It’s human nature to find ourselves going back to the things that we like, without exploring something new and adventuresome. And this is true for the wines that we drink as well. We end up finding a certain wine, or wine variety that we like, and we don’t stray far from it. However, within the realm of wine there are plenty of choices for us regarding wine varieties to choose from. I had the pleasure of sampling a grape variety that many of you have probably never even heard of, Gruner Veltliner. I know it sounds like someones name, but it’s actually a grape variety.

I sampled a bottle of Wolfgang Vineyards Concerto Gruner Veltliner, from Burgenland Province, Austria. This is a beautiful white wine with a lot of herbaceousness on the nose, cut hay and grass, and a hint of violet as well. On the palate the cut hay and grass continued, and the floral hints were present, but ever so lightly. There was also some minerality with this wine, and great acidity. The wine was light, well balanced and easy to drink.

We paired this wine with garlic seared shrimp served on a bed of squid ink pasta.   The combination was fantastic! For more information regarding this recipe, go to www.recipEats.net

Jon