I am pleased to report that I have a new bottle of Riesling resting safely in my wine rack at home. I bought a Chateau Ste Michelle 2010 Riesling, which is a blend of Riesling from the Columbia Valley of Washington. Blending the best qualities from several different wines allows a wine maker to use the strong attributes of one wine to complement the short comings of others. When done with a skillful hand you end up with a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. This product is always a consistent example of a off-dry that is pleasant to drink and matches a wide variety of foods. The Wine Enthusiast gave it a 90 point rating and I would agree with that assessment. The other choice I considered was the Chateau Ste Michelle 2010 Harvest Select Riesling, but it had a R.S. of 4.98 compared to the 2.29 R.S. of my purchase. The much sweeter style of the Harvest Select would have been a good pick for asian dishes especially Thai food so I will remember that for another day.
Tag Sweetness of wine
Riesling hunting
Ripe grapes of Riesling. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I will be going to the State Store soon to look for a bottle of Riesling. That in itself doesn’t seem like a difficult task but considering the last bottle I bought was a Hermann J. Wiemer 2009 Semi-Riesling it may prove to be a challenging search. The Hermann J. Wiemer Vineyard and Winery is the premier Riesling producer in the New York Finger Lakes Region and perhaps the entire country. Riesling is one of the few varietals that is good in all ranges of sweetness. This wine uses its sweetness (2.4 Residual sugar) and acidity to show off its true flavor. It is a good choice for those who can’t seem to decide on a white wine. Fruit forward with a citrus fruit nose and finish makes this a balanced well made wine. The usual pairings include poultry, shellfish and asian dishes. These are all good pairings and you can’t go wrong with any of them but I have found it very drinkable at a family holiday gathering where ham is the main course. I will do my homework and follow my own guidelines that have appeared in previous posts and will try to pick the best Riesling available for my taste. I will let you know if I score a hit or a miss.
Related articles
- Not Your Average Riesling: The Story Behind the 2011 NYCR Finger Lakes Riesling of the Year (newyorkcorkreport.com)
- At Last, My Summer Wines (whywineblog.com)
- Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling 2011 (whywineblog.com)
- Hermann J. Wiemer 2007 Dry Riesling (lennthompson.typepad.com)
- Clean Slate Riesling 2011 (whywineblog.com)
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