Riesling: The Wine Everyone Can Agree On

I had a great time last Friday night taking part in TasteLive's Wines of Germany online tasting. We had a chance to taste through 4 Rieslings from S.A. Prüm and they were, like many German Rieslings, fantastic. At this point, I'm having had a hard time finding a $15-$20 German Riesling I don't like. It's an outstanding category full of value.

The thing that's great about Riesling is this: It's fruity and delicious and therefore a delight to drink. Even people who normally don't like the taste of wine like Riesling. However it's no White Zinfandel- wine geeks get really excited about Riesling for its complexity and balance.

Another nice feature: It tends to be lower in alcohol than other wines so you won't get parched and wake up the next morning slow-moving after drinking a couple of glasses.

One of the few things I don't like about German Rieslings is that their labels can be maddeningly confusing. Although German wine labels are full of information, it's extraordinarily difficult to track down a recommendation. If I told you to go buy a "Prüm Riesling" that could be referring to any one of a hundred bottles of wine. For these reasons, German Riesling reminds me of Claudia Schiffer: Beautiful, but perhaps a bit difficult to approach. (and hey, who doesn't like a blog entry with a pretty picture at the beginning?)

Some German wine makers seem to be taking an interesting approach in this respect: They maintain traditional labeling for their estate/higher-end bottles while offering easier to remember wines at lower price points. Like the "Dr. L Riesling" or the "S. A. Prüm Essence Riesling".

That said, you may be able to find these wines in stores near you. Here are my notes on each of the wines we tasted:

2008 S. A. Prüm Essence Riesling Mosel

• The nose reminded me of an old candy I used to enjoy: Certs Mixed Fruit. Imagine crushing some of these up and smelling them- you get minerality and fruit.
• On the palate, nice heavy fruit. Apricots more than peaches.
  
• I think this wine would be great to serve at a gathering. It's a crowd pleaser.
  
• WWP 86/Very Good around $12
  

2007 S. A. Prüm Blue Riesling Kabinett

• This one is more serious than the Essence, and offers more of what I'm looking for in a German Riesling. Wet stone, green apples and citrus.
  
• WWP 88/Very Good Around $19
  

2006 S. A. Prüm Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Kabinett Mosel Estate Bottled

• The first bottle I reached for the day after the tasting and my favorite wine of the night.
  
• Stunningly pure. Here's what I mean by that: You let some of this wine rest on your tongue to get a taste and it radiates a delicious sunbeam of Riesling goodness. Radiant.
  
• Just the slightest hint of Petrol. A textbook example of what Riesling can be.
  
• 92 WWP/Outstanding around $20
  

2007 S.A. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Mosel Estate Bottled

• The only wine that came with a cork enclosure (the others were screw cap).
• Too much Petrol for my taste, but otherwise a very good wine and similar to the Urzinger.
  
• 89 WWP/Very Good low $20s
  

Recommendations: If you haven't had a German Riesling, seek one out for between $15 and $25. If you've had German Rieslings but haven't tried wines from S.A. Prüm then give them a go.

Further Reading: 1 Wine Dude's take on this event (including Kung-Fu comparisons!)

Check back soon (or better yet subscribe!)- I'll be offering up my opinions on Finger Lakes Rieslings after tasting through a dozen of them recently. In the mean time, head over to The Passionate Foodie to read his take on Finger Lakes Rieslings.

Thanks to Wines of Germany the chance to taste through these wines.

Photo Credit: Tammy Manet

Question of the Day: What are some of your favorite Rieslings?

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Event Report: Taj Boston Loire Valley Tasting

Last Wednesday, the Loire Valley Wine Bureau hosted a tasting on the top floor of the Taj Boston. What a venue to taste through an interesting collection of wines, and meet some great people. I had the pleasure of meeting the following folks from the Boston wine community for the first time:

• Rebecca Rethore columnist for Wicked Local and wine blogger at Pour-Favor
• Richard from the wine blog Silene's Cellar
  
• Adam Japko from the wine blog WineZag
  

Judging from the wines presented at the tasting, the most popular wines from the Loire Valley are made from Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé), Chenin Blanc (Vouvray) and Cabernet Franc (Chinon and Bourgueil).

I'd estimate that close to 75% of the wines at the tasting were white, so if you're more into red wines at this point this region may not be for you. With the exception of their earthy (and sometimes downright barnyardy) Cab Francs, there isn't much red wine to speak of from the region.

I enjoyed tasting through the Sauvignon Blanc based wines from Sancerre and Pouily-Fumé. Not a whole lot of difference between the two, but a huge difference between these wines and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Whereas SB from New Zealand is more pungent, these wines are more restrained aromatically. On the palate, they have wonderful minerality and acidity- very food friendly.

