Grüner Veltliner & Gelber Muskateller, Weinviertel, Austria

A floral, mineral and freshly-baked Austrian pet-nat for celebrating. Brand new to Ontario, fifth generation winemaker Katharina Gessl crafts her low-intervention lineup based on gut instincts, patience and dedication. Her winery bridges between classic and modern, sitting in the town of Zellerndorf, a part of Austria’s largest wine-growing region, Weinviertel, of Lower Austria. ‘Barawarain’ (translation, worker) is a 50/50 blend of citric, mineral grüner veltliner and aromatic, spiced gelber muskateller were grown on calcarious soils, hand harvested, and saw a six hour, whole cluster maceration before pressing – and of course underwent a second fermentation in bottle to trap jaunty levels of C02. Musky florals, brioche with blackcurrant jelly, dried thyme, underripe pear skins, key lime custard & a shimmering pool of minerality disturbed only by the animated bubbles. Enjoy while reading the poetry of Pablo Neruda, maybe snacking on a crudité.