Bright straw yellow in color. An open and inviting bouquet, subtle fruitiness with hints of white pepper, tobacco and mellow nutty aromas. On the palate powerful with exciting, concentrated fruit (pear) with hints of acacia. The alcohol, acidity and structure of the wine are perfectly balanced, a wine with a long finish. Grüner Veltliner Smaragd is a perfect accompaniment to fried fish dishes or fish with creamy sauces but also to fried meat (Cordon blue, fried chicken) and a wide variety of poultry.

Technical notes

100% Gruner Veltliner. Hand harvested at the end ofOctober 2005. Planted to steep terraced vineyards in lean soil (primary rock). Cool fermented in stainless steel tanks followed by a short ageing period, mostly in tank but with a small portion in large oak barrels (3.000 litres) to add further complexity.

Producer

2005 brought a new, young, enthusiastic team to this historic property on the banks of the Danube river. Headed by general manager Roman Horvath and enologist Heinz Frischengruber, this team brings fresh ideas, personality and a new energy to the historic cooperative formerly known as Freie Weingartner Wachau. This dynamic duo produces wines which showcase the fruit character and mineral finesse provided by the Wachau valley's unique diversity. Domäne Wachau is the largest cooperative in the Wachau valley, and is made up of 600 contributing members farming slightly less than 500 hectares, or a full one third of the total region’s vineyards. Each individual member is challenged to produce the best wines possible, and paid for the quality of their production first, the quantity second.