Riesling wine?

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my_psychosis

Senior Cook
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Hi all. I was wondering what is Riesling wine? I have a recipe for a wine and herb basted turkey that calls for Riesling wine. Thanx.
 
Riesling is a white wine that typically is a little lighter, more fruit forward in alot of cases and is not dry, but has a little of that pucker factor depending on the region it comes from. It pairs well with most fruits, in particular melons, chicken, pork and lighter seafood.
 
Actually, Rieslings can be dry. Rieslings are a very difficult grape to cultivate and turn into wine, which is why it is so rarely produced when compared to other grapes such as Chardonnay or Pinot Gris/Grigio. Rieslings, more than any other white grape reflects the "terroir", or environment of which it is grown in. While a grape like Chardonnay can be made into a wine that will taste like whatever you want it to (depending on what's done to the grape during the winemaking process), Rieslings are very finnicky and develop a character all on their own.

In a nutshell, Rieslings from the top three regions in the world tend to take on the following characteristics:

Germany - Sweet to very sweet, and much less dryer than the other regions. Lots of tropical fruit flavors such as pineapple, lychee, passion fruit. In general, the least complex and my least favorite of the major Riesling producing regions.

France (Alsace) - Dryest Rieslings with balanced fruit flavors, which tends to pick up a lot of stone type fruits including peach and apricot, with some citrus like tangerine. Most floral-type aromas of all Rieslings which usually includes lilac, roses, and violets. Alsatian wines also tend to have the most minerality of all Rielsings due to the growing conditions. IMO, the most complex of all Rieslings and one of my favorite white wines.

U.S. (Oregon/Calif. Central Coast) - Well balanced in all aspects in dryness, fruit, etc. Cheaper Rieslings tend to be more on the sweet side and while the pricier ones tend to be more dry.
 
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I'm a big fan of the sweeter German rieslings. I've been drinking a lot of Weingut Johann Haart Piesporter Treppchen Riesling lately. It's very low alcohol (relative) at 9.5%, and has fresh apple/peach flavors and aromas. Very balanced and easy to drink (watch out!). I think I pay $13 or so a bottle for it. I get a discount though, because I've been buying it by the case.

I'm a nut for sweet white wines. Dry whites with 13.5-14% alcohol always seem overpowering to me. Just the way my mouth is I guess. The sweet wines taste alive to me, and they pair well with almost everything, especially hot & spicy food! Just enough fermentation to give it some alcohol to carry aromas through your palate, and develop a few "complexities" to define it from grape juice. :)

I'm also a big fan of hard apple cider, something common in my parts.
 
New York State has some nice Riesling wines. I

usually buy the ones by Glenora. For myself I buy their Dry Riesling, but I always have a bottle or 2 of their Riesling for everyone else. Except for a year recently, when the harvest wasn't very good and it was in short supply, it is always available and consistent in quality.
 
I bought a Dry Riesling a while back and really enjoyed it. Now I can't find it again. I've seen 'Late Harvest' Riesing. Any idea what that is?
 
A Very Good Read

I totally enjoyed "Great Wine Made Simple" by Andrea Immer. I can now look at a wine list and pretty much figure out what that bottle will taste like. And as well, in the liquor store I can learn alot about a wine just from reading the labels. If you want the basics, with a little history thrown in, I highly recommend this book!
 
vyapti said:
I bought a Dry Riesling a while back and really enjoyed it. Now I can't find it again. I've seen 'Late Harvest' Riesing. Any idea what that is?

Late Harvest Rielsing (or any late harvest wine) will be substantially, and I do mean substantially, sweeter than a normal wine made with the same grape. Basically, the grapes are allowed to ripen on the vine to the point where their sugar content is much, much higher due to either natural dehydration, or if they've been infected with Botrytis Cinerea (Noble Rot). When they grapes are harvested for wine making, they often times resemble raisins due to the loss of moisture, which leads to the higher concentration in sugars. Domestically, IMO Oregon produces the best of these wines. Elk Cove and Kramer Vineyards make two very good and relatively affordable wines of this type.

Late Harvest Rielsings also have a much higher alcohol content (usually 22-28%) and are drunk primarily as dessert wines, although you could serve it as an apertif. If you enjoy drinking a Late Harvest Riesling as a dessert wine, you may also like one made with Gewurztraminer, Semillion, Pinot Gris, or Chenin Blanc which are other grapes commonly used to make late harvest dessert wines.
 
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