Refreshing whites

THERE can be few things more satisfying to do after a stress-packed day than reaching into the fridge and pouring yourself a glass of pristine white wine to savour.

Be it gently aromatic or incisively fruit-forward, a mere sniff can re-awaken senses that have been dulled by a relentless schedule. In the mouth, such wines have the capacity to stimulate the taste buds and ready the palate for the food ahead. Six such wines have been shortlisted in The Business Times Wine Challenge 2014 - CEOs' Choice, in partnership with UBS. And three of them share the same, often misunderstood, grape variety. This fact is in itself refreshing.

Covering more than a third of Austria's vineyards, the semi-aromatic grape variety Gruner Veltliner has been responsible for the simplest "jug wine" as well as some top-tier offerings from quality producers.