Floriana Gruner Veltliner – Good Gruner!

Continuing our Trader Joe’s Top Picks with a refreshing wine from Hungary, the Floriana Gruner Veltliner.

Gruner Veltliner from Pannon, Hungary.

The Floriana Gruner Veltliner is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for only $5.99. Imported by Latitude Wines.

From the bottle:

STYLE: Light-bodied
TASTE: Dry
NOTES: Fresh and lively with appetizing aromas of lemon and apple and just a touch of white pepper.
FOOD: Great with chicken, seafood and finger food.
TEMP: 46-50F
ORIGIN: Hungary

12% Alcohol

We love tasting wines from new places. Usually; however, they are not so easy to find and cost a bit more than just $5.99 which is why it was so nice to find this easily available example. And while this is the first wine from Hungary that we’ve reviewed, we’re big fans of Gruner Veltliner which is normally found in Austria. Let’s see how this inexpensive, Hungarian version tastes!

The 2014 Floriana Gruner Veltliner begins with pleasant aromas of citrus and floral notes plus a little tropical fruit and a hint of banana. Tasting the light-bodied wine reveals it be dry with just a bit of effervescence. It’s also quite fresh with flavors of citrus, grass, tropical fruit and lots of lime. It’s not very complex but with lots of acidity it’s quite tasty and refreshing and makes a good food wine. It ends dry and crisp with a bit of minerality.

I happened upon this wine at my local Trader Joe’s while perusing the “Sweet” wine section, which this is definitely not. Not sure if that was just a fluke at my store or if that is the case chain-wide, but it’s worth taking a peek there if you don’t see this one anywhere else in the store.

As always you can find an updated list of all our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more tips and tricks for shopping the store here.