Wine of the week: Saucily soused

Peter Piper may have picked a peck of pickled peppers, but could he pick the perfect pairing? Perhaps, but probably not.

From Indian achar to Japanese tsukemono, from gherkins and sauerkraut to eggs and fish, matching any kind of pickled food with wine is a challenge, because the vinegar or brine seasoned with herbs and spices (not to mention sugar) can render the wine thin and sour, even undrinkable.

It's almost enough to drive you to vodka for the pickled herring (go local and try the peppery but silky-smooth Primitiv made from spelt, an ancient grain being grown at Groenfontein in the Cederberg mountains by Jorgensen's Distillery, at R250 a bottle), lager for the sauerkraut (here I defer to Nick Mulgrew on the right) and some imported Japanese sake for the Asian pickles (Hakatsuru is available through www.bottleshop.co.za for R249 a bottle).

But just when it appears there's no hope for wine with pickles comes the launch of Africa's first grüner veltliner wine.

This is Austria's signature white wine grape, accounting for almost one third of all vineyard plantings, and capable of producing very refreshing wines with sharp citrus as well as white pepper, dill and even gherkin notes (can you see where this is going?) with a spicy but soft, mellow, honeyed taste, finishing crisp and dry.

It may be hard to pronounce but it is famous for its versatility with food, from fragrant Asian-inspired dishes to soused and salted seafood as well as notoriously difficult greens including asparagus, artichokes and vinaigrette-drizzled salads.

Hence Diemersdal winemaker Thys Louw's decision to plant it on his family's sixth-generation Durbanville farm in 2009.

The maiden Diemersdal Grüner Veltliner 2013 (R70 ex cellar) is pale green with apple, nettle and spice on the nose, and I reckon its medium body and concentrated tropical fruit flavours give it the weight to stand up to strong pickle flavours.