09/07/2026
A bottle of whites . . ., a bottle of reds. . . Time to try some of those from Germany/Austria instead. . . guten Morgen, New Yorkers! Grüner Veltliner is a wonderful white from the region, and is a perfect substitute if you like Sauvignon Blanc. To explain it simply The big red Blaufränkisch is different than American red. Cabernet is a closed door. This is a window cracked in autumn. Pinot Noir wears silk. Blaufränkisch wears a wool coat that still smells of the forest. Americans want red w**e to either whisper or shout. This one speaks in a low voice and means it.
Black cherry, not jam. Pepper, not oak. Iron, not vanilla. It is the red you drink with a knife and a knuckle of pork — not with a tasting note and a pause.
If Cabernet is a steakhouse, Blaufränkisch is the Reichenbach Hall after the parade: darker, spicier, still standing
Grüner Veltliner is an altogether different animal.
Pinot Grigio is a clean glass. Grüner is a clean glass with something alive in it.
Sauvignon Blanc is a lawn. Grüner is a kitchen garden — lemon, white pepper, the snap of a green stem.
Chardonnay puts on a coat. Grüner walks in in shirtsleeves and still owns the table.
It does not ask to be liked. It cuts. Pretzel salt, schnitzel fat, mustard heat — it was built for that work. The American white is fruit or butter. This one is citrus and spice. Dry as a good joke. If Pinot Grigio is polite, Grüner has opinions.
Try either or both at The Hall. NYC's experience. **rhall
