Wine

Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008

The Grapevine: Riesling makers try to shed grape’s sweet reputation

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Riesling is one of the world’s most under-appreciated grapes, especially among American wine drinkers. Sommeliers love it because it’s so versatile and easy to pair with a variety of foods. Ditto wine writers. But American consumers can’t seem to shed the misconception that all riesling is sweet, and sophisticated wine drinkers aren’t supposed to like sweet wines.

In fairness, when you buy a bottle of riesling it can be difficult to discern just how sweet the wine is going to be. German rieslings contain some indications, with terms like “trocken” (dry) or “kabinett” (semisweet). Some domestic rieslings carry the word “dry” on their labels, but even that is no guarantee, because there is no objective standard for what is “dry.” Some labels list residual sugar, but that’s only a part of the picture: A riesling can have some residual sugar but still taste fresh and crisp because the wine contains so much acidity.

This confusion and what to do about it was a major topic of discussion at the second Riesling Rendezvous, a trade event held recently at Chateau Ste. Michelle, outside Seattle. The event — which included wines from seven countries— is co-sponsored by Ste. Michelle and Ernst Loosen, a riesling producer in Germany’s Mosel region and Ste. Michelle’s partner in a Washington state riesling called Eroica.

Despite the confusion, times are better than ever for riesling. According to the Nielsen Co., riesling sales, measured by dollar value, were up 98 percent from 2006 to 2008, with case sales up 87 percent. In a presentation at Riesling Rendezvous, John Gillespie and Christian Miller of the research organization Wine Opinions talked about who’s driving some of those sales increases. They conducted a survey for the International Riesling Foundation that found that riesling’s appeal is broadest among younger drinkers, especially those ages 21-39. People who are frequent riesling drinkers tend to understand that it’s made in multiple styles, from dry to very sweet. But among consumers who reported that they never or rarely drink riesling, the top reason given was that riesling is too sweet.

The International Riesling Foundation has spent the past year working on a scale that producers could use to indicate how sweet the wine is. The group has settled on five categories: dry, off-dry, medium dry, medium sweet and sweet. The categories would be based not only on residual sugar but also on other factors such as acidity and pH. The next step is development of a graphic to show in which category the wine falls. The graphic could be used on labels or marketing materials.

Space doesn’t permit me to go into many of the wines I tasted, so I’ll concentrate on some of the drier versions. Not every region that produces riesling can make a successful dry riesling. In the cooler areas of Germany, for example, like the Mosel, acidity is so high that the wine usually will be better balanced if there’s some sweet-

ness. A truly dry riesling would just be too searing and austere. But in warmer areas, like Franconia and Pfalz, there are good examples.

There are also good dry versions from France’s Alsace region, Austria, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Domestically, the best dry rieslings tend to come from Oregon and New York’s Finger Lakes region, although there are some good ones from California, Washington, even Michigan. (It’s extremely difficult to find wines around here from the Finger Lakes and Michigan; most Canadian wines you’ll see are ice wines.)

From California, I enjoyed the crisp, limey 2007 Trefethen Dry Riesling ($22) and the very dry, zingy 2007 Pey-Marin “The Shell Mound” Riesling ($24). Chateau Ste. Michelle makes a tasty and attractively priced dry riesling that’s drier than the regular riesling bottling (the regular riesling is also very good). The 2007 Dry Riesling ($12) is a little fleshy, with spiced apple flavors. Other good choices from Washington include the 2007 Pacific Rim Wallula Vineyard Riesling ($18), with its racy lime and apple flavors, and the 2007 Long Shadows Poet’s Leap Riesling ($20), which is scented with white peaches and apples.

Most Australian rieslings are dry to barely off-dry. One of the best is from the historic Pewsey Vale Vineyard in Eden Valley. The 2007 Pewsey Vale Riesling ($17) is bright and rich, with a smooth finish.

The dollar’s decline against the euro means that some European wines are getting very expensive. But if you want to try a good dry riesling from Alsace, there’s the 2002 Trimbach Cuvée Frederic Emile Riesling ($50), which is fleshy yet racy, with lime, some floral notes and a hint of kerosene.