May 18, 2006

Riesling

This spring, reach for riesling
A few sommeliers I know have a playful saying for people caught in the lurch: When in doubt, try riesling. It probably helps that wine experts, more than most folks, tend to speak reverentially about riesling.

Langenbach Kabinett Riesling 2004
We would gladly have paid more: it was a very typical German Riesling--and by typical, we mean "good." Alas, one reason it was so cheap was that it was being discontinued.

Wine Review: Dr. Brken-Wolf 2002 Brklin Estate Riesling
A dry Riesling from the Pfalz region of Germany, the Bürklin Estate Riesling impressed us with its smoothness and elegance.

The Season for Riesling
And so too is it time for my annual Riesling Rant. Riesling is often considered a sweet wine, and while some of the most amazing examples are sweet, Riesling can also be bone dry.

Dr. Franks Riesling has a New York accent
The word "Riesling" often sends wine drinkers scurrying for cover, muttering "No thanks, I like dry wines." Well, shoot conventional wisdom in the foot: the Riesling grape has such firm acidity that "mouth-watering" is often the sensory perception it elicits. Riesling is a bit fussy in terms of where it's planted, favoring a cool climate.

Wine: Land of the riesling sun
For white meats such as chicken with the extra richness of a barley miso marinade, Marchesan advises white burgundy, such as a Camille Giroud montagny, or an off-dry mosel riesling such as Heymann Lwenstein, whose off-dry sweetness brings out the ginger, or pinot noir. He makes the distinction between delicate white fish, which he says calls for aromatic dry whites like dry alsace and Clare Valley riesling, and the oilier, fatter properties of belly of tuna and salmon, which suit spicy Austrian grner veltliner or more opulent meursault.

How to complete your vacation
The air is so thin that even a light German Riesling with low alcohol content will go right to the head. 2004 Bloom Riesling, Germany ($5.99, screw-top) - This wine is my top pick for a summer night.

The wine list
Moderation: Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling, 2005, $10.99.

Wine Specials 20.04.2006
A little while back I mentioned that Dan Murphys had the 2005 Leo Buring Leonay Riesling on special for only $24.99 a bottle, well it has happened again this week.

Simple styles for easy sipping
The off-dry 2005 Firestone Vineyard Select Central Coast Riesling ($10) is packed with floral aromas and crisp, citrusy flavors that are ideal for taming the fire of spicy fare. While Pinot Grigio and Riesling are gaining in popularity, America's white wine darling is still Chardonnay.

Selbach Dry Riesling 2004
Riesling is a wonderful white wine that deserves more attention than it gets. Since meals here at home consist of a lot of garlic and spice with lighter meats, I like a dry Riesling because it holds up exceptionally well against those strong, intense flavors.

2002 Clos des Rocher Riesling Grand Premier Cru "Wormeldange Nussbaum" (Luxembourg)
This was a superb buy in a really nice classic Alsace-style (dry, austere, intensely-flavored) Riesling.

Michigan sweeps Great Lakes wine competition
Michigan’s Black Star Farms won the most gold medals – six – for wines that ranged from the stunning 2004 A Capella Riesling Ice Wine to the 2004 Pinot Noir. Michigan’s other big showings came from Domaine Berrien Cellars in the southwest, winning three golds – for Marsanne, Traminette and Pinot Grigio -- and St. Julian with golds for Niagara, St. J Riesling and Traminette Reserve.

More April Whites (2): Canada Riesling, Canada Chard
The typical bracing acidity of Riesling is present, allowing for a good structure and clean, long finish." My notes: An off-dryness balances the crisp acidity nicely.

Wine of the Week: 2005 Angoves Riesling, Clare Valley
The 2005 Angove's Riesling, Clare Valley ($17 ) is a crisp, flavorful Australian white wine that bears little resemblance to fruity, slightly sweet German or American rieslings.

Fruit of the vine
Instrumental in the composing of Chardonnay and Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet, said two participating wineries are not only the fermentations and fruit, but also what kind of weather comes blowing in the wind.

Wines of Germany Presents the Second Annual Riesling Week
Wines of Germany Presents the Second Annual Riesling Week Nothing is as refreshing as a crisp German Riesling to compliment a warm weather meal, and just in time for summer sipping Wines of Germany presents the second annual Riesling Week.

Pinot envy, riesling lust and a ratings rant

Weingut Eduard Hauth-Kerpen, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Kabinett 2001
Weingut Eduard Hauth-Kerpen, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling, Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 2001 ($17) - Light straw-green in color with the classic Mosel nose of flowers, lime and minerals.

A Little German May Wine
German wine has me a bit fascinated–mostly because I intermittently see quirky, oddly compelling commercials for a German Riesling that features of all things–a pint-sized German in madcap situations. Personally speaking, I'll probably pop the cork on a Riesling, a wine that I really enjoy and also happens to be very food friendly.

Ratcast #36, Smith-Madrone Riesling, and Napa Tour #2
There actually is no landform called Spring Mountain but rather this area is named for Spring Mountain road, which snakes into the hills just west of St. Helena CA. I sought out Smith-Madrone last year because I had heard they make a great Riesling, and Riesling is perhaps my absolute favorite wine. The Smith-Madrone Riesling is a pale, crystal clear yellow, and has a floral nose that hints at the depth, and body, of the wine but doesn’t necessarily give away the slate, stone and mineral flavors that hit you when you take a drink.

Oregon's Next Big Thing?
At least according to one person, it could very well be Riesling. "Although riesling played a seminal role in putting the Northwest on the world's wine map (it was riesling after all, not pinot noir, that was the first wine grape to be planted in Oregon), local rieslings have become an afterthought in today's market.

Submit a Tasting Note and WIN Tasmanian Wine
A 3-pack of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling from a Tasmanian producer will be winging its way to you if your tasting note is chosen by the esteemed panel of judges (thats me).