Dry Rieslings Around the World by Ed Mccarthy
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TASTING CORNER Ribeauville is one of many villages along Alsace’s famous wine trail Heron Hill winery in Nicolas Quille, Pacific Rim the Finger Lakes winemaker, in the vineyard Dry Rieslings Around the World by Ed McCarthy hose of us who are dry Riesling lovers — and Wine writers and sommeliers have been making pronouncements T I’m happy to say that our ranks have been swelling for at least 10 years that Rieslings, especially the dryer-styled types, in the last several years — now have many choices of are “in,” but sales have not reflected the fashion until recently. Many fine wines from around the world. Today you can find sommeliers and restaurant owners have led the way for this white variety by listing several Rieslings on their wine menus. excellent dry Riesling, not only from the traditional It has been the darling of professionals for good reason. This noble growing regions of Germany, Alsace and Austria, but variety makes such food-friendly wines, with its light body and won- also from several regions in Australia, New Zealand derful piercing aromas—mainly citrus, apple and sometimes peach, and Canada. In the U.S. quality dry Rieslings are but also floral and honeyed notes. It is high in extract, usually low in being made in New York, Washington, California, alcohol, invariably unoaked (it does not take kindly to oak aging) and Oregon and even Michigan. Dry Rieslings are also it has a firm backbone of acidity. Except for Germany, where Rieslings being produced in South Africa and South America range from very dry to very sweet, most fine Riesling regions produce these days. primarily dry Rieslings. TASTING CORNER: DRY RIESLING Spotlight On Germany that makes Riesling. Alsace Rieslings tend to Any discussion of Riesling must start with WHY be more powerful and higher in alcohol than its ancestral home, Germany. Many of the German Rieslings. Like Germany, many Alsace greatest sweet white wines of the world are Rieslings are made in a richer, sweeter style, German Rieslings. But with the modern Riesling but a small group of Alsace producers special- trend toward dry wines, Germany has also NOW? ize in dry Rieslings. The champion of Alsace joined the ranks, and today is producing ac- bone-dry Riesling is Trimbach, who makes tually more dry Rieslings—usually labeled Why did it take so many years for four. Trimbach makes a small quantity of a sin- trocken, or halbtrocken for semi-dry—than people in the United States to em- gle vineyard Riesling, Clos Ste. Hune, which I sweet Rieslings. brace Riesling? (I realize, of course, believe is one of the world’s greatest dry white The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is Germany’s finest that many still have not). I can think wines. As you might expect, it’s expensive, and all-around Riesling region. Look for dry Ries- of three reasons that have slowed hard to find. Three other fine Alsace producers lings from such great Mosel producers as Egon Riesling’s acceptance in the U.S.: that specialize in dry Rieslings are Léon Beyer, Müller-Scharzhofberger, J.J. Prûm, Fritz Haag, Paul Blanck, and Josmeyer. Selbach-Oster, Weingut Dr. Loosen, Maximin Most consumers in this Grünhauser, S.A. Prüm and its less expen- Austria country first became aware of Austria grows considerably less Riesling than sive second label, Blue Slate, Willi Schaefer, 1 Riesling as an inexpensive German Germany or Alsace, and yet Riesling is the Markus Molitor, Schmitt Söhne, St.Urbans- semi-sweet quaffing white wine second leading white variety planted, after Hof, Schloss Lieser and Reichsgraf von Kessel- that became quite popular here Grüner Veltliner. Austrian Rieslings are made statt. Dr. Loosen also makes Eroica, a very pop- in the 1970s and 1980s. Many of mainly in the dry, mineral-focused style, with ular Washington state Riesling, in conjunction these quaffing wines were labeled fairly high alcohol. Six leading Austrian Ries- with Chateau Ste. Michelle. liebfraumilch, a generic classifica- ling producers include F. X. Pichler and Niko- The Rheingau is a small but important tion which meant that the wine was laihof in the Wachau region, plus Weingut German Riesling region. Some of the foremost composed of at least 70% Riesling, Hirsch, Brundlmayer, Loimer and Jurtschitsch Rheingau Riesling producers include Georg Müller Thurgau, Silvaner or Kerner. Sonnhof in the Kamptal region. Breuer, Josef Leitz, Robert Weil, Franz Kün- In reality, the inexpensive, neutral- stler, Schloss Schönborn, Schloss Reinhart- tasting Müller-Thurgau often domi- shausen, Schloss Vollrads, Johannishof and Zü nated. In short, many of the wines Looking to the Knyphausen. weren’t really Rieslings. New World The Nahe is another small but very fine Rieslings from the New World, mainly Austra- German Riesling region. Schlossgut Diel, an lia and the United States, took longer to gain U.S. winemakers, particularly exceptional Nahe Riesling producer, also co- worldwide acceptance. But