Of the 35 recognized grape varietals that go into Austrian wine production, most remain obscure with hard-to-pronounce names such as Welschriesling, Scheurebe and Zwiegelt.

Not exactly words your average wine hound is used to seeing on the supermarket shelves, but there just may be, finally, one wine ready to crack into the broader consciousness: Grüner Veltliner.

A vast majority of Austrian wine grapes are white -- consider the location and climate -- and most have evolved from imported clones from Germany, Slovakia and the like.

Alsatian Traminer from that eastern part of France is credited with mutating into Austria's signature varietal, Grüner Veltliner, and here's the wine that's finally begun to show up on wine lists at some of our more adventuresome cafés and restaurants.

Grüner Veltliner ("felt-lean-er") is produced in many of the growing regions of Austria, but nowhere is it as important as in the northeastern part of the country, close to Vienna and the neighboring Danube River.

A wine made from Grüner Veltliner typically has a perfumed nose, with hints of green apple, lime and other citrus and notably, a trace of white pepper.

Wines from this grape typically are dry with crisply styled acidity; light to medium bodied and startlingly refreshing.The Broadbent 2009 Grüner Veltliner, at around $12 to $13 retail, is a great introduction to the style, a theoretical blending of a drier Riesling and an unoaked Sauvignon Blanc.

Extremely food friendly, particularly with seafood, white meats and spicy cuisine -- here's a wine to help you break out of those early summer doldrums.

*Tim Dwight is a certified wine educator in Indian Harbour Beach. FLA.