2017 Incompreso Niederösterreich, Austria Gruner Veltliner

If you’ve seen those commercials for Viking River Cruises, you know what we’re talking about. Niederösterreich is Austria's largest quality winegrowing area, with Gruner Veltliner accounting for about 44% of the plantings.

Gruner Veltliner is favored among growers and vintners in the Weinviertel, in and around Vienna, and in those vineyards stretching up the hills from the Danube. The spectrum of styles ranges from the base for sparkling wine production to light-bodied, youthful and quaffable wines to rich, quite exceptional vintage wines and sweet dessert wines.

All styles share the recognizable mix of fruit and spice characteristics, which some have described as a melding of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris. In fact, that perception prompted the naming of the wine, as “Incompreso” translates to misunderstood. But once you’ve tasted the pretty 2017 “Incompreso,” everything will become crystal clear, much like the waters of the Danube.