Published by Jeremy.
Disclaimers: We use demographic data, email opt-ins, display advertising, and affiliate links to operate this site. Please review our Terms and Conditions for more information. This website is intended for those of legal drinking age in your jurisdiction.
Roter Veltliner is one of those grapes that we've had a few times in the past, but it was often used as a blending grape in unknown quantities in most bottles.
So when we stumbled upon a varietal bottle from Setzer, we were in to try it to see what the flavors of Roter Veltliner are like without other grapes impacting it.
Although this one had a bit more complexity in aromas than on the palate, we quite enjoyed this one.
Austrian Roter Veltliner Offers a Lot of Flavor
This varietal bottle of Roter Veltliner was pale lemon in color with medium(+) aromas of pear, pineapple, wax, grapefruit, yellow apple, wet stone, almond, and quince.
On the palate, it was dry with high acidity, medium alcohol, body, and flavor intensity, plus a medium(-) finish. We had notes of lemon, pear, peach skin, pineapple, grapefruit, wet stone, beeswax, white blossom, and flint.
This one had a little bit of everything and was mineral and phenolic driven, while also having a great spread of flavors from citrus to tropical fruits. Although the aromas were perhaps a bit more complex than the palate, it was quite flavorful all around.
Roter Veltliner Food Pairing – Spaetzle, Beets, and Fennel Salad
We paired this one with an Alpine meal of spaetzle, beets, and a fennel salad. We admittedly had a fairly neutral sauce on our spaetzle, so we would admit that the pairing didn't do much- perhaps just a bit more pineapple notes overall.
The beets brought out more simple citrus notes, whereas the fennel with goat cheese actually had the goat cheese flavor really pop with the wine (in all the best ways).
Score: 3 / 5
We'd buy a glass of this one.
It was a treat to try a varietal bottle of Roter Veltliner, because we normally only ever see it as a blending grape. Admittedly, this one did have a somewhat shorter finish, which we felt was slightly lacking; however, it was a tasty bottle all the same. We would absolutely have a glass of this one again.
Setzer is located at Hauptstraße 64 A-3472 Hohenwarth, Austria. We purchased this bottle on Wine.com and enjoyed it in 2025.
Upgrade Your Home Wine Bar
Need to upgrade your wine bar? Grab some new wine accessories:
