber label. Drawing on granitic soils, red clay, black chalk, hillside sites, and three Casablanca microclimates, he crafts a consistently bright, citrus-driven Sauvignon with a tight mineral edge, a hint of reduction, and less biting acidity. Think Chilean Sancerre with a touch more ripeness. It is ready for any shellfish and priced to steal.
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