2022 Petra Unger 'Q' Gruner Veltliner, Kremstal DAC, Austria (750ml)
About the Icons
A Monthly Wine Club Selection
Pale yellow. Exotic aromas of guava, papaya and freshly sliced pineapple. Vibrant and focused, the palate shows flavors of starfruit, tart apple, lime zest and a hint of green bean. Tart, with mouthwatering acidity and notable, crushed rock minerality. Crisp and refreshing through the juicy finish.
Petra Unger assumed the winery from her parents in 1999 after studying agriculture and viticulture at university in Vienna and then completing an internship in the Napa Valley. She is member of the associations ÖTW—Österreichische Traditionsweingüter (traditional Austrian wineries) and 11 Women and their Wines. Adhering to the principle that “great wines are born in the vineyards,” Petra’s wines are crafted as distinct expressions of each vineyard site. The estate is located in the village of Furth in Austria’s Kremstal wine region, on the southern bank of the Danube River, home to Austria’s finest white wines. The 11 hectares of vineyards are planted primarily with white grapes: 60% Grüner Veltliner and 20% Riesling, the remaining 20% is planted to Zweigelt and Pinot Noir.
Unger farms her vineyards organically, maintaining a biodiverse environment—ideal for winegrowing. For example, she plants cover crops like clover to naturally add nutrition to the soil. She avoids the need for pesticides by encouraging the presence of predators of mites, and careful leaf management and green harvesting to allow for aeration after rain and maximum exposure of the grape bunches to sunlight.
The Petra Unger Q Grüner Veltliner (the Q stands for quality) is made from her first selection of the estate’s Grüner Veltliner vineyards. The grapes were picked by hand in late September, destemmed and quickly pressed. The juice was fermented in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks for one week. The young wine was then racked off its gross lees and placed in another tank, where it matured on the fine lees until December. It was then gently filtered through diatomaceous earth, and bottled for release in January.