Wine Grape Cheat Sheets: Riesling

September 23, 2021 3 Comments

The Soundbyte: Often misunderstood due to those overly sweet, bright blue-and-pink bottles resting on the bottom shelf at the supermarket, Riesling is one of the leading white wine grapes in the world.  Riesling produces some of the finest, most complex, and longest-lasting white wines in the world.  It is considered to be native to Germany, where its cultivation can be traced back thousands of years.

The Riesling grape is renowned for its ability to walk a tight rope balancing act in its combination of sugar and acid, resulting in wines that somehow manage to be both delicate and complex.  As for the pronunciation of the name, in order to say it correctly—REE-sling—you have to smile!

Typical Attributes of a Riesling Based Wine:

  • Riesling has the amazing ability to be both very fruity and very acidic at the same time.
  • Riesling’s acidic backbone and complex, balanced flavors give it the ability to age (when produced in an age-worthy style).
  • The greatest Riesling vines in the world are grown in cool growing regions and often made into dry white wines renowned for their bracing acidity. Terms like steely, nervy, racy, tongue-curling, zingy, and precise come to mind as good ways to describe the potential acidity of a Riesling in all its glory.
  • Despite my devotion to the dry Rieslings of the world, it is true that much of the Riesling you may find on the shelf does indeed have a degree of residual sugar. This sweetness may or may not be detectable due to the balancing acidity in the wine.

In a German or Austrian wine, the term Kabinett on the label indicates a low level of ripeness at harvest. The terms Auslese and Spätlese refer to grapes with a higher level of sugar at harvest—these wines may be dry, or they may contain a small degree of residual sugar (this depends on the winemaking process).

Dessert wines made from Riesling have their place among the best dessert wines in the world.  Such wines may be labeled as Late Harvest Riesling, Botrytis-affected Riesling, and Riesling Ice Wine.  German-speaking regions may refer to these wines using terms such as Beerenauslese,  Trockenbeerenauslese, or Eiswein.

Typical Aromas of a Riesling Based Wine:

Fruity:  Peach, Dried Peaches, Apricot, Apple, Green Apple, Baked Apple, Pear, Orange, Orange Peel, Lime

Floral:  Jasmine, Rose, Orchid, Juniper, Honey, Perfume, Wildflowers, Orange Blossom, Lime Blossom

Mineral:  Flinty, Steely, Wet Stones, Chalk, Ozone (the scent of the air after a rainstorm)

Chemical:  Petrol, Gasoline, Rubber Bands, Varnish, Wet Paint, Paint Remover

Late Harvest Riesling and Riesling Ice Wine (Eiswein) can take these aromas to the extreme…I’ve found that the lime aromas transform into a quick scent of pickle juice or green olives (sounds weird, I know, but give it a try). Sweet Riesling may evoke the aromas of dried peaches rubbed on a wet stone.  Just try it for yourself!

Where the Best Riesling is Grown:

  • Riesling is native to Germany and grown throughout Germany’s wine regions.
  • Austria
  • The Alsace Region of France.
  • California, Oregon, Washington State (Bubbly Prof really likes the Washington State Rieslings)
  • New York State’s Finger Lake Region
  • Canada, especially the Niagara Peninsula
  • The cooler regions of Australia such as the Eden Valley and the Clare Valley

Food Affinities – Base Ingredients:

  • Sushi…it’s the best match in town so I had to list it first.  It’s crave-worthy.
  • Seafood of all kinds
  • Smoked Seafood – Smoked Salmon and Riesling would be my “last meal” request.
  • Chicken (and poultry of any kind)
  • Ham, Pork, Prosciutto, Sausages
  • Asian Flavors, Indian Flavors—Riesling loves the salt, the spice, and even the heat.

 Bridge Ingredients:

  • Jalapeno Peppers, Wasabi – Bubbly Prof says any type of “green heat” is fabulous with Riesling.
  • Cilantro, Lemon Grass, Fresh herbs of any kind
  • Orange, Orange Zest, Lemon, Lime
  • Avocado, Corn, Leeks, Sweet Onions, Tomatoes, Sun-dried Tomatoes
  • Bacon, Pancetta, Green Olives, Capers
  • Ginger, Curry, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Soy Sauce, Salty condiments

Note: When it comes to food pairings, by all means—drink what you like!

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas

 

 

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Perfect Pairings: Wines for Thanksgiving

November 13, 2012 8 Comments

When pairing wines with a big turkey dinner, it’s time to take sides. 

By this—taking sides—I do not mean that you have to get involved in every family feud that comes up around the dinner table. (oh. please. no.) Rather, I mean that it is a good idea to choose your wines with a mind to the varied tastes and flavors of your side dishes.  Turkey—typically the main event on T-day—is actually quite neutral in flavor and can pair nicely with a variety of wines.  Side dishes for turkey, however, include the sweet (think yams topped with mini marshmallows), the spicy (sausage stuffing), the salty (gravy), and the tangy (pickles, olives, and cranberry sauce).

It takes a fruity, acidic wine with no chance of clashing flavors to match that schizo of a meal.   

