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74 WINES&VINES September 2015 GRAPEGROWING WINE EAST Grüner Veltliner Finds a Home Austrian favorite wins over growers in the eastern United States By Ray Pompilio L ong considered Austria's best grape, Grüner Veltliner is set- tling into new territory among the vineyards of the eastern United States. Planted acreage is still small, but eastern grow- ers—as well as a slowly increasing num- ber of growers in the cooler regions of the West Coast—have found this cultivar to their liking. Vineyard site selection is very important, as Grüner grows best in cool climates where it can be allowed to ripen later than many other white wine culti- vars. Consumers and restaurants looking for something both good and different like its fresh style and adaptability to many foods. Galen Glen Winery in Andreas, Pa., and Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cellars, of Hammondsport, N.Y., are among the eastern wineries that have made a commitment to this grape. Galen Glen Winery: Grüner Veltliner pioneers Winegrower Galen Troxell, whose family emigrated from Germany in the late 1700s, was working as a mechanical en- gineer in the early 1990s, when his Ger- man-owned company sent him to Baden, Germany, for a couple of business trips. His wife Sarah Troxell, a chemist in the pharmaceutical industry, accompanied him, and together they quickly learned to appreciate the beauty and wines of the region. In 1994 they decided to plant a vine- yard and start a winery on Troxell family property, which had been a dairy farm since the 1830s. They began by planting The first planting of Grüner Veltliner vines east of the Rockies happened in 2003 at Galen Glen Winery of Andreas, Pa. KEY POINTS While Riesling is often considered to be the white vinifera variety for cool climates, Grüner Veltliner is starting to be recognized for its po- tential to produce good crop loads and food- friendly wines. Galen Glen Winery was the first to plant Grüner vines east of the Rockies. The vinifera pioneer winery, Dr. Konstantin Frank's Vinifera Wine Cel- lars, now has the largest planting of Grüner in the East. Both wineries consider how viticulture and wine- making practices for Grüner Veltliner affect the resulting wines' sensory properties.