Riesling discussion

Bar & Garden? I bought it and didn’t like it.

No, but it’s amusing anyway.

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I did! I liked it quite a bit, but it was not as crisp as the German ones.

–Dommy!

Yes, not crisp. It had an oak thing that reminded me of a watery Chardonnay (I don’t like Chardonnay). I don’t have a lot of Riesling experience and maybe should try German. I’m glad you liked it, though! :grinning: It sucks to not like something. :smirk:

HA!!! Maybe that is why I liked it… I’m not into Chardonnays either… I don’t need character from my whites… I just need to cut through… My daily drinker of Trader Joes Vinho Verde…

But yes, definitely try the German Rieslings. Alsacian too. There are always some wonderful ones from L.A. Wine Co. I would usually go before summer and stock up. The guys there are super nice and will direct you well based on the taste. Bar and Garden sometimes gets some interesting German wines, but it’s not their forte.

–Dommy!

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Sweet, thanks for the tips. Btw, I like to cut through too. :wink:

This wasn’t about Riesling. :smile:

Why not? Since we’re having the discussion. :wink:

My favorites are aged German Spätlese and Auslese with high acid, alcohol under 10%, and “petrol” notes. The high acid balances the residual sugar making them great food wines even with things like pork and beef that you’d usually pair with a dry red.

Unfortunately for me that style has gone out of fashion and many of the grapes that used to go into them are now used to make dry wines. They can be very good, but for dry Riesling I’d rather wines from Alsace or Alto Adige / Südtirol.

I haven’t had very many good domestic Rieslings. Tatomer, Stirm, Poet’s Leap, a few from Finger Lakes, one from Michigan.

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We favor the bone dry old world Rieslings from Austria and Germany. Low alcohol but not <10%. Very versatile and great body/structure makes the winr drink similar to a red. Some of our favorite wines. Nothing like the sweet syrupy stuff I was initially introduced to.

From Alsace, the Rieslings of Domaine Weinbach, Gustav Lorentz, Hugel, Trimbach are very solid. Grand Cru Alsace Riesling with age, once you’ve had it there’s no going back…especially if it comes from a climat or vineyard that has excellent character. Some of these can age for a long time and others you don’t want to age too long. Some super high end Grand Cru level Alsace Riesling are very pricey, but you can find some mid and lower tier that are good (those tend to have very high acidity and on the dry side). Structured enough to withstand a bit of a beating with spicy food, so ideal with Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian. Though some prefer Gerwurztraminer (Alsace region makes good ones too)…which sweet and sour pork is an excellent and easy pairing. One of the best Alsace Grand Cru Riesling pairings I had was with Thit Kho Tau, Vietnamese style braised pork belly where a good portion of the aroma and profile is from fermented fish sauce that has some spicy…and the acid cuts into the pork belly fat perfectly.

German Riesling… haven’t had that many: Dr. Thannisch, Selbach Oster, the famous Joh Jos Prum (or JJP) is one of the greats, Dr Loosen (some super affordable ones within $20 to $30 range as everyday bottles to drink at home)…Keller (super fanatical cult Riesling), and Donhoff are ones that I’ve tried that are good. Haven’t had ones that are < 10 % though. Petrol notes you could pick up from 10 year aged Riesling JJP Spatlese, but it’s not prominent. These also hold up to spicy food very well, and in fact I think a Spatlese with age is the best pairing with Peking Duck with the femented salty and sweet bean paste sauce which will overwhelm the duck when used in a dip and rolled with a crepe (otherwise certain reds would pair with the duck without the sauce). Not much of a fan of Auslese Rieslings…a bit too sweet and the aged ones I don’t think I can drink too much of it…and those are probably a bit better with sheep milk cheese of a certain type. Although I would probably drink more Kabinett than Spatlese if given a choice.

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The top-end Alsatian Rieslings typically have only the name of the vineyard on the bottle, not the word Riesling. Confused me when I first encountered them, long before Google.

I’ve drunk a lot of old Spätlese and Auslese Rieslings with Chinese food, they’re a good choice as they go with everything, even the dishes that are a little sweet. It’s rare that they don’t have enough acid to balance the sweetness. Damn, I wonder if I’ve got any in the cellar to go with takeout?

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Been a while since I’ve had a Riesling.

Dang this aged beautifully and only 8.5% alcohol. Perfect for staying sober while WFH. Paired with my microwave Costco Sukhi’s chicken mango curry lunch. Note the deep golden hue, taste Sauterne like. Pineapple, vanilla, tart cherries, cut grass … luuuuuuusssshhhhh :kissing_smiling_eyes:

I need to drink more Rieslings

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a bi too quaffable :woozy_face:

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8.5%? Dang. We love an old world bone dry riesling but don’t recall ever seeing one >10%. Perfect weather and great with food.

I’m going to be on the lookout when we go to Hi Times.

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Excellent QPR

8.5% Spatlese is not going to be dry!

Twas not dry; bordering dessert wine.