Grauburgunder
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2024
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
roasted pork, creamy mushroom risotto, grilled poultry
✨ Technical Specifications
Oliver Zeter’s Grauburgunder is a beautiful expression of Pinot Gris from the sun-drenched Pfalz region. Grown on fertile loess, loam, and limestone soils, the grapes benefit from the unique microclimate sheltered by the Haardt mountains. Zeter’s approach combines modern precision with traditional texture; the juice is fermented primarily in temperature-controlled stainless steel to preserve fresh orchard fruit aromas, while a portion undergoes yeast contact in large oak barrels to add complexity and a creamy mouthfeel. The bottle features the estate's signature whimsical bear, originally sketched by the Pfalz artist Otto Dill for Oliver's great-grandfather, Walter Baer. This wine represents a contemporary, dry style of German Grauburgunder, moving away from the historically heavy 'Ruländer' style toward elegance, freshness, and mineral depth.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 2007 by brothers Oliver and Christian Zeter in the Mittelhaardt village of Neustadt-Haardt, Weingut Oliver Zeter is celebrated as a transformative force in modern German viticulture. Following apprenticeships in Italy, South Africa, and the Pfalz estate Dr. Deinhard, Oliver returned to his family's wine roots to champion grape varieties unconventional for the region, most notably Sauvignon Blanc alongside classic Riesling and Chenin Blanc. Sourced from limestone-rich slopes in Haardt Herzog and marl-sandstone terroirs across top parcels such as Kallstadter Saumagen, the vineyards benefit from the protective rain shadow of the Haardt hills. In the cellar, Zeter balances precise temperature-controlled stainless steel with wooden casks, concrete vessels, and amphorae to fashion textured, mineral-driven whites marked by vibrant acidity. The estate's whimsical mascot—a wine-drinking bear sketched by Palatinate artist Otto Dill—adorns benchmark labels such as the barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, Le Moelleux Chenin Blanc, Saumagen Riesling, and the luscious botrytised Goldschatz TBA.
🍇 Grapes
Grauburgunder
🍷 ABV
12.5-13%