Tasting Review- Riesling around the world
"I'm big on showing people versatility. I'm constantly trying to push myself to break barriers and the idea that we have to stay in one lane."- Dawn Richard
There is always a wine or grape varietal that entices you into this intriguing world of wine and Riesling has been that grape varietal which brought me into this fascinating world!
My first experience with Riesling would be from the Margaret River, Western Australia in one winery known as the Sandalford winery!
It was during that wine tasting session it made me interested in this beverage and another time was the other experience in Mornington Peninsula that it truly cement my interest to learn more about it during my tertiary education and became part of my life and career!
Actually this grape variety is jack of all threads! As it is a food friendly wine towards all types of cuisines, it just boils down to the style of Riesling that you chose for your meal..
Riesling do come in a various styles from dry to very sweet spectrum of sweetness level!
The range of styles you could find on the market for Riesling are:
Sparkling wine
Dry
Off Dry
Sweet (Dessert or Late Harvest)
Riesling is basically originated in the region of Alsace, France and also Germany especially Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz but they do exist in alot of the wine producing regions like Austria, Clare Valley, Eden Valley & Adelaide Hills from Australia, New Zealand, Finger Lakes in New York, USA and Hungary..
So there is an endless array of styles and countries to choose from on a single grape variety like Riesling as every region has a difference in it's style, the taste and aroma expressions that is hugely resulted from the soil structure, macro and micro climate, weather, topography, elevations and winemaker style!
It is alot of fun to try out different styles from different countries or wine regions as it will definitely surprised you in every sip of it!
Let's get down to the fun part of discovering the Riesling around the world!
1st up would be the French Alsace wine!
Let's turn our full attention to the Trimbach Reserve Riesling 2016!
In the Trimbach winery, there is a few categories of quality that they produce:
Classics
Reserve
Reserve Personelle
Prestige Collection
Grand Crus
This Riesling is under the Reserve range which is reflected in the rigorous quality selection of fully-ripe grapes from the Ribeauville region.
It is defined as a structured, balanced wine consisting of both fruity aromas and the terroir of the region itself.
This Riesling derives from an elegant yet dry style which is an excellent accompaniment with variety of dishes ranging from not heavly spice food to heavily spiced cuisines and variety of proteins from seafood to white meats!
They recommend that this wine has great ageing potential which varies according to the vintage but overall Riesling has a higher capacity for long temr ageing minimum duration is around 10 years.
Tasting notes:
Aroma:
Lemon peel, honeysuckle, beeswax, menthol, chalky, beeswax, white peach,apricot, preserved lemon, lime zest, grapefruit, white flowers, petrol or kerosene
Palate:
In terms of palate, the wine has a very vibrant acidity, bone dry sweetness with a long finish.
It also has a prominent minerality to it from the expression of the terroir of Alsace alongside the intense flavour of white peaches, juicy lemon and lime zest, green apple, grapefruit and mint herbs
For an aromatic white wine, it has a full, rich and complex wine which is ideal for a long term cellaring and those fruit and earthy notes of the terroir will evolved into those dried white fruits with the minerality being accencuated!
Food pairing:
Grilled or sauced seafood
Sushi
White meats
Indian and Thai food
Sauerkraut
Aroma:
White peach, apricots, orange peel, white flowers, lemon, grapefruit, candied lemon, dried rosemary
Palate:
On the palate, it shows great length, intensity of the fruit and the soil alongside the complexity of the overall texture and body..
The intense fruit notes which was welcomed in the aroma and also during the beginning of the palate are grapefruit, lime, candied lemon, dried apricots, white peaches, beeswax, candied lemon, caramalized pineapples, rosemary and white pepper.. The impact from the fruit intensity and the sweetness was balanced out with the high acidity that made the wine great to be drunk on its own!
