Shattering misconceptions is one of life’s great joys. One common misconception involves the belief that all rieslings are heavy, sweet, dum-dum wines that all come from Germany. While the world’s greatest still do come from there, great rieslings are currently being produced in Australia, New Zealand, and here in the U.S. (particularly Wa. state). The unifying taste characteristic of these twenty-first century rieslings is clean, crisp mineral-driven purity of fruit, as opposed to reliance on sugar. One of the main advances in German rieslings has been the limits placed (and enforced) on vineyard yields for qualified wines. German importer Terry Theise may have said it best, “…the iciest blade of electric, splashing acidity supports a fruit so clear, so sharply rendered, the entire experience is so vivid it makes your toenails laugh!”. Randall Graham, of Bonny Doon, was somewhat more restrained, while remaining on point, “Riesling will be the dominant white grape of the twenty-first century.”. These wines are super-food-friendly, pairing well with seafood, poultry and pork. Especially Asian cuisines. One to look out for is Coopers Creek, from New Zealand. All hail the “new” rieslings.
AustraliaBonny DoonBuckley WineholtCoopers CreekGermanyNew ZealandPersonalWine.comRandall GrahamrieslingsTerry Theisewines.com