They say these wines are a value play, but unfortunately New Zealand is hard to undercut on price in this category. You can get a really tasty bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for around $10-12. Still, if you're more of an old world type these are the benchmark by which all Sauvignon Blancs are measured.

Recommendation: Try a Sancerre in the $15-20 range if you like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but are looking to switch it up a bit or serve it with a light dinner.

I've enjoyed Vouvray in the past, and the ones I tasted at this event were no exception. Such an intriguing, multi-faceted wine. One I tasted in particular brought some amazing asparagus/vegetable components, but at their core the wines were more fruity and flavorful than the Sauvignon Blancs. More of a crowd pleaser I think.

Recommendation: Definitely try a bottle of Vouvray next time you see one in the store. It shouldn't be hard to get a good one for $15.

I only tried a few of the Cabernet Franc-based reds at the tasting. They weren't nearly as barnyard the first one I tried (which was so funky that I'm still avoiding the category). The wines I tried were reasonably enjoyable, although I'm in no hurry to seek them out. I'm still hard pressed to pass along a recommendation in this category.

Recommendation: Watch this Wine Library TV episode to learn more about what to expect from Loire Valley Cab Franc.

Question of the Day: What do you think of Loire Valley wines? A source of value in France? A category you'd like to learn more about? Been there/done that?

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Robert Parker Tastes Blind (for once)

There was a really interesting post on Dr. Vino's wine blog last week about blind tasting 2005 Bordeaux with Robert Parker. The piece is generating quite a buzz (coming up on 100 comments) because Parker normally does his tasting privately and therefore nobody really knows whether he tastes blind or not. Click through and read the piece to see how Parker fared in this tasting.

I left a comment mentioning that the thing my mind wandered to while reading was the matter of whether The Wine Advocate's stated blind tasting policy aligns with how they taste in practice. I blogged on this subject earlier this year at length. Since then, The Wine Advocate restructured their tasting methodology statement (probably because of pressure generated from Dr. Vino as described in this piece) to have different standards for Robert Parker vs. other people who write for him. Though they now reveal that others who taste for the magazine do so both blind and non-blind, Parker still maintains that he tastes blind "when possible" which technically could mean "never". I'm still not satisfied with this disclosure and that's why I don't subscribe to the Wine Advocate. I do subscribe to Wine Spectator because they're more forthcoming in describing how they taste and I believe they actually taste the way they say they do.

At any rate, I thought to mention this piece in case Dr. Vino's blog isn't yet on your radar screen. It's a good example of why he's one of the best.

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Da Vinci Boston: The Connoisseur’s Tour of Italy

Da Vinci Ristororante in Boston is offering a 5-course wine dinner this Thursday October, 8th 2009: The Connoisseur’s Tour of Italy.

Park Square’s premiere Italian eatery Da Vinci Ristorante and Domaine Select Wine Estate’s Northeast Division Manager Daniel Burgio will combine forces and host “A Night of Perfect Balance.” This five-course specialty Italian wine dinner will reveal an extraordinary evening of Executive Chef Peppino’s masterful culinary creations expertly paired with Burgio’s vineyard choices for the perfect wine compliment. Daniel Burgio will introduce each course and provide a brief commentary on the selections, alongside Chef Peppino.

This complete five-course menu is available for one-night only and will be presented as follows:

1st COURSE
Voltini Tuna
Filled with cucumber, fennel and frisee, finished with red onion caper black olive vinaigrette
paired with Fantinel Ribolla Gialla

2nd COURSE
Duck Confit and Foie Gras Ravioli
Duck demi glaze and English pea sauce, finished with pea tendril
paired with Fontanafredda “Eremo” Barbara Nebbiolo

3rd COURSE
Snapper
Pan seared and crusted with almonds, sundried tomato and parsley, served with wild mushroom cake and finished with shrimp bisque sauce
paired with Il Volano, Rosso di Tuscany

4th COURSE
Venison Rack
Grilled and roasted yam potato, sautéed Tuscan kale, finished with port wine apple juniper berry sauce
paired with Borgo Tesis, Cabernet Sauvignon

5th COURSE
Pumpkin Gelato
Finished with homemade caramel
paired with Fantinel Prosecco

Cost: This complete 5-course menu with wine pairings is available for $65.00 per person.

Check 'em out:
Da Vinci Ristorante
162 Columbus Avenue
Boston, MA 02116

For more information or reservations, please call 617-350-0007 or visit www.davinciboston.com.

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