riesling – Mystic Wine Shoppe

There are some wines that everyone loves. And there are wines that cater to the few. There are wines that grow on you and there are wines that just stand up and smack you in the face. So, which one is this?

The A to Z Oregon Riesling is a puzzle. I will come out and say it – I love it! It is lush and fragrant on the nose with a silky soft and smooth mouthfeel. It is full bodied and fruity, delicate and floral and mouthwatering with a hint of sweetness all at the same time. As a wine writer, I have been told over and over that when I am tasting a wine, it is not about whether I like it or not. It is about describing the attributes of that wine and making clear notes that so that customer can evaluate it on their own and so that I will be able to remember this particular wine – grape, soil / climate and year – when I retaste it. But sometimes, you just love a wine.

So why am I questioning whether others will love this wine as much as I do? To be honest, I am not sure why anyone would not like a riesling. It is called a “noble grape” in Alsace for a reason. It is one of the few white grapes that has a very distinct character and is age worthy regardless of where it might be grown. Chardonnay is the truly the wonder grape, yes. It grows almost anywhere, it takes on the characteristics of the climate and of wood aging very well. It is versatile and pairs with a wide range of foods. It is fairly neutral, so there is rarely a lingering aftertaste – you get the fruity or flinty character and if it is cleanly made, it tastes clean and crisp. And it blends with a variety of other grapes.

Riesling, by contrast, is not Chardonnay. It stands in bold contrast to the other white grapes. It is finicky about where it will grow. It does best in a cool climate with rocky, slate rich soils that absorb the sun’s rays and drain away the rain. It does well when it has long, molasses days that last until a 10pm sunset and cool nights that allows it’s rich acids to develop. It loves growing on steep slopes that require hand picking and careful selection and it is very susceptible to Botrytis. Botrytis, under favorable conditions, is called “nobel rot,” and is a gentle affliction that punctures the skin of the grape, allowing the water to evaporate from the grapes on the vine. This concentrates the flavors and leads to the “trockenbeerenauslese” (dry berry harvest) that is so prized in German Riesling.

Rieslings come in a variety of quality levels and sweetness levels. While I love the German language, having lived there for well over 2 years, I won’t go into the details. That is one of the nice things about buying Riesling from the Pacific Northwest. It is labeled simply and can be appreciated without any angst. This wine, I would call ‘soft’ because it has an wonderful balance of sour and sweet that is perfect if you are having scallops or lobster. It has enough body to stand up to spicy foods – think Indian or Thai. And it is complex and quite simply tasty enough to just drink on its own. I would recommend serving it very chilled with the bottle on ice. The tart, tangy richness will be enhanced by the cold temperature.

Cheers, Seema

What is Riesling? Riesling is one of the great white wines of the world. Riesling is named after the German white grape varietal of the same name. Although it grows in many countries, the best and 60% of the world’s total production comes from Germany, while the Niagara Peninsular in Canada also produces world class Riesling.

What Does Riesling Taste Like? The many flavors of Riesling include apple, pear, quince, apricot, peach and nectarine. A fine minerality and a balanced acidity are important components of this wine. Styles vary from bone dry to dessert style. Usually, the drier styles favor the apple and pear flavors while the sweeter tend more towards apricot and nectarine.

What Makes Riesling Special? The vineyard locations are very important to the quality of the Riesling grape. The grapes have to fight against short growing seasons, shorter daylight and much cooler temperatures than most other grapes. Because of this, the best vineyard sites are those with southern exposure on the steep banks of the Rhine and Mosel rivers. These banks are quite steep, contain deposits of slate under the topsoil and need to be harvested by hand. The grapes benefit from both direct sunlight and light reflected off of the river. The slate underneath is heated by this combination and adds additional warmth to the grape vines. The coolness of the northern latitude helps to provide the racy acidity for which these wines are known.

Common Styles.

Trocken which is very dry.
Halbtrocken is a medium dry wine.
Kabinett implies wine of normal ripeness.
Spatlese is a wine whose grapes were picked late so that the grapes are riper than normal thus providing a sweeter style wine.
Auslese a wine made from late picked grapes selected by the ripest bunches making for a sweet wine.
Beerenauslese comes from individually selected late harvest grapes. Higher quality and much sweeter than the others. A dessert wine.
Trockenbeerenauslese is the ultimate dessert wine. The grapes stay on the vine until they shrivel like raisins. They are loaded with sugar and flavors.
Eiswein made from grapes that freeze on the vine then are picked and pressed immediately. Very intense flavors.

*Typically, the sweeter the wines, the lower the alcohol content. Most German wines vary between 8-10% alcohol, while a typical French wine is around 12-13%.

How Long Will the Wine Last? Once opened, the wine drinks well for a couple of days then loses most of its flavor rapidly. The sweetest wines will keep longer as the sugar acts as a preservative.

Food Pairings: Freshwater fish and fresh seafood pair very well with Rieslings; a particularly good match is Salmon. Also, foods such as Thai, Indian and Chinese go very well with Riesling.

Stop into Mystic Wine Shoppe and let our team help you pick out the perfect Riesling for your special occasion!

Save

Posts

A to Z Oregon Riesling

What Is Riesling?