Gruners worth discovering

THE business of importing Austrian wines is small and personal. If the wine makes it to the shelf of an American wine shop, it has almost always been selected with care. The wines below (with one exception) are Federspiel-weight wines or lighter, listed from light to medium body. A clue: If the wine has a screw cap, which many Austrian wineries have adopted, you’ve probably found something meant for early consumption.

2005 Kalmuck Wachau Gruner Veltliner. This wine has a sweet nose of camellia flowers, leek greens and faint quince fruit. Wonderfully clean and fresh on the palate, with a flavor like fresh-picked apples and peas, and a salty, wet stone finish. About $15 at Bristol Farms in Beverly Hills, (310) 248-2804, www.bristolfarms.com; Colorado Wine Co. in Eagle Rock, (323) 478-1985, www.cowineco.com; and Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111, www.whwc.com.

2005 Loimer Kamptal “Lois” Gruner Veltliner. This zippy, buoyant wine has a grassy, green-pea scent with a hint of green garlic, and a green, grapey immediacy to its flavors. The finish is crisp and bright, more about acidity than minerals. About $15 at Mission Wines, South Pasadena, (626) 403-9463, www.missionwines.com; and Manhattan Fine Wines, Manhattan Beach, (310) 374-3454, www.manhattanfinewines.com.

2005 Nigl Kremser Freiheit Gruner Veltliner. Lean and vibrant, the aromatic edge of the wine is savory with chervil, fennel and white pepper. Very angular on the palate, with a gentle core of minerals and elusive tropical notes -- peach, passion fruit -- in the finish. About $16 at Mel & Rose, West Hollywood, (323) 655-5557, www.melandrose.com; and the Wine House, Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, www.winehouse.com.

2005 Weingut H.u.M. Hofer Niederosterreich Trocken Qualitatswein Gruner Veltliner.

A sturdy wine with stalwart peach and melon aromas; fairly rich and full-bodied, its richness is held in check by a clean acidity. Not exactly graceful, but a lot of wine for the money. About $11 for a liter bottle, at K&L; Wine Merchants, Hollywood, (323) 464-9463, www.klwines.com; and the Wine House.

2005 Nikolaihof Wachau “Hefeabzug” Gruner Veltliner. This beautiful, complex biodynamic wine leads with leesy, heady, sweet biscuit aromas to go along with the scent of dried mango. Substantial on the palate, with a flinty, talc-like core that grounds the wine -- at the finish, a beautiful burst of pear fruit emerges. About $22 at Mel & Rose and the Wine House.

2005 F.X. Pichler Wachau “Loibner Frauenweingarten” Federspiel Gruner Veltliner. Substantial and impressive, with lovely peach scents marked with white pepper and a touch of wild fennel. What impresses is its powerful tension, supporting a compelling melange of savory flavors -- parsley, fennel and white pepper up against peach and quince. Good balance of fruit and savory elements. About $26 at the Wine House and Woodland Hills Wine Co.

Schmelz 2005 Wachau Smaragd “Pichl Point” Gruner Veltliner. Included because at $28 it’s a steal of a Smaragd, this wine is distinctly savory in its aromas of Chinese long beans and tomato leaf. A rich but elusive fruit component appears on the palate, with plenty of flinty minerals to gird the wine to a long finish. About $27 at Silver Lake Wine, Los Angeles, (323) 662-9024, www.silverlakewine.com; and Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463, www.hitimewine.net.

-- Patrick Comiskey