Rieslings. Also known as the Yum wine, or as I like the call it, the desert wine of poor people. Rieslings are always popular with a crowd for their distinct sweetness. But here's something tricky about Rieslings: most of us usually think of Rieslings as sweet and fruity but in reality, most of them are not. Most of the time, Riesling grapes in Germany or Alsace are used to make a dry, aromatic white wine. Somehow over time us people in Canada have come to equate Rieslings with sweet which is what we'll likely get when we pick something off the shelf. Sometimes though, Canadian consumers are surprised by the dryness of the purchased Riesling so it pays to be vigilant when looking at the label. While I'm a huge fan of dry Rieslings, and I really should review one for you one day since they really are fun to drink, I admit it would be a shock if I was expecting a yummy fruit filled wine.
The wine I'm about to tell you about however does deliver on the excellent fruity sweet goodness that most of us think about when we think Riesling, despite the fact that it technically is only a medium sweet wine.
Today we are looking at the Niersteiner Spatlese (Late Harvest) Riesling by Gustav Adolf Schumitt.
This Riesling from Nierstein on the river Rhine delivers on what, as your standard Canadian, I expect in a Riesling. Full of fruit and nectar and easy to drink. Light in alcohol, medium in body and tropical notes all around. It was beautifully seductive with it's tropical notes reminiscent of dried pineapple and mango and hints of red apple and orchid fruits. It had a nice floral scent coming through as well. While not fully sweet it had great acid and was medium in body which made it easy to pair with some heavier plain foods like potatoes. On the palate, the tropical notes translated really well making it really palatable and fun.
Not exactly a complex wine but one that I could enjoy time and time again. Although I don't think I could enjoy an entire bottle to myself again. While only 9% abv, the sugar was definitely getting to me by the last glass.
I decided to try and pair this wine with food. As a little side project, I'm trying to figure out a good wine for cadbury cream eggs so of course, I tried this Riesling with a cadbury cream egg. While not horrible, I wouldn't recommend it. The chocolate worked fine with this drink but the inside was just completely neutralized.
I then decided to do a German twist on foods. One of my favorite German foods is Rosti (something like a potato pancake). Since I lack the culinary skills to pull this dish off, I decided to try my Riesling with store bought Perogies and what a treat this was! I sauteed a few onions and added some sour cream and every heavy potato bite I had meshed so wonderfully well with this wine. It was a truly delightful combination.
A+ for this wine as a medium dry, super yummy, food friendly Riesling. I recommend this wine for pre dinner at dinner parties, or Ukrainian themed night since it goes so well with Perogies. Or, if you're like me, this wine rocks if you just want to drink whenever you want for no reason at all. At under $12 a bottle here in BC at your friendly neighbourhood BC Liquor Store, it's definitely a wine anyone can enjoy! For my readers in Ontario, you can find it at your local LCBO for a whole dollar cheaper than what we're paying out here in BC.
With Spring just around the corner, there's really no better way to celebrate the return of sunshine and warmth than with a nice glass of fruity, fun and sweet white wine.
The wine I'm about to tell you about however does deliver on the excellent fruity sweet goodness that most of us think about when we think Riesling, despite the fact that it technically is only a medium sweet wine.
Today we are looking at the Niersteiner Spatlese (Late Harvest) Riesling by Gustav Adolf Schumitt.
This Riesling from Nierstein on the river Rhine delivers on what, as your standard Canadian, I expect in a Riesling. Full of fruit and nectar and easy to drink. Light in alcohol, medium in body and tropical notes all around. It was beautifully seductive with it's tropical notes reminiscent of dried pineapple and mango and hints of red apple and orchid fruits. It had a nice floral scent coming through as well. While not fully sweet it had great acid and was medium in body which made it easy to pair with some heavier plain foods like potatoes. On the palate, the tropical notes translated really well making it really palatable and fun.
Not exactly a complex wine but one that I could enjoy time and time again. Although I don't think I could enjoy an entire bottle to myself again. While only 9% abv, the sugar was definitely getting to me by the last glass.
I decided to try and pair this wine with food. As a little side project, I'm trying to figure out a good wine for cadbury cream eggs so of course, I tried this Riesling with a cadbury cream egg. While not horrible, I wouldn't recommend it. The chocolate worked fine with this drink but the inside was just completely neutralized.
I then decided to do a German twist on foods. One of my favorite German foods is Rosti (something like a potato pancake). Since I lack the culinary skills to pull this dish off, I decided to try my Riesling with store bought Perogies and what a treat this was! I sauteed a few onions and added some sour cream and every heavy potato bite I had meshed so wonderfully well with this wine. It was a truly delightful combination.
A+ for this wine as a medium dry, super yummy, food friendly Riesling. I recommend this wine for pre dinner at dinner parties, or Ukrainian themed night since it goes so well with Perogies. Or, if you're like me, this wine rocks if you just want to drink whenever you want for no reason at all. At under $12 a bottle here in BC at your friendly neighbourhood BC Liquor Store, it's definitely a wine anyone can enjoy! For my readers in Ontario, you can find it at your local LCBO for a whole dollar cheaper than what we're paying out here in BC.
With Spring just around the corner, there's really no better way to celebrate the return of sunshine and warmth than with a nice glass of fruity, fun and sweet white wine.
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