Food pairing:
Usually you would find Riesling plantings situated near to a very steep slopes or some place that are really hilly and hard to reach by machinery to do the annual harvesting.. Other than that, Riesling do prefer to be in a soil that is rich with silt or for this case; it's grey sandy loam soil over clay and decomposed rocks.. In general, it just loves a good home filled with silt/loam, gravel, pepple or block!
More about this Heggies!
Well fun fact about this quaint little winery is that it is under the patronage of the Hill-Smith family that produces Yalumba wines and Jansz Tasmanian sparkling wines!
Heggies Vineyard is located in the high country of Eden Valley that gave it an ideal conditions, elevations and cool climate to produce a wine with great intensity, flavour structure, profile and ageability!
They were harvested in the early part of the mornings and it was hand harvested to ensure the grapes are picked carefully! The wines are pressed and fermented in cool temperature to retain their fragile fruit aromas, medium plus mouth watering acidity and the character of the soils and it is all being done in the large stainless steel vats..
Tasting notes:
Aroma:
Has a very prominent nose of petrol or kerosene with an intense salinity of the sea breeze and chalky hints of the soil
Peach, lemon and lime, apricots, honey dew, almond, orange blossom, beeswax, jasmine
Palate:
Vibrant medium plus mouth watering acidity.
The wine is dry which means there isn't any remaining sugars in the wine. There is lemon, lime, green apples, apricots, honeydew and peaches with the salinity of the sea breeze and the chalky minerality from the soil and sea shells..
There is also a slight hint of leatherwood honey towards the end of the palate with some creamy and nutty texture of walnut and almonds..
Perfect to enjoy it now or to cellar it for 10 years or longer!
Food pairing:
Shucked oysters
Salami pizza
Japanese sashimi
This is an amazing wine to start the day! That was how I started my day as it whets your appetite for food and more wine with it's dry sensation on the palate accompanied by the medium plus acidity!
Truly a great breakfast wine for any wine lovers!
Tasting notes:
Aroma:
Rose petals, jasmine, peach, lemon, lime, shcist, beeswax, caramelized apple
Palate:
It has a very dry sensation on the palate and it was accompanied by the medium high acidity.
On the palate, this dry riesling has a gentle and well rounded texture that was accompanied by the seashell minerals and the subtle hints of rose petals, juicy lemon and lime zest ending with a long finish and the sweetness from the honey
It is a great wine as a pre-dinner drink or an aperitif to the entire meal!
Food pairing:
Seafood
Shellfish
pork dishes
smoked meat or charcuterie platter
Indian or Chinese cuisine with little hints of spice
Riesling is truly one of the most versatile and food friendly grape varietal that is great with a variety of cuisines or even have it on its own during any time of the day!
There are other alternatives to try out if you are game to explore their other relatives which brings similar taste profile and enjoyment!
Furmint
Assyrtiko
Riesling do come in a various styles from dry to very sweet spectrum of sweetness level!
The range of styles you could find on the market for Riesling are:
Sparkling wine
Dry
Off Dry
Sweet (Dessert or Late Harvest)
Riesling is basically originated in the region of Alsace, France and also Germany especially Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz but they do exist in alot of the wine producing regions like Austria, Clare Valley, Eden Valley & Adelaide Hills from Australia, New Zealand, Finger Lakes in New York, USA and Hungary..
So there is an endless array of styles and countries to choose from on a single grape variety like Riesling as every region has a difference in it's style, the taste and aroma expressions that is hugely resulted from the soil structure, macro and micro climate, weather, topography, elevations and winemaker style!
It is alot of fun to try out different styles from different countries or wine regions as it will definitely surprised you in every sip of it!
Let's get down to the fun part of discovering the Riesling around the world!
1st up would be the French Alsace wine!
 |
| Trimbach Reserve Riesling 2016 |
Trimbach vineyards has been a very well known winery in the wine world for making excellent aromatic & complex whites!
Their flagship Riesling is the Clos St Hune!
