Riesling redux
Posted on February 28th, 2008 – 12:09 PMBy Bill Ward
It was hard cramming in all the information I wanted in today’s column on riesling. I neglected to mention, for example, that one reason rieslings might be gaining in popularity is that they almost always are unoaked, adding to their purity of flavor and beckoning the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) Brigade.
I also forgot to include a couple of dandy rieslings that I had sampled: Mirassou from California, McWilliams from Australia and a couple of German offerings, the sweet Leitz Dragonstone and the drier Jacoby-Mathy “Balance.”
But enough about me. I’m much more interested in what others (that means YOU) have experienced in the riesling world: interesting flavors, odd pairings that worked, funky-looking bottles, whatever. Thoughts?
9 Responses to "Riesling redux"
Reisling is my Achilles Heel as a wine aficionado. The grape can be (and is) made into so many different styles that is tough for me to take a chance on it, not knowing what I’m about to uncork.
It’s strange, because I have no problem tossing obscure Spanish, Portuguese, or Central European wines into my basket, but Reisling? No. I guess I can’t shake the memories of some really sweet, lychee and cinnamon beasts from my past…
OK, I’ll step out of the confessional and go read the article now. Thanks!
For a riesling that carries a small price (about $10), I’ve been incredibly impressed with Relax. It comes from Germany and has a nice light/crisp taste. It really is a perfect wine for starters as they move to more bolder flavors.
I don’t know what “unoaked” signifies in wine parlance. Explain?
Most wines spend time (a few months to a few years) developing in oak barrels. This affects the flavor of the wine, obviously, often producing a vanilla or toasty aspect. (And, oddly, an aroma of cedar.)
Those buttery chardonnays from California and virtually all red wines are affected by their time in oak barrels.
Rieslings, on the other hand, are almost always stored in metal containers until bottling. This results in a “cleaner” taste and, more importantly, a purer expression of the actual fruit.
More and more chardonnay producers, btw, are switching to stainless-steel storage. Look for a chard marked “unoaked” on the label and taste it alongside a “regular” one, and you’ll get the picture.
I am a fan of Rieslings and recently worked at a Spanish restaurant that boasts the largest selection. When people came in requesting Riesling I offered both SPanish whites 2005 Gramona Penedes “Gessami” and “Santa Esmerelda”. They carry the sweetness of a Riesling and the “Gessami” even added some floralness that you don’t typically find.
Gramona Penedes “Gessami” 30% each of muscat d’Alexandrie, muscat de Frontignan and sauvignon blanc, with 10% gewurztraminer.
Most people actually liked these wines over their requested Riesling!
I am discovering that I like the racy rieslings (Alsace style.) Is the Mirassou more on the crisp and acidic side, or floral and fruity? We have one chilling in our fridge right now and are worried that it will be too sweet. We enjoyed the Clean Slate Riesling tonight. The Spiess out of Australia is fantastic.
Danae:
The Mirassou is kind of in the middle, more suited for spicy food and even dessert than the Alsatian rieslings, which go with almost any entrees.
There’s an acidic backbone but it’s not as minerally/slate-y as the stuff from Alsace.
Thanks for the tip on the Spiess! (I’ll have to research whether that’s the Austrian word for “spice” or a proper name.)
Could use help!! Loved the article this morning, Bill, on men vs women approaches to wine. My dilemma: I hate to admit that despite growing up in California, I know little about wine. Fortunately my wife and I are compatible in that we share simple yet similar tastes…we like things like white zins, blushes, Roses…and that’s about it so far. The dliemma: we get together with a couple that maybe has the palate a step ahead. The wife likes Pinot Grigio, for instance. A no go for us. Our friend likened our tastes to drinking sweetened kool-aid. We are wondering if you might be able to suggest a wine (for sitting out on the deck in the evening)that all of us may enjoy. Something that we could try first that our friends may also not classify as in the kool-aid category. I had read in consumer reports that a good wine for the money was Yellow Tail Chardonnay 2006. For $6 in a Target store in California we tried it. That wasn’t to our taste either. We’re looking for something in the value category, but would appreciate any suggestions you might have for us. Big thanks!! (a quick email reply, if possible would be great.) Love your articles…
Could use help!! Loved the article this morning, Bill, on men vs women approaches to wine. My dilemma: I hate to admit that despite growing up in California, I know little about wine. Fortunately my wife and I are compatible in that we share simple yet similar tastes…we like things like white zins, blushes, Roses…and that’s about it so far. The dliemma: we get together with a couple that maybe has the palate a step ahead. The wife likes Pinot Grigio, for instance. A no go for us. Our friend likened our tastes to drinking sweetened kool-aid. We are wondering if you might be able to suggest a wine (for sitting out on the deck in the evening)that all of us may enjoy. Something that we could try first that our friends may also not classify as in the kool-aid category. I had read in consumer reports that a good wine for the money was Yellow Tail Chardonnay 2006. For $6 in a Target store in California we tried it. That wasn’t to our taste either. We’re looking for something in the value category, but would appreciate any suggestions you might have for us. Big thanks!! (a quick email reply, if possible would be great.) Love your articles…
