Welcome to the continuation
of our new wine tasting series. We’re
going to explore the wonderful world of
wine – glass by glass. This series
will assist you in setting up your own
wine tastings. Whether you are a novice
or a seasoned wine aficionado, it’s
not enough to read about this stuff. To
truly appreciate and learn, you have to
get in there in taste. Hey, it’s
hard work, but somebody has to do it!
Chardonnay
Syrah/Shiraz
and Old World vs. New World
Using Sauvignon Blanc to figure out oak
This is a sadly neglected
varietal these days – outside of
Germany, it’s pretty much overlooked
by the mass wine-drinking population.
Which is a shame, because it really is
a classic wine. Fantastically fruity and
clean-tasting, Riesling is a wine like
no other. Get over your preconceived ideas
about cloying sweet wines that have no
place on your table and try these things.
Still not convinced, how about this…
Ask just about any so-called wine expert
– sommelier, master of wine, etc.
– to give you a list of the best
wines he/she has ever tasted, and I bet
that a Riesling will be in the top three.
This article focuses on
the non-dessert style German Rieslings
– primarily because these are the
great "undiscovered" (at least
by America!) wines that will really surprise
you. Let’s address this deeply felt
suspicion that all Rieslings are sweet.
The fact is that these non-dessert Rieslings
will taste about as sweet as the heavily
oaked Chardonnays that are so adored in
the U.S. The fruit profile is different
– Rieslings have a clean, extremely
fruity taste that can be mistaken for
sweetness, even when the actual residual
sugar levels indicate a dry wine. Rieslings
also have outstanding acidity – that
mouthwatering quality, literally –
which makes these wines refreshing, sophisticated,
and quite food-friendly.
Dry wines made from grapes picked at a
"normal" level of ripeness.
Dry to just off-dry wines made from grapes
picked at a slightly "riper"
(i.e., slightly higher sugar levels) than
normal – usually a few days after
general harvest. These wines generally
have a bit more body than a Kabinett.
So, the wine label needs
to have either the word "Kabinett"
or "Spatlese" on it – otherwise
you may be getting into dessert wines.
(Which are also delicious, by the way!)
The major regions to
know are the Mosel (technically, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer),
Rheingau, Pfalz, Rheinhessen, and Nahe.
It’s difficult to get
too specific about particular bottles
to taste, Riesling import demand being
what it is. But here are some excellent
producers to look for:
Basserman-Jordan
Breuer
Dr. Fischer
Dr. Loosen
Egon Muller
Grans-Fassian
Gunderloch
JJ Prum
Kurt Darting
Selbach-Oster
Strub
If you’re looking for
some food pairings, the choices
are many. From just about any kind of
broiled or sautéed fish, to shellfish,
to delicately-seasoned chicken, Riesling
is versatile. Then you’ve got the
whole range of Asian foods which match
beautifully with Riesling – Thai,
Chinese, Vietnamese, sushi, etc. As for
cheeses, try a young, fresh goat cheese
– you’ll be amazed at the different
flavors that are emphasized with a Riesling
rather than a red wine.
We are unabashedly enthusiastic
about Rieslings, so please trust us and
give them a try. And be sure and let us
know how it goes! Email us your thoughts
and experiences at editor@wineskinny.com.
Cheers!
We've found that our guests really enjoy
the opportunity to "grade" the
wines. You can make it as casual or controlled
as you like. We tend to put out a pile
of our
tasting notes sheets and then encourage
our guests to take notes. Somewhere toward
the end of the evening -- or once everyone
has had time to taste the various wines
-- we like to have a little group discussion
of the favorites. It really is a lot of
fun to hear everyone's opinions of the
wines, and there are always some interesting
surprises.
The most important thing
is to have fun with your tasting party.
Branch out to wines that are new to you.
Don't worry about the results -- everyone
will have a great time participating in
the tasting. And be sure to let
us know which wines were the hit at
your party!
For details on our past
tasting party ideas - click
here.
