I'm a big fan of Riesling. When I'm out to dinner with friends, and I'm selecting a white for the table, I always ask if anyone would be opposed to a bottle of Riesling. I usually provide my rationale with descriptors like, "off-dry," "minerally," "clean and crisp," "citrusy," etc. Basically, it's my attempt to head-off the comments that I know are coming and are always centered around the sweetness. Most people who aren't familiar with a good quality Riesling just associate it with sweetness and never venture to give it a try.
It perplexes me.
Riesling has got to be one of the most versatile wines around. Yes, of course, there is some level of sweetness due to the residual sugars but this is a good thing and is what makes Riesling, well, Riesling. In fact, for people in the know, some of the most prized Rieslings at the top of the Riesling pyramid are also the sweetest. But the mark of a great Riesling is its ability to balance sweet with other characteristics that give it both a sweet and savory quality, sometimes rich and complex, sometimes minerally, sometimes more fruity or citrusy. Sometimes all of the above. There is just so much more than meets the eye.
Rarely at my dinners do my friends agree to give it a go, but here's what they are missing. This past weekend, I was out to dinner - just my husband and I enjoying