Cooking
Ugh! Yeah! That pretty much sums up the reactions to my Wine Blogging Wednesday theme of New World Riesling. Some participants kept an open mind, but people in general feel strongly about this grape and its expressions in the New World. Some described it as one of their favorite grapes, others went to the wine store in dread. Why this theme when I freely admit that Alsatian and Austrian and especially German Rieslings are my wine world loves? Partly, it was to stretch myself; there are other producers trying to make a go of this grape, and it seems worth giving them a shot. Who knows? Maybe the next Mosel valley is lurking on a New World continent, just about to burst on the scene. But the actual inspiration for the theme came from a conversation I had with my editor at The Art of Eating. We were discussing his earlier quote about Rieslings (that they're not very popular outside of the regions that grow the grape), and we wondered if there were any worth drinking from the New World. Are there? Some wines were definitely hits; I'll let you find the gems in the great posts everyone made. Here are the entries in the order I got them (more or less). Let me know if I forgot you. Thank you everyone for participating, and welcome to all the newcomers! We look forward to more great wine notes from you. Scotticus Cooks
Scott was one of a number of first-time WBW participants. His flatmate works in a wine store and selected the 2001 Knappstein Riesling from Australia. Scott Rowson and Phil Beckman sent me their tasting notes for four different Rieslings, including an Alsatian one as a control and a sample from Maryland, which is unusual from my West Coast perspective. Like many of this round's participants, they mention how the wine fared alongside the food they ate. baking sheet
Nicole knew which Riesling she wanted to try, but didn't get a chance to get that one. Instead she shared a description of the JW Morris Johannisberg Riesling she bought for a miraculous $2.99 at Trader Joe's. If you have some thoughts on what to do with prickly pears, by the way, let her know. Chocolate & Zucchini
Clotilde rejoins us after a WBW hiatus and puts her massive wall-mounted corkscrew to good use. She found a 2001 South African Riesling/Chenin Blanc blend called Nicole's Hat. A charming wine name for a charming blog. Clotilde even provides some handy French phrases and links to wine dictionaries in English and French. Vinography
Alder's post describes the kind of wine experience one always wants. He and Ruth sat on the back porch, sipping a 2002 Leeuwin Estate Riesling from Australia. Ah. How nice. Alder loves the winery's Chardonnay and WBW gave him the perfect excuse to try one of their other wines. Slow Travel
Marta reminds us that the Pacific Northwest is acquiring a reputation for their Rieslings, and she shared a description of the 2001 Amity Dry Riesling from Oregon. As soon as Melissa reads Marta's post, she'll be jealous of the crab dinner that accompanied the Riesling; we haven't yet rung in Dungeness season here at the Schneider household. Becks & Posh
Sam and I shared a moment of panic this morning as Blogger was unavailable to those of us hoping to post. Fortunately, it came back in time for her to post about the 2003 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Johannisberg Riesling. A grand-sounding name, but not nearly as grand as the Riesling Royale salad that dominates the post, a mix of many things said to work well with Riesling wines. She also tried a Rudi Wiest Riesling from Germany's fantastic 2001 vintage. loveSicily
How do you write about New World Riesling on a blog about Sicily? You compare a wine from Sicily with a New World Riesling! Ronald pitted the 2003 Montana Riesling from Marlborough, New Zealand against a Firriato Catarratto. I can't help but notice that the Sicilian wine gets twice as much text as the Riesling... Spittoon.biz
Andrew is not a diehard Riesling fan. He thought about trying a dessert version, or perhaps a Slovenian Rizling (I had a Croatian one while I was there, so would have loved to hear about this wine). In the end he took advantage of the wine shows he organized to find a bottle of the 2002 Peregrine Riesling from Central Otago, New Zealand. Sounds like his tasting note is more useful than the winery's label. Accidental Hedonist
Kate was one of the Riesling fans participating in this round of WBW. But her write-up of the 2003 Brooks Riesling from Oregon ends on a sad note. The wine maker passed away recently at a frightfully young age. The Confabulist
I can relate to Orion's tale of being a red-wine snob until he fell in love with German Rieslings. Since he enjoys them so much, he was skeptical of the New World theme. You'll have to read his post to see what he thinks of the 2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle Reserve Ice Wine from Washington state's Columbia Valley. My Adventures in the Breadbox
Alice also picked out a Columbia Valley wine, the 2003 Barnard and Griffin White Riesling. What is it with Washington state and "White Riesling"? Orion's bottle used the same term. Is there such a thing as a red riesling? Or a black riesling? Purple Sunshine
Dante's tasting note for the 2003 Yalumba Riesling from South Australia included a descriptor I've never heard someone use for a wine: "...almost like a pilsner beer". This is a good reminder to trust your own impressions of a wine's aromas. The best description you can use is one that means the most to you, not the one that's the most "standard" wine term. Stack of Toast
Peter's blog is cleverly named; it's tongue-twistingly close to how I imagine his last name is pronounced. He took some time from his normal geeky posts (says the programmer complimentingly) to enter WBW for the first time. He chose the 2003 Jackson Triggs Proprietor's Reserve Dry Riesling from Canada's Niagara Peninsula, which he drank with a delicious-sounding meal. da xiang
Like Dante, Stef chose a wine from the Yalumba winery, but she found the 2002 Y Series Riesling and wrote about it for her first WBW entry. I like how she's honest about being attracted to the label. Don't we all do that? LENNDEVOURS
No surprise that WBW's founder chose Long Island Rieslings for his post. Lenn's a big proponent of this region on his blog and in his Dan's Papers column. His stir-fry sounds great, by the way—one of the best he's ever made. Cook sister!
