Best Riesling wines for a first time try
This past Tuesday at our bimonthly wine tasting, the Vintage Wine Tasters blind tasted six Riesling wines all in the bargain category range. Vintage Wine Taster Joe F. was the host of this delightful and educational wine tasting. Riesling just might be Joe’s epiphany wine. He was dining at a New Orleans-style restaurant many years ago and the server suggested a Trimbach Riesling to go with his meal. From that point onward, Riesling wines have been Joe’s favorite white wine. Most of the Vintage Wine Tasters admitted that they seldom drink Riesling wines and know little about them. I would imagine the same holds true for most wine drinkers here in California and the rest of the country. Well, perhaps not parts of Oregon and Washington, and the Finger Lakes in New York, where a lot of Riesling is grown. Joe picked out some scrumptious dry Rieslings from four different wine shops. This was a great opportunity for us to experience Riesling wines from Germany, France, New Zealand, Finger Lakes and California.
Best Bargain Rieslings
Below are the six Riesling wines we tasted and the order in which we enjoyed them
- 2013 Herman J. Weimar Finger Lakes Dry Riesling – Weimax Wines $19.99
- 2012 Esterlina Riesling Cole Ranch AVA – Bacchus Wine Shop Millbrae $16.34
- 2013 Donnhoff Estate Riesling Trocken, Germany – K&L Wines $21.88
- 2012 Tatomer “Sisquoc” Santa Maria Valley Riesling – K&L Wines $18.99
- 2013 TWR (Te Whare Ra) Marlborough Riesling “D” New Zealand – K&L Wines $18.99
- 2012 Famille Sparr Riesling Traditionale, Alsace – Gourmet Corner, San Mateo $15.00
All of these Rieslings had some similar characteristics, as in citrus notes and some tropical flavors. Although all these wines were considered to be dry Rieslings, we did note slight differences in the sweetness of the wines. Riesling wines are crisp and refreshing and are ideal wines for warm weather days to pair with fish or spicy foods. Joe pointed out that there are 56,000 acres of Riesling planted in Germany, and a total of about 100,000 acres worldwide. Riesling is ranked 20th in terms of acreage among wine varietals. Riesling is growing in popularity in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand. We suggest that you visit your local wine shop and purchase a few different Rieslings and see how you like them. Look for the ones we tasted; you cannot go wrong. We think you’ll find the wines to be refreshing and an exciting change-of-pace from the ever popular Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines that proliferate the white wine sections of our local markets and wine shops.
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