today, especially in California and Washington, produces in Washington (along with Long 2 certain regions in Australia compete with Ger- capitalized on the popularity of the Shadows Vintners) a very fine Riesling called many, Alsace, and Austria for the world’s best inexpensive, popular, semi-sweet Poet’s Leap. Other top Nahe producers include dry Rieslings. Hermann Dönnehof, Tesch, Schäfer-Fröhlich Rieslings by offering their own and Jakob Schneider. versions. For decades the image Australia of Riesling in the U.S. has been The Rheinhessen is Germany’s largest wine Riesling is Australia’s second-leading white that of a sweet, vapid white wine region, the home of Liebfraumilch. But it also variety, after Chardonnay. Australia’s most that retails for $10 or less. Any produces trocken Rieslings. Its better Riesling renowned Riesling areas are Clare Valley and sommelier will tell you that when producers include Gunderloch, Wittmann- Eden Valley, both in South Australia. The he or she suggests a Riesling, the Morstein, and Wagner Stempel. somewhat warmer climate in these two Valleys most frequent question a consumer The Pfalz is almost as big as the Rheinhes- yields more powerful, viscous Rieslings with an asks is, “Isn’t Riesling sweet?” sen. It’s warmer than other German Riesling oily texture and lime fruit flavors. Some Ries- regions, and produces rich, full-bodied white ling is also made on the island of Tasmania. wines. Its leading Riesling producers are Bürk- It really took a few decades Top Clare Valley producers include the ex- lin-Wolf, Müller-Catoir, J.L. Wolf, Basserman- 3for predominantly non-drinking cellent Grosset (especially its Polish Hill and Jordan and the great Rainer Lingenfelder. American consumers to become Watervale Rieslings), Wilson’s Polish Hill, Mt. aware of the more subtle flavors Horrocks, Jim Barry, Petaluma, Knappstein, Old World Riesling and characteristics of good-quality Angove Vineyard and Leasingham. Leading Rieslings. For one thing, since Eden Valley Riesling producers include Pewsey Still Thrives almost all Rieslings are made Vale, Henschke, and Leo Buring. Tasmania’s France without any oak aging, this was really cool climate is ideal for Riesling; Pirie Other than Germany, the Alsace region of a novelty for consumers mainly Estate, Moorilla Estate and Frogmore Creek France is the leading European wine region for familiar with oaked Chardonnay Vineyard are Tasmanian Riesling producers to Riesling, and the only wine region in France as their white wine of choice. seek out. TASTING CORNER: DRY RIESLING popular inexpensive dry Riesling that is made Western Australia A recent trip to isolated Western Austra- from 80% Washington wine and 20% Mosel wine from Germany; Pacifi c Rim also makes lia revealed to me that the extreme south- The Finger Lakes Region ern part, known as the Great Southern, is single-vineyard Rieslings—three from Wash- an ideal region for cool-climate wines. The in western New York State ington’s Columbia Valley, and one Riesling from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Rieslings made here are dry, light-bodied, is clearly the state’s – if and racy. Some of the best Riesling producers Other top Washington Riesling producers in Western Australia include Frankland Es- not the country’s – best include Columbia Winery, Covey Run, Co- lumbia Crest, Hogue Cellars, Owen Sullivan, tate—especially its Isolation Ridge Vineyard Riesling region. Riesling—and Ferngrove, both in Frankland Woodward Canyon, Seven Hills Winery and (Great Southern); Howard Park and its sec- Long Shadows Vintners—which co-produces ond-label, Mad Fish, in Mt. Barker (GS); plus Poet’s Leap Riesling, together with Armin Plantagenet, Castle Rock and Forest Hill, all Diel from Germany’s Schlossgut Diel in the in Great Southern. The leading Riesling pro- Nahe region. ducer in nearby Margaret River, to the north Michigan All of Michigan’s Riesling regions are in the and west, is the exceptional Leeuwin Estate, Oregon northwest part of the state, and all are within one of Australia’s top wine producers. Oregon’s Rieslings come from the cool, rainy 25 miles of Lake Michigan—which provides a western side of the Cascade Mountains and favorable micro-climate, tempering the harsh- New Zealand retain good acidity. Top Oregon Riesling pro- er weather of interior parts of the state. Cha- New Zealand has become renowned for its ducers include Chehalem, Elk Cove Vine- teau Grand Traverse in Old Mission Peninsula Sauvignon Blanc and recently, its Pinot Noir, yards, Amity Vineyards, Daedalus Cellars, is the state’s most renowned Riesling producer. but I would not be surprised if Riesling even- Erath, and Montinore Estate. Three other top Michigan Riesling producers tually emerged as the best wine of Kiwi Land. are Chateau Chantal and Brys Estate, also in The cooler Central Otago region to the south California Old Mission Peninsula, and Shady Lane Cel- and Waipara Valley might be the places where California has struggled to fi nd suitable areas lars of Leelanau Peninsula.