Jeanne thought about Rieslings from all over the world, but she stuck close to her native land and tasted a 2003 Danie de Wet Riesling from South Africa. Before her tasting notes she gives some great advice to people looking at South Africa Riesling labels, and offers a link to a rebuttal from Bruce Jack to Jancis Robinson's dismissal of South African wines. Seattle Bon Vivant
Viv made the Nigella Lawson "Coq au Riesling" to accompany her 2003 Covey Run Dry Riesling from Washington State (what? not White Riesling?). She promises more to come soon (including an ice wine!), when she is less tired, so keep an eye on her site! A Barrel of This
Kieca worried that she cheated by selecting a bottle of the 2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle/Dr. Loosen Eroica from Washington state. Dr. Loosen is one of Germany's best-known wine makers. But I'm with her: if it's made with New World grapes at a New World winery, it qualifies as New World in my book. (she almost tried a White Riesling...but it was from Napa! There goes my theory about it being a Washington thing). She drank her bottle with take-out from Eliza's, a yummy Chinese place on San Francisco's Potrero Hill. Where's my dinner?
Anne didn't quite get her post up on Wednesday, but she got it up before I posted the wrap-up, so I snuck her post in. She thrilled her local wine store worker when she gave him the challenge of finding a New World Riesling, and she finally settled on the Rawson's Retreat Riesling from Penfolds in Australia. She and a friend drank it with a delicious-sounding Jamie Oliver dish. Chez Pim
Even though she just returned from France, Pim found time to pick up a 2001 Arrowood White Riesling "Select Late Harvest" from the beautiful Alexander Valley in Northern California. Again with the White Riesling. She and a friend drank it with dessert from San Francisco's Citizen Cake. medmusings
Enoch dutifully writes about his 2002 Navarro White Riesling before waxing rhapsodic about the German Spatlese he enjoyed with fuyu persimmons from his garden. Sounds like a great combination, regardless of WBW themes. (At this point I did a search on white riesling, but came up with lots of wine descriptions. More to come.) The Wine Cellar
Rich's wife plucked the 2003 Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling from Australia out of their collection, and the two of them enjoyed it with what sounds like a really nice, elegant salad. An Obsession with Food
My own bottle was the 2003 Spy Valley Riesling from New Zealand's Marlborough region.
- Wtn: 2005 Standing Stone Vineyards Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York State
I have a back-burner plan to tour New York's Finger Lakes region. I want to visit the closest thing I have to a holy place, and I want to taste an abundance of what many critics consider America's best Riesling. The state's deep lakes, scratched...
- Wbw 21/imbb 26: Merkelbach Riesling Kabinett
Do I have a favorite wine? Something to use for the "Pair your favorite wine with food" slant of this month's joint edition of Is My Blog Burning and Wine Blogging Wednesday? My favorite wine varies with the week, but given my recent article and my...
- Wine Blogging Wednesday 4: New World Riesling
Some consider Spy Valley Wines to be one of New Zealand's best-kept secrets, which is perhaps appropriate given the winery's name, derived from Wairau Valley's nickname—a government satellite communications monitoring facility dominates...
- Wine Blogging Wednesday 4: New World Riesling (rowson/beckman)
Scott Rowson and Phil Beckman took me up on my offer to host tasting notes from the blogless for Wine Blogging Wednesday. They tasted four wines, including an Alsatian one as a control. They even included a Maryland Riesling. I interspersed their photos...
- Riesling Goes Well With Turkey
Just a reminder, everyone: Wine Blogging Wednesday is December 1, just one week from today. The theme is New World Riesling. Find yourself a bottle before then and post your thoughts about it on December 1 (or email them to me on that date or sooner,...