I know this subject has been talked to death, that opinions on the matter run hot, and what the world needs now is hardly one more blog post on what wines to serve on Thanksgiving.  So, it is with humility and a bit of trepidation that I offer the following ideas on choosing wine for Thanksgiving.

#1—Choose a wine with lots of crisp, lively acidity:  Tangy foods, such as cranberry sauce, citrus, or anything from the relish tray, need to be paired with wines that can stand up to the challenge.  To be safe, serve a wine that has lively acidity to begin with and your wine will maintain its balanced flavor even in the presence of acidic foods.

#2—Choose a wine with fruit-forward flavors:  Cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, creamed corn and yams…due to the fact that they have a degree of sweetness, these foods pair best with a wine that has a very fruit-forward style. A wine with a hint of sweetness is ideal, as any sweetness in a food will diminish the fruitiness or sweetness of a wine.  For these reasons, it is a good idea to start with a wine with a good deal of fruit flavors—and maybe even a touch of sweetness—in order to preserve the wine’s balance with these types of foods.

#3—Choose a wine that is low-to-moderate in tannin:  Tannin is an integral part of the taste, flavor, and structure of most red wines. It’s also the component that gives many wines their structure and grip while lending a velvety mouthfeel to others.  However, as beloved a high-tannin wines may be, it pays to go moderate with the tannin in the wines we serve on Thanksgiving. The reason—simply put—is that too much tannin can clash with spicy flavors; those sweet tastes can also be anproblem (as they can bring the bitterness and astringency of a tannic wine to the forefront).  To avoid a clash of the titans that might end up with a metallic or bitter taste in your mouth, keep those red wines low-to-moderate in tannin. You might look for a red wine described as smooth, ripe, or velvety.

#4—Choose a wine with low-or-no noticeable oak influence:  Oak is a beloved flavor enhancer of many wines, and lots of people love oak aromas and flavors.  However, highly oaked wines can clash with some food flavors; to avoid this clash, choose a wine (or wines) with no overt oak flavors (especially the bitterness that often can be sensed on the back of the palate). These oak-derived tastes can clash with foods that are slightly sweet, a bit fruity, or a tad spicy (and there will be plenty of all of these at a typical Thanksgiving feast)!

#5—Choose a wine that is moderate in alcohol:  Alcohol, while part of what makes wine so delightful, has a tendency to clash with certain tastes and flavors, and with all the flavor mingling going on at Thanksgiving, this cage match is likely to happen.  all possible, keep your wine choices in the moderate alcohol range (lower than 14%, dessert wines excepted). On the other hand, if you enjoy the sensation of throwing gasoline on a fire, go right ahead and serve a 15% abv Napa Cab.  And then there’s this…turkey already has enough drowsiness-inducing tryptophan to put you and your relatives to sleep before the first kick-off of the first football game of the day. We don’t need any help from excessive amounts of alcohol!

#6—Remember the reason for the season: American Thanksgiving is a US-centric holiday, a celebration of the bounty of the fall harvest, and a time to be grateful. As such, sometimes I like to choose my wines for Thanksgiving with these ideas in mind. As this is a US-centric holiday, it’s a great time to focus on the wines of the United States. To accomplish this, you could focus on the well-known American wines such as Monterey Chardonnay. Napa Cabernet, Paso Robles Zinfandel, Oregon Pinot Noir, or Washington State Riesling. You could also focus on the lesser-known but still fascinating wines of Idaho, New York State, Virginia, Texas, or any of our other wine-producing states. To add the aspect of celebrating the harvest, try a Beaujolais Nouveau from France. It might not be anyone’s idea of the finest wine on earth, but it represents a true celebration of the harvest, as signified by the early release of the just-made wine of each year.  As a way of expressing gratitude…choose a wine to appeal to those you are most thankful for….seek out your father’s favorite Burgundy, your granddaughter’s beloved white zinfandel, or your oldest friend’s favorite wine. You can’t go wrong.

Bubbly Professor’s Wine Suggestions for Your Turkey Dinner:

  • Riesling from Alsace, Germany, or Washington State
  • Viognier from Texas, California, or The Rhône Valley of France
  • Unoaked Chardonnay
  • Bubbly—any dry or semi-dry sparkling wine; pink versions pair well with a wide range of food, and Prosecco is always a good choice
  • For the adventurous…Sparkling Shiraz
  • For the less-than-adventurous…Moscato d’Asti
  • Dry rosé—an all-around great choice! Serious, French rosé—such as those made in Tavel or Lirac—is a great choice. American rosé of Pinot Noir will work as well.
  • Zinfandel from Lodi, Paso Robles, Sonoma, the Sierra Foothills (Amador or El Dorado County)
  • Pinot Noir from Burgundy, California’s Central Coast, or Oregon
  • Beaujolais
  • Or, of course, you can use this philosophy:  serve anything you like…it’s just one day out of life!

Happy Holidays, Everyone!! No matter what you serve, enjoy the day and give thanks for all the good things in your life! 

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas… missjane@prodigy.net

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