Malat Grüner Veltliner Furth 2024, Kremstal, Austria, Organic

Malat Grüner Veltliner Furth comes from the Malat family estate in Furth-Palt, on the slopes of the Göttweiger Berg in Austria’s Kremstal, where the nearby Danube brings hot days and cool nights. The fruit is from vines aged between 10 and 50 years around the village of Palt, grown on primary rock and loess. The vineyards are farmed organically and the grapes are picked by hand. Michael Malat ferments the wine spontaneously in steel tanks, then matures it in large wooden casks before bottling.

In the glass it is bright and pale. The nose is spicy and herbal, with grapefruit and lemon zest. On the palate there is crisp green apple and citrus, a fine mineral edge and a zesty, refreshing finish.

Serve well chilled, at around 8–10°C. Grüner Veltliner is one of the most food-friendly white grapes: enjoy it with Wiener schnitzel, roast chicken, asparagus, salads, sushi or lightly spiced Asian dishes. Drink it young and fresh, within two to three years of the vintage.

Weingut Malat is a family estate in Furth-Palt, in Austria’s Kremstal, close to the Benedictine abbey of Göttweig. The family’s roots there go back to 1722. Gerald Malat, a pioneer of Austrian wine from the 1970s, championed red wine in Lower Austria and began making traditional-method sparkling wine in 1976. His son Michael Malat has run the estate since 2008, after studying and working in wine regions in Europe and overseas. The vineyards lie on the slopes of the Göttweiger Berg, on loess, gravel and primary rock, and are farmed organically, by hand and without irrigation. Each block is fermented separately with natural yeasts, and the wines are matured in large wooden casks. Malat is a member of the Österreichische Traditionsweingüter and also runs a boutique hotel among its vines.