Among many U.S.wine drinkers, "Riesling" means "syrupy-sweet German wine."That's an unfortunate stereotype. While the grape is of German origin and themost expensive Rieslings are dessert winesthe majority of decent Riesling outthere isn't going to pucker your mouth.
For our tasting, I decided to do a wine tasting for myfamily. The castof characters:
- My father and motherneither of whom are big drinkers.
- My sister and brother-in-lawthe usual drink of choice at their place is Michelob Ultra.
- The Sweet Partner in Crime.
- My 95 year old grandmother who only drinks an occasional glass of Manischewitz.
They were faced with:
- Pierre Sparr 2006 Riesling (France) -- $11-14
- J & H.A. Strub 2005 Riesling Kabinett (Germany) -- $13-15
- Salmon Run 2006 Riesling (New York) -- $11-14
We started with the Sparr. My grandmother's initialcomment was "This is sour. I like sweet wines." My mom and sisterthought "bitter apple" was a good description. The most colorfuldescription was from my brother in law: "It's kind of got an odor in yourmouth. It tastes like…I'd say…rubbing alcohol smells. Not that I drink rubbingalcohol or anything."
Rieslings like the Sparr from Alsace region are very dry. Most Alsatianwines are in this style. French Rieslings improve with a little age, so thiswine would be different after two or three years. These wines are generallymuch more acidic than other Rieslings. We still had some shrimp cocktail fromlunch, so thehe wine's acidity worked extremely well. Everyone liked it then. Thiswould be a great choice at a raw bar.
Next, the Salmon Run. My grandmother liked this"better than the first one." My brother-in-law thought it was"pleasant" and he said it "didn't have any nasty taste." Mymother said it was a wine you could easily "drink too much of on a sunnyday." My dad said only, "Fuller, fruitier." My sister said itwas "tangy, but sweet."
American Rieslings are not quite sweet enough to handleheavy food, but are good everyday wines. If you're going to a party and don'tknow what to bring, a New York Riesling is a safe bet.
Finally, the Strub. My grandmother indicated thewine "smelled and tastes sweet." My brother in law said the bodytastes "like when you eat a bunch of sweet candy…you get that thick tastein your mouth." My mother thought it would be too heavy for food. Myfather reclined, saying little, contemplative. Perhaps the accumulated effectof wine, cognac, and Kahlua got to him.
This wine would go very well with traditional Rhine-stylecooking. Spaetzle, beef & pork sausages, and sauerkraut would naturalpairings, as would anything spicy. As the SPinC put it: "Anything thatwould go with beer would go with this."
So ends our tour of the big six. I hope you've enjoyedthis, picked up some good information, and you'll feel a little morecomfortable when faced with a wine list. I invite you to share of your ownobservations.
Cheers!
