I have to admit, I have some preconceived notions when it comes to Rieslings. My mind and palate immediately conjure overly sweet flavors that tastes like someone melted bottled rock candy. Fortunately my aversion to sweet wines does not mean I have to avoid all Rieslings. I recently enjoyed a lovely Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling and not once did I feel like it was eating the enamel off my teeth.
Aromas bursting of citrus and lime draw me in for the first sip. Loads of passion fruit, green apple and peach. Semi-sweet, light and fizzy on the tip of the tongue. Reminds me of champagne minus the bubbles.
Riesling, a white grape variety originating in the Rhine region of Germany is used to make dry
, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are generally not pure and not used in a blend. The grape is thought to be one of the top white wine varietals by many wine professionals.
So how did Riesling wines get a reputation for being overly sweet? It’s thought this image goes back to WWII when German winemakers made large quantities of intentionally sweet and inexpensive wines to appeal to American GI’s stationed in Germany. By mid-century most Americans were under the assumption, German wines were overly sweet and German winemakers have fought hard to put this notion to rest.
By the late 1980’s the German wines had moved to the other extreme, too dry and overly acidic. To achieve a perfect balance between the acidity and dryness, winemakers now leave a little residual sugar so it’s naturally sweet.
While generally associated with Germany, Riesling is now grown in France, Italy, Australia, US, New Zealand and China just to name a few. All Riesling needs is a some nice cold weather to produce that characteristic natural sugar.
The residual sugar in the Chateau Ste. Michelle is 2.05% and makes it sweet enough where I don’t think I could drink a lot at one time but pairs great with grilled or smoked ribs and potato salad. Perfect summer cookout wine.
For info on Chateau Ste. Michelle, checkout my article from last month here.
Aromas bursting of citrus and lime draw me in for the first sip. Loads of passion fruit, green apple and peach. Semi-sweet, light and fizzy on the tip of the tongue. Reminds me of champagne minus the bubbles.
Riesling, a white grape variety originating in the Rhine region of Germany is used to make dry
, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are generally not pure and not used in a blend. The grape is thought to be one of the top white wine varietals by many wine professionals.So how did Riesling wines get a reputation for being overly sweet? It’s thought this image goes back to WWII when German winemakers made large quantities of intentionally sweet and inexpensive wines to appeal to American GI’s stationed in Germany. By mid-century most Americans were under the assumption, German wines were overly sweet and German winemakers have fought hard to put this notion to rest.
By the late 1980’s the German wines had moved to the other extreme, too dry and overly acidic. To achieve a perfect balance between the acidity and dryness, winemakers now leave a little residual sugar so it’s naturally sweet.
While generally associated with Germany, Riesling is now grown in France, Italy, Australia, US, New Zealand and China just to name a few. All Riesling needs is a some nice cold weather to produce that characteristic natural sugar.
The residual sugar in the Chateau Ste. Michelle is 2.05% and makes it sweet enough where I don’t think I could drink a lot at one time but pairs great with grilled or smoked ribs and potato salad. Perfect summer cookout wine.
For info on Chateau Ste. Michelle, checkout my article from last month here.
My rating - 
We'll drink the rest tomorrow
2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.
http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/
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We'll drink the rest tomorrow2010© Kellie Stargaard. All Rights Reserved.
http://winechicksguidetoeverydaywines.blogspot.com/
Follow me on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=114185461044&ref=ts
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/WineChicksGuide
Very good analysis on what Americans choose when they drink German wine. Here are my thoughts. http://www.schiller-wine.blogspot.com/2010/03/when-americans-drink-german-wine-what.html
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