Wine Sediments

I thought of beginning this with a pun, but realized that part of the reason Riesling gets so little respect may have to do with too many wine writers giving in to that very same urge. So I resist.

I was in Santa Barbara last week, tasting wines through the Santa Ynez Valley. I think there may be a law recently passed that if you mention the Santa Ynez you must mention the movie “Sideways,” so there’s my nod to the authorities.

The first winery we visited was a sprawling former horse rehabilitation center called Bridlewood, which I appreciated mostly for its air conditioned tasting room since the temperature in the valley was nearly 110 — and it wasn’t a dry heat! We tasted through a nice selection of wines and as we finished, the gentleman pouring for us asked if we’d like to try the dessert wine. Half the tasters in my group shook their heads, wrinkled their noses and exclaimed, “I don’t like sweet wines!” The man then poured an off-dry Riesling for the rest of us. I had to wonder if he had even tasted the wines he was pouring, since this wine would have had a much more comfortable position ahead of the viognier he poured earlier. His misclassification of this nice light Riesling as a “dessert wine,” coupled with the reactions of my fellow tasters to the notion of a sweet wine got me thinking that Riesling is a terribly misunderstood varietal in the United States. I think that people are also afraid to explore sweeter style wines because they perceive them as somehow less noble or sophisticated than other styles…but that’s an entirely different tirade.

For now, I thought it might be helpful to point out that while Rieslings do come in a sweet style, the vast majority are dry or off-dry. These wines are not usually intended as dessert wines, but are made to go with a variety of foods including spicier dishes — particularly Asian — that are sometimes hard to pair with other wines.

Rieslings were first made in Germany and they are often considered one of the finest white varietals in Europe, thanks to their ability to age well and reflect the characteristics of the site where they are grown. Typical flavors include a mix of fruit (apple, pear, apricot) and mineral (flint, steel).

If you haven’t tried Riesling lately, give it another chance. If you don’t enjoy sweeter styles, ask for help at the wine shop locating an off-dry bottle and pair it with spicy shrimp or noodles. Maybe you’ll rank Riesling as a new favorite.

Want specific recommendations? Try one of these:

2003 Domaine Trimbach Riesling (French, Alsace), about $16.00
Jekel Vineyard Johannesburg Riesling 2004 (California, Monterey), about $9.00
Chateau St. Michelle Riesling Eroica, 2005 (Washington, Columbia Valley), about $22.00