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Nepenthe Wines has released a 2018 Grüner Veltliner to build on the Adelaide’s Hills’ growing reputation for the fashionable varietal. The brand’s latest Grüner Veltliner is rolling out under Nepenthe’s Pinnacle collection and is available from selected fine wine retailers, leading restaurants and its cellar door, priced at $34.99.

In recent years, Nepenthe Winemaker James Evers has begun exploring some of the Adelaide Hills’ emerging varietals, with Grüner Veltliner becoming one of his growing passions.

Nepenthe’s first Grüner Veltliner was released into the Winemaker’s Selection range in 2014 with recent vintages gathering notable wins in global wine competitions, including the best alternative white at the 2018 Australian Cool Climate Wine Show for the 2017 Winemaker’s Selection Grüner Veltliner. The 2016 Winemaker’s Selection Grüner Veltliner also won a Double Gold at the 2017 New York International Wine Show.

The fruit for the Nepenthe 2018 Pinnacle Grüner Veltliner is sourced from our estate-owned single vineyard site and picked at night for ultimate ripeness with a tight acidity before spending six months on lees to further develop its mouthfeel prior to bottling.

Evers said: “Our Winemaker’s Selection Grüner Veltliner has been a great success and we are really starting to understand its potential and I wanted to produce a different expression under the Pinnacle range. The Winemaker’s Selection Grüner Veltliner is a fuller, heavier style. It’s easy drinking and pairs well with more robust seafood like fish and chips or poultry, dishes that can handle a bit of weight. The Pinnacle Grüner Veltliner is more similar to an Australian style Riesling, tighter with greater aging potential. Like Riesling, this style of Grüner Veltliner is a great partner for more delicate seafood.

“As a region and as a winemaker, we are really taking Grüner Veltliner on, which is very exciting. It is a fascinating grape and, because we are a brand with a long history in the Adelaide Hills, we also feel a responsibility to explore what Grüner Veltliner can offer and give it the spotlight it deserves.”