This wine can literally fetch a high price especially in those critics claimed the Exceptional vintage!
Let's turn our full attention to the Trimbach Reserve Riesling 2016!
In the Trimbach winery, there is a few categories of quality that they produce:
Classics
Reserve
Reserve Personelle
Prestige Collection
Grand Crus
This Riesling is under the Reserve range which is reflected in the rigorous quality selection of fully-ripe grapes from the Ribeauville region.
It is defined as a structured, balanced wine consisting of both fruity aromas and the terroir of the region itself.
This Riesling derives from an elegant yet dry style which is an excellent accompaniment with variety of dishes ranging from not heavly spice food to heavily spiced cuisines and variety of proteins from seafood to white meats!
They recommend that this wine has great ageing potential which varies according to the vintage but overall Riesling has a higher capacity for long temr ageing minimum duration is around 10 years.
Tasting notes:
Aroma:
Lemon peel, honeysuckle, beeswax, menthol, chalky, beeswax, white peach,apricot, preserved lemon, lime zest, grapefruit, white flowers, petrol or kerosene
Palate:
In terms of palate, the wine has a very vibrant acidity, bone dry sweetness with a long finish.
It also has a prominent minerality to it from the expression of the terroir of Alsace alongside the intense flavour of white peaches, juicy lemon and lime zest, green apple, grapefruit and mint herbs
For an aromatic white wine, it has a full, rich and complex wine which is ideal for a long term cellaring and those fruit and earthy notes of the terroir will evolved into those dried white fruits with the minerality being accencuated!
Food pairing:
Grilled or sauced seafood
Sushi
White meats
Indian and Thai food
Sauerkraut
 |
| Pewsey Vale Single Vineyard Estate Riesling 2017 |
The 2nd Riesling which is one of the first Riesling I was introduced with during my vineyard trip in 2017..
Pewsey Vale is one of the winery that is under the patronage of the Hill-Smith family and the winemaker is the Legendary Louisa Rose! [Fan girling moment!]
This winery was first founded by an Englishman known as Joseph Gilbert in 1847 which was the pioneer for the Eden Valley region and he was the one that start experimenting in the planting the aromatic whites in those slopes..
The soils structure of this steep vineyards is a very shallow poor topsoils over shale, granite & semi-volcanic rock which makes the vines difficult to grow and there was an expousre of the cool breeze that helps with the phenolic development of the grape and also retaining that high natural acidity during the growing season..
Tasting notes:Aroma:
White peach, apricots, orange peel, white flowers, lemon, grapefruit, candied lemon, dried rosemary
Palate:
On the palate, it shows great length, intensity of the fruit and the soil alongside the complexity of the overall texture and body..
The intense fruit notes which was welcomed in the aroma and also during the beginning of the palate are grapefruit, lime, candied lemon, dried apricots, white peaches, beeswax, candied lemon, caramalized pineapples, rosemary and white pepper.. The impact from the fruit intensity and the sweetness was balanced out with the high acidity that made the wine great to be drunk on its own!
Food pairing:
Scallops or Oysters
Thai food
Chinese cuisine like sweet& sour pork, peking duck, fried squid with salt& pepper
Fruit desserts
Pepperoni Pizza
 |
| Heggies Vineyard Riesling 2016 |
The 2nd Australian Riesling which I would like to introduce is Heggies Vineyard Riesling 2016.. This wine hails from the Eden Valley, South Australia!
The Eden Valley wine region is situated next to the Barossa Valley wine region and it is one of the best place in the South Australia region to cultivate and produce amazing Rieslings!
The region is actually more hilly in comparison to the Barossa Valley that has more flat lands that is great to produce those intense and bold reds of Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon!
Usually you would find Riesling plantings situated near to a very steep slopes or some place that are really hilly and hard to reach by machinery to do the annual harvesting.. Other than that, Riesling do prefer to be in a soil that is rich with silt or for this case; it's grey sandy loam soil over clay and decomposed rocks.. In general, it just loves a good home filled with silt/loam, gravel, pepple or block!
