Synopsis
Book by Immer Andrea
Extrait
chapter one
RIESLING AND THE AROMATIC WHITES
Riesling Rundown
Home regions
Germany and Alsace, France
Other great Riesling sources
Austria, New Zealand, Australia, United States (Washington State, California, New York)
Style
Light- to medium-bodied; elegant
Flavor
Tangy-crisp like apples to juicy-
mouthwatering like peaches and melons
What is Riesling? As I've said to my culinary students, it's "the Riesling for living!" A fun pun, but in my book it's not a joke. I am passionate about this grape, for the simple reason that every time I pour one, it enchants me. The flavors and scents are so pure, so vibrant, and so thrilling that I'm drawn back to the glass again and again for more of that perfume. Sampled alone, Riesling's aromatic attributes certainly demand attention. But with food it is not a show-off. Like a perfect dance partner, it swirls and sashays lithely and elegantly across the table with virtually any dish. To put it plainly, I've never found a food that doesn't pair well with Riesling.
Yet, among average consumers, Riesling is the wallflower of wines, rarely getting a chance to show her charms. I think Liebfraumilch, the simple, sweet stuff we all discovered in the 1970s, is the reason. People see the traditional long, fluted bottle shape and think "sweet" and "not for me." Although Rieslings are bottled in the same distinctive container, the only other thing they share in common with Liebfraumilch is an original home base, Germany. To explore the wonderful world of Riesling, that's the place to start.
German Wine Labels' "New Look"
You might say the wallflower has had a makeover. Many of the top German wine estates have radically simplified their labeling, with easier-to-read lettering and simpler designs. Some of the top wineries have begun to simply label their wines as "Estate," meaning grown in the winery's own vineyards. Leaving off the long vineyard names or shrinking them to a less prominent position helps the buyer get to the most important quality and style indicators--the producer and the ripeness level.
German Riesling Basics
So you thought Germany was only tops at cars and beer? German Rieslings are awesome. Admittedly, they can also be confusing, because the labels can sometimes seem engineered with as much technical detail and precision as a Porsche. But all that detail actually slows many wine lovers down. The hard-to-read script and multisyllabic names, while traditional, can make it hard for non-German speakers to figure out what style of Riesling is in the bottle.
That style is dependent on the ripeness of the grapes at harvest. The riper the grapes, the fuller the body, and the richer the wine. Now, the most important point. That richness can come in two forms: Fruitiness or sweetness, or both. Here's the distinction: Fruitiness means the flavor and sweetness of fresh fruit, balanced by vibrant acidity; sweetness means the taste of fruit with sugar added. Think of the difference between a ripe apple (which is fruity-sweet) versus apple pie filling (which is sugary-sweet). The fruity wines are fabulous partners for savory food. The sweet ones are great with dessert, as dessert, or with cheeses and pates. Here are the different German ripeness levels from least to most ripe, and the fruitiness or sweetness associated with each:
Kabinett Fruity Light-bodied
Spatlese Fruity Light- to medium-bodied
Auslese Slightly sweet Light- to medium-bodied
Beerenauslese Very sweet Medium-bodied and luscious
Trockenbeerenauslese Very Sweet Medium-bodied and syrupy
The Fruit Flavor of Riesling
Of course, any exploration of the flavors in wine starts with fruit. Riesling is a virtual fruit-salad-in-a-glass, and the exact fruit flavors in any given bottling are a function of where the grapes were grown. The fruit flavors in any white wine range along a spectrum, from lean to lush. The "leaner," tangy fruit flavors are associated with cooler growing regions, while the "lush" riper fruits are associated with warmer, sunny climates, as follows:
Even in the same region, the fruit flavor can vary from one year to the next, with hotter growing seasons yielding lusher fruit flavors than cooler vintages. With this fruit flavor spectrum as a backdrop, here's a rundown of the other great Rieslings of the world, from leanest to lushest.
Austria. Try them! Although Austrian wines are labeled according to ripeness level like German wines, they are quite different because the growing regions get more sunshine. As such, Austrian wines are fuller-bodied, yet still have vibrant acidity and tangy fruit flavors of apple and citrus.
Alsace, France. Alsace was once a part of Germany, so it's no surprise that it, too, is a Riesling powerhouse. And while Alsace is a cool zone, it enjoys many more hours of sunshine during the growing season than does Germany, so the grapes get riper. They are fermented to a completely dry style (except for the late-harvest dessert versions; see Chapter 9, page 240, for details), and thus are fuller-bodied than German or Austrian Rieslings. Their fruit flavor ranges from Golden Delicious apple to lemon and peach, and the scent has a very distinctive "petroleum" quality that, while it may sound strange, is really great.
New Zealand. These wines offer great value and, not surprisingly, lip-smacking kiwi fruit flavor.
Australia. It always surprises my wine students that the land known for big brawny Shiraz reds also yields lively and elegant Rieslings. They are medium-bodied and dry, with zingy tangerine and peach fruit flavors.
United States. The desert growing conditions in Washington's Columbia Valley yield Riesling with vividly ripe, fragrant fruit, from mandarin orange to tropical. New York State also produces world-class Riesling, though in small quantities, and a few California wineries, including Fetzer, Wente, and Trefethen, produce juicy-tasting Riesling.
The Spice of Life: Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer,
Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gruner-Veltliner, and Viognier
I include these white grapes, often referred to by wine pros as "aromatic varietals," in the Riesling chapter because they have a style similarity, and because similar food matching principles apply. All of them share a prominent "prettiness" and spiciness to their fruit flavors and fragrance, such that the scent is every bit as exciting as the flavor, and keeps you coming back to the glass to breathe the perfume. Also, they almost never possess oakiness because winemakers, conscious of those compelling scents, don't want to mask them. And without oakiness to overpower, the wines pair better with both exotic and delicate food flavors. Also like Riesling, they have the juicy acidity to tame intense flavors and kick up delicate ones. That said, they are all so unique you must explore each of them. Here's what you'll find.
Sushi, Dim Sum, Tandoori, Tacos . . . Beer, Here?
The flavor of everyday dinner sure has changed since I was a kid. In those days, Chinese food meant La Choy frozen eggrolls and canned chow mein, curry was a flavor of boil-in-bag rice, sushi was something completely bizarre my dad had tried on an exotic business trip, and "Mexican pie" at my school cafeteria was canned chili ladled over Fritos. Now supermarkets coast to coast carry bagged and ready-to-stir-fry fresh veggie mixes and preskewered kebabs ready to be curry-marinated and grilled, and have sushi chefs on-site. Mexican restaurants are more common than pizza parlors were when I was growing up. These new tastes are all welcome at my table, and perfectly compatible with wine.
With the exotic flavors and often sizzling spices of these foods, your natural instinct is perhaps to reach for a beer rather than a glass of Chard or Merlot. Fair enough: An ice-cold brew boasts the scrubbing bubbles and hoppy tanginess to cool and refresh your palate. In contrast, the full-bodied, oaky profile of many popular wine styles, coupled with bold food flavors, can be overwhelming. This doesn't mean you have to pass up wine with your favorite ethnic fare. Rather, it means you have a wonderful excuse to branch out from the "banker" wine grapes and regions, to Riesling and beyond! Pairing the aromatic grapes with Asian and Mexican food creates some truly great flavor fireworks.
Why do they work so well? There are several reasons. They all share a vibrant acidity that invigorates and refreshes your palate, just the thing to enjoy with food that has salty and/or fatty components. The acidity in these wines also puts a spotlight on the complex and exotic flavor layers in the food. If you think about it, the cuisines themselves echo this principle--from citrus or lemongrass to vinegar to yogurt to salsa, each is engineered with an acidic nerve center to fire the food's signature flavors. The wines also have distinctive scents and tastes, from herbal to fruity to spicy, that complement and even mimic those tastes in the food. No wonder they're the toast of the sommelier set. Some wine-savvy restaurants even spotlight separate sections of Food-Friendly Whites or Aromatic Varietals on the wine list, to draw your attention and encourage you to try them. It's hard to go wrong with any of them, but here are some fun recommendations for your exotic everyday dinners.
German Riesling Kabinett or Spatlese
The touch of sweetness in this style acts as a coolant for your tongue with spicy dishes such as chips and salsa, Thai green curries, Indian vindaloo, and spicy Chinese stir-fries. This wine style also cuts through and complements the rich meatiness of Peking duck and Chinese barbecued spareribs.
Alsace or Washington State ...
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