Riesling; a Hidden Gem
Riesling is one of the greatest white grapes, having excellent cellaring potential. It is native to Germany, where it has been planted since the 1400s or possibly earlier.
One of the common misconceptions people have about Riesling is that it is sweet, and for this reason many winemakers complain that it is hard to sell. It’s not true that all Rieslings are sickly-sweet, yet many people who have had a bad experience with cheap sweet wines such as blue Nun or Black Tower and so steer clear of Riesling.
The fact is, good Riesling doesn’t have anything in common with these sickly sweet wines.
The wine has distinctive floral and apple-like aromas, with notes of rose petal, violet, pear, peach and apricot being common.
The grapes are best-suited to colder wine-growing climates because the vines bud late, making them perfect for Germany.
When to serve
Often lower in alcohol content than most other wines, Riesling is deliciously drinkable, light and white, and this makes it great for easy-drinking at barbeques where it will be a crowd pleaser.
The wine pairs well with quite a few foods, and these include Asian cuisine, Indian and a lot of German dishes. When pairing with curries, be sure to pair with mild spice as anything too hot will not pair as well. You may find that if you are eating a hot curry it is only really beer that goes hand in hand with the food.
Thai noodles with slight spice match well with Rieslingm as does sashimi and sushi. Fish in general is a good match, including white fish both grilled and poached, as well as scallops, gravlax (the cured salmon dish)and pork or ham with mustard sauce.
These are usually the foods that the general consensus agrees is best for Riesling, but it’s completely up to you what you serve it with. Your own wine consumption is entirely for your pleasure only, and so don’t be afraid to throw caution to the wind and make non-conventional food matches, if this suits your taste.
There is a lot of wine snobbery around when it comes to what goes with which foods, so don’t feel pressured into only sticking to commonly-accepted pairings.
You aren’t just limited to German Rieslings either; this wine is produced in the New World, in particular Australia, as well as other countries, although it’s generally agreed that the best of this variety comes from Germany, its homeland.
Dominic Donaldson is a wine expert Find out more about Riesling and the great bottles that await!
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