More about this Heggies!
Well fun fact about this quaint little winery is that it is under the patronage of the Hill-Smith family that produces Yalumba wines and Jansz Tasmanian sparkling wines!
Heggies Vineyard is located in the high country of Eden Valley that gave it an ideal conditions, elevations and cool climate to produce a wine with great intensity, flavour structure, profile and ageability!
They were harvested in the early part of the mornings and it was hand harvested to ensure the grapes are picked carefully! The wines are pressed and fermented in cool temperature to retain their fragile fruit aromas, medium plus mouth watering acidity and the character of the soils and it is all being done in the large stainless steel vats..
Tasting notes:
Aroma:
Has a very prominent nose of petrol or kerosene with an intense salinity of the sea breeze and chalky hints of the soil
Peach, lemon and lime, apricots, honey dew, almond, orange blossom, beeswax, jasmine
Palate:
Vibrant medium plus mouth watering acidity.
The wine is dry which means there isn't any remaining sugars in the wine. There is lemon, lime, green apples, apricots, honeydew and peaches with the salinity of the sea breeze and the chalky minerality from the soil and sea shells..
There is also a slight hint of leatherwood honey towards the end of the palate with some creamy and nutty texture of walnut and almonds..
Perfect to enjoy it now or to cellar it for 10 years or longer!
Food pairing:
Shucked oysters
Salami pizza
Japanese sashimi
This is an amazing wine to start the day! That was how I started my day as it whets your appetite for food and more wine with it's dry sensation on the palate accompanied by the medium plus acidity!
Truly a great breakfast wine for any wine lovers!
 |
| Misha The Lyric Riesling, Central Otago 2012 |
We save the best for last and that is the New Zealand very own Misha's Vineyard!
This winery has been producing amazing wines and they won alot of accolades to prove it yet they are genuinely humble and filled with love and passion to promote the Kiwi wines to the world!
Their winery is located in Central Otago which is one of the most famous wine producing regions of New Zealand that to the eyes of the world is the place to get for it's plummy Pinot Noir and this comes second to the most well known winery which is Marlborough that is famous for it's grassy and fruit forward Sauvignon Blanc!
So we were shocked to find out that this winery produces not only elegant and complex Pinot Noir but also a complex and terroir driven Riesling to be produced from Central Otago!
The grapes were hand picked and selected carefully and then it was pressed in whole bunch.. The grape must was given a few hours of skin contact before it was pressed to the tank for the final steps before the juice being transferred for fermentation..
A large portion grape juice undergoes a cool temperature fermentation in stainless steel tanks to preserve the Riesling fruit and floral flavours whereas the remaining smaller portion was transferred to an older French oak barrel for fermentation that gives the wine an added complexity and the wine to have a more rounded body.. Don't worry there isn't any heavy oak flavours as the oak acts as a neutral vessel for the wine to rest and develop those secondary and creamy texture and flavour from the lees ageing..
Aroma:
Rose petals, jasmine, peach, lemon, lime, shcist, beeswax, caramelized apple
Palate:
It has a very dry sensation on the palate and it was accompanied by the medium high acidity.
On the palate, this dry riesling has a gentle and well rounded texture that was accompanied by the seashell minerals and the subtle hints of rose petals, juicy lemon and lime zest ending with a long finish and the sweetness from the honey
It is a great wine as a pre-dinner drink or an aperitif to the entire meal!
Food pairing:
Seafood
Shellfish
pork dishes
smoked meat or charcuterie platter
Indian or Chinese cuisine with little hints of spice
Riesling is truly one of the most versatile and food friendly grape varietal that is great with a variety of cuisines or even have it on its own during any time of the day!
There are other alternatives to try out if you are game to explore their other relatives which brings similar taste profile and enjoyment!
Furmint
Assyrtiko
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