Cooking
WBW 4: The Round-up
Ugh! Yeah! That pretty much sums up the reactions to my Wine Blogging Wednesday theme of New World Riesling. Some participants kept an open mind, but people in general feel strongly about this grape and its expressions in the New World. Some described it as one of their favorite grapes, others went to the wine store in dread. Why this theme when I freely admit that Alsatian and Austrian and especially German Rieslings are my wine world loves? Partly, it was to stretch myself; there are other producers trying to make a go of this grape, and it seems worth giving them a shot. Who knows? Maybe the next Mosel valley is lurking on a New World continent, just about to burst on the scene. But the actual inspiration for the theme came from a conversation I had with my editor at The Art of Eating. We were discussing his earlier quote about Rieslings (that they're not very popular outside of the regions that grow the grape), and we wondered if there were any worth drinking from the New World. Are there? Some wines were definitely hits; I'll let you find the gems in the great posts everyone made. Here are the entries in the order I got them (more or less). Let me know if I forgot you. Thank you everyone for participating, and welcome to all the newcomers! We look forward to more great wine notes from you. Scotticus Cooks
Scott was one of a number of first-time WBW participants. His flatmate works in a wine store and selected the 2001 Knappstein Riesling from Australia. Scott Rowson and Phil Beckman sent me their tasting notes for four different Rieslings, including an Alsatian one as a control and a sample from Maryland, which is unusual from my West Coast perspective. Like many of this round's participants, they mention how the wine fared alongside the food they ate. baking sheet
Nicole knew which Riesling she wanted to try, but didn't get a chance to get that one. Instead she shared a description of the JW Morris Johannisberg Riesling she bought for a miraculous $2.99 at Trader Joe's. If you have some thoughts on what to do with prickly pears, by the way, let her know. Chocolate & Zucchini
Clotilde rejoins us after a WBW hiatus and puts her massive wall-mounted corkscrew to good use. She found a 2001 South African Riesling/Chenin Blanc blend called Nicole's Hat. A charming wine name for a charming blog. Clotilde even provides some handy French phrases and links to wine dictionaries in English and French. Vinography
Alder's post describes the kind of wine experience one always wants. He and Ruth sat on the back porch, sipping a 2002 Leeuwin Estate Riesling from Australia. Ah. How nice. Alder loves the winery's Chardonnay and WBW gave him the perfect excuse to try one of their other wines. Slow Travel
Marta reminds us that the Pacific Northwest is acquiring a reputation for their Rieslings, and she shared a description of the 2001 Amity Dry Riesling from Oregon. As soon as Melissa reads Marta's post, she'll be jealous of the crab dinner that accompanied the Riesling; we haven't yet rung in Dungeness season here at the Schneider household. Becks & Posh
Sam and I shared a moment of panic this morning as Blogger was unavailable to those of us hoping to post. Fortunately, it came back in time for her to post about the 2003 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Johannisberg Riesling. A grand-sounding name, but not nearly as grand as the Riesling Royale salad that dominates the post, a mix of many things said to work well with Riesling wines. She also tried a Rudi Wiest Riesling from Germany's fantastic 2001 vintage. loveSicily
How do you write about New World Riesling on a blog about Sicily? You compare a wine from Sicily with a New World Riesling! Ronald pitted the 2003 Montana Riesling from Marlborough, New Zealand against a Firriato Catarratto. I can't help but notice that the Sicilian wine gets twice as much text as the Riesling... Spittoon.biz
Andrew is not a diehard Riesling fan. He thought about trying a dessert version, or perhaps a Slovenian Rizling (I had a Croatian one while I was there, so would have loved to hear about this wine). In the end he took advantage of the wine shows he organized to find a bottle of the 2002 Peregrine Riesling from Central Otago, New Zealand. Sounds like his tasting note is more useful than the winery's label. Accidental Hedonist
Kate was one of the Riesling fans participating in this round of WBW. But her write-up of the 2003 Brooks Riesling from Oregon ends on a sad note. The wine maker passed away recently at a frightfully young age. The Confabulist
I can relate to Orion's tale of being a red-wine snob until he fell in love with German Rieslings. Since he enjoys them so much, he was skeptical of the New World theme. You'll have to read his post to see what he thinks of the 2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle Reserve Ice Wine from Washington state's Columbia Valley. My Adventures in the Breadbox
Alice also picked out a Columbia Valley wine, the 2003 Barnard and Griffin White Riesling. What is it with Washington state and "White Riesling"? Orion's bottle used the same term. Is there such a thing as a red riesling? Or a black riesling? Purple Sunshine
Dante's tasting note for the 2003 Yalumba Riesling from South Australia included a descriptor I've never heard someone use for a wine: "...almost like a pilsner beer". This is a good reminder to trust your own impressions of a wine's aromas. The best description you can use is one that means the most to you, not the one that's the most "standard" wine term. Stack of Toast
Peter's blog is cleverly named; it's tongue-twistingly close to how I imagine his last name is pronounced. He took some time from his normal geeky posts (says the programmer complimentingly) to enter WBW for the first time. He chose the 2003 Jackson Triggs Proprietor's Reserve Dry Riesling from Canada's Niagara Peninsula, which he drank with a delicious-sounding meal. da xiang
Like Dante, Stef chose a wine from the Yalumba winery, but she found the 2002 Y Series Riesling and wrote about it for her first WBW entry. I like how she's honest about being attracted to the label. Don't we all do that? LENNDEVOURS
No surprise that WBW's founder chose Long Island Rieslings for his post. Lenn's a big proponent of this region on his blog and in his Dan's Papers column. His stir-fry sounds great, by the way—one of the best he's ever made. Cook sister!
Jeanne thought about Rieslings from all over the world, but she stuck close to her native land and tasted a 2003 Danie de Wet Riesling from South Africa. Before her tasting notes she gives some great advice to people looking at South Africa Riesling labels, and offers a link to a rebuttal from Bruce Jack to Jancis Robinson's dismissal of South African wines. Seattle Bon Vivant
Viv made the Nigella Lawson "Coq au Riesling" to accompany her 2003 Covey Run Dry Riesling from Washington State (what? not White Riesling?). She promises more to come soon (including an ice wine!), when she is less tired, so keep an eye on her site! A Barrel of This
Kieca worried that she cheated by selecting a bottle of the 2003 Chateau Ste. Michelle/Dr. Loosen Eroica from Washington state. Dr. Loosen is one of Germany's best-known wine makers. But I'm with her: if it's made with New World grapes at a New World winery, it qualifies as New World in my book. (she almost tried a White Riesling...but it was from Napa! There goes my theory about it being a Washington thing). She drank her bottle with take-out from Eliza's, a yummy Chinese place on San Francisco's Potrero Hill. Where's my dinner?
Anne didn't quite get her post up on Wednesday, but she got it up before I posted the wrap-up, so I snuck her post in. She thrilled her local wine store worker when she gave him the challenge of finding a New World Riesling, and she finally settled on the Rawson's Retreat Riesling from Penfolds in Australia. She and a friend drank it with a delicious-sounding Jamie Oliver dish. Chez Pim
Even though she just returned from France, Pim found time to pick up a 2001 Arrowood White Riesling "Select Late Harvest" from the beautiful Alexander Valley in Northern California. Again with the White Riesling. She and a friend drank it with dessert from San Francisco's Citizen Cake. medmusings
Enoch dutifully writes about his 2002 Navarro White Riesling before waxing rhapsodic about the German Spatlese he enjoyed with fuyu persimmons from his garden. Sounds like a great combination, regardless of WBW themes. (At this point I did a search on white riesling, but came up with lots of wine descriptions. More to come.) The Wine Cellar
Rich's wife plucked the 2003 Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling from Australia out of their collection, and the two of them enjoyed it with what sounds like a really nice, elegant salad. An Obsession with Food
My own bottle was the 2003 Spy Valley Riesling from New Zealand's Marlborough region.
- Wtn: 2005 Standing Stone Vineyards Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York State
I have a back-burner plan to tour New York's Finger Lakes region. I want to visit the closest thing I have to a holy place, and I want to taste an abundance of what many critics consider America's best Riesling. The state's deep lakes, scratched...
- Wbw 21/imbb 26: Merkelbach Riesling Kabinett
Do I have a favorite wine? Something to use for the "Pair your favorite wine with food" slant of this month's joint edition of Is My Blog Burning and Wine Blogging Wednesday? My favorite wine varies with the week, but given my recent article and my...
- Wine Blogging Wednesday 4: New World Riesling
Some consider Spy Valley Wines to be one of New Zealand's best-kept secrets, which is perhaps appropriate given the winery's name, derived from Wairau Valley's nickname—a government satellite communications monitoring facility dominates...
- Wine Blogging Wednesday 4: New World Riesling (rowson/beckman)
Scott Rowson and Phil Beckman took me up on my offer to host tasting notes from the blogless for Wine Blogging Wednesday. They tasted four wines, including an Alsatian one as a control. They even included a Maryland Riesling. I interspersed their photos...
- Riesling Goes Well With Turkey
Just a reminder, everyone: Wine Blogging Wednesday is December 1, just one week from today. The theme is New World Riesling. Find yourself a bottle before then and post your thoughts about it on December 1 (or email them to me on that date or sooner,...