Seizing That Summer Riesling!
The dog days of summer are slowly slipping away and the sweet days of September are sliding into our fray. What better way to savor summer than to find a thirst quenching wine to appreciate every moment? But which wine will we find? I'll make it easy. RIESLING! (pronounced "Ree-Zling). At one time this ,member of the 'Noble Grapes' was thought of as, "the World's Greatest White Grape". Today we have slighted it's nobility ,a bit, by thinking of Riesling as only a sweet white wine. While partly true, this does not give this great grape its just reward. Widely grown in Germany, Riesling did not make its debut until the late 15th Century. Known to grow best in cool climate, some of the world's best Reislings come from Germany. And as Germany's climate has changed over the years it is putting out some of the most interesting and flexible wines in the history of, "The Fatherland". This great grape is known to give us fantastic fruit flavors of apple, pear, and other white fruits. If the wine is young ( a few years) it shows aromas of flowers. If aged it can hit the nose with sweet honey notes or even a touch of gasoline. What?! Gasoline in my wine?! Blech! No! The hints of what they call, "petrol" is merely something that we can recognize and associate with gasoline,but if you smell hints of gasoline in a wine it is only a side effect in the Riesling. It is sometimes a combination of smells, in an old Riesling, of the smells of sage,lemongrass, lime marmalade, honey, consomme’, and toast. But one thing is for sure...Riesling is fantastic cooling spicy foods. It also pairs with sweet foods, salads, and seafood.
Seize a Riesling and enjoy the rewards of your choice. It is so versatile and tasty that you can't go wrong!
September is Riesling Seizing month so go out and experiment. Buy a California Riesling that says, ‘sweet’ on the label. Or, for drier pairings, buy something that has the word, “Trockenbeerenauslese”, “Spatlese”. Or “dry Riesling” on the label. In any case, enjoy this delicious grape that is so versatile that we must write articles about it that reassure this grapes flexibility.
And as always, Cheers!
Christian Fitzharris
Christian Fitzharris works in the Wine and Beverage Industry. He is a Certified Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers curriculum and a Wine and Beer Consultant. He writes about wine and wine education for global service. He writes a weekly newsletter email called, "Thirsty Thursday's" sent straight to your email for free. He may be reached at winsomewinesomm@gmail.com to sign up.