Doris and Leopold's Gruner Veltliner: A $5.99 Summer Trader Joe's Revelation

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Dive into the world of Austrian wines as we explore the hidden gem that is Doris and Leopold's Gruner Veltliner 2023. At just $5.99 from Trader Joe's, this white wine delivers a surprisingly complex experience that punches well above its price point.

This episode takes you on a journey through Austria's signature grape variety—Gruner Veltliner—which accounts for a third of all wine production in the country. We explore how this particular bottle, named after the proprietors of the historic Suter Winery, carries forward a winemaking tradition dating back to the 1600s. The vineyard's thousand-year history in Bavaria's limestone-rich soils contributes to the distinctive minerality that complements the wine's bright citrus profile.

What sets this wine apart isn't just its incredible value, but its versatility. With a perfect 12.5% alcohol content and a dry, refreshing character, it makes an ideal companion for summer gatherings, seafood dishes, and even spicy Thai cuisine. We break down the straightforward production methods that allow this quality wine to maintain such an accessible price point and explain why wines named after their makers often receive special attention during production. Whether you're new to Austrian wines or looking to expand your affordable summer wine collection, this episode provides expert insights into why Gruner Veltliner deserves a place in your rotation.

Listen now to discover why this $5.99 bottle might become your new favorite warm-weather sipper, and stay tuned for our upcoming review of an intriguing Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon. Subscribe to Cheap Wine Fighter for three new wine reviews each week that help you drink well without breaking the bank!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, domain Dave, cheapwinefightercom Come at you
again with another podcast for awine review that we wrote up on
the CheapWineFightercom website, which we do three times a week
.
The music in the backgroundkind of gives us a hint of what
we got going here.
This is a wine from Austria,actually Bavaria.

(00:22):
It is a 599 Trader Joe's's wineand I'll explain all that in a
minute.
This is the doris and leopoldgruner weltliner 2023.
Gruner weltliner is kind of thewhite wine of austria.
Like 75 of all the vines in theworld are planted in Austria

(00:46):
and like a third of what theyproduce in Austria is Gruner
Veltliner.
I got that from Wine Folly.
If you're ever looking for somequick and easy wine information
that they don't talk down toyou, wine Folly is the one to
look for.
I'm going to take a sip of thiswine.
This is a Gruner.
It's kind of like a or theVeltline I forget which one is

(01:08):
which.
It's kind of like a type ofgrape and here we go.
It's a dry wine.
You know, sometimes likeGermany is right across the way
there and a lot of people thinktheir Rieslings are sweet, but
this is a dry wine, but there'sa real nice burst of fruit and

(01:31):
citrus on the mid-ballot.
It's like starts out slow andboom, there it goes, but it's
still subtle.
It's kind of nice.
$5.99 to get that on a $5.99wine was pretty awesome.
$5.99 to get that on a $5.99wine was pretty awesome.
Doris and Leopold are theproprietors of Suter Winery.
They're in Austria.

(01:52):
Their winery has been there forat least 1600.
They have been growing grapesin that area of Bavaria for a
thousand years and this wineisn't on their website.
Leopold and Doris.
Leopold have a website and it'sall Souter wines and they have

(02:17):
Gruners and they have all therest of the stuff they do there.
But this isn't on there and Ithink it's a Trader Joe's
exclusive in another country.
It might be another store brandsomewhere else.
But there is a Doris and thereis a Leopold and they do make
wine and they put their ownnames on it.
And that's one of the thingsabout wine.
If a winery names a wine aftera beloved grandmother or a

(02:43):
daughter or a year themselves,they usually put some effort
into the wine.
There's no way they're going tomake like a wine for grandma
that doesn't taste very good.
And doris and leopold well,they made their own, they put
their own name on the one.
They're not gonna, they're notgonna mess around and it does
taste really nice.
Let's say, if you haven't had agruner Veltliner before, it's

(03:05):
one of those wines every time Ihave one I don't have them often
I go why don't I drink thismore often?
It's 12.5 in the alcohol.
It's a really nice summersipper.
You could have seafood andmaybe some Thai things with it,
maybe some spice to it.
Gruner Veltliners often arespicy.
This one isn't very spicy, I'mnot really getting that, but

(03:26):
there is a bit of minerality onthere.
If you're ever looking forminerality in a wine, it's
subtle.
It's there because theirvineyards are all in limestone
and that does leach up into thewater.
That goes into the roots andinto the grapes.
I'm going to take another sip.
Roots it into the grapes?

(03:49):
I'm gonna take another sip.
Yeah, 5.99 this summer supper.
This is really really beautifulwine.
You know, sometimes you get afive.
Well, not anymore.
5.99 wines are usually prettygood, but I I'm kind of shocked.
And gruner, if you're lookingto try a gruner veltliner and
you haven't had one before, thisis a great place to start.
Now you can go up and I don'tthink they're ever going to go

(04:11):
too much higher than $30, unlessyou start getting the ones that
have been in aged and oak andall that type of thing, which is
a whole different type of wine.
Yeah, but if you're looking fora summer favorite, $5.99 will
get you going with Austrianwines and they are usually
well-priced.
If you like a dry,easy-to-drink summer sipper,

(04:35):
then, like I said, it'll go withThai.
You could bring this to abring-your-own-bottle restaurant
.
You know a Thai place?
Bring it in.
It's $6 on the bottle here.
You're not killing it to havedecent, good food.
Yeah, so there you go.
This is a Trader Joe's Doris andLeepo Grunewelt, lena 2023.
It's made by people who knowhow to make it.

(04:59):
They export wines all over theworld.
They have vineyards that havebeen there for a long time.
They're well-established.
I don't know what to tell youOther than somehow they make
well.
The reason they can make it for$5.99?
Because this is like SauvignonBlanc you pick the grapes, you
use the yeast to ferment it, youdecide what temperature you

(05:21):
want to ferment it at, becauseall that kind of changes the
flavors and when you're done,you do that all in stainless
steel.
When you're done, you put it instainless steel for a little
more time not too much moreuntil it all bounces out.
Then you bottle it, so there'snot a lot here going.
This is like one of those theytalk about food being farmed and
marketed.
This is vineyards bottling apretty much easy time and it

(05:44):
works.
It's something that works.
You know, cabernet Sauvignonand those type of things take
some time and effort to make.
These beautiful little whitewines are easy and they taste
good.
So there you go.
This is it for me.
Domain Dave cheapwinefindercom.
This is the Doris and LeopoldRunevelina 2023.
In a couple of days, I've got aCabernet Sauvignon that is very

(06:06):
interesting.
It's from Lodi, but it's a coolwine from a brand I didn't know
that has incorporated somebrands that I'm very familiar
with and it's one of those winesyou can buy by the label Adios.
Keep it cheap, stay cool,because it's getting warmer out
there and I'll be talking to youin a couple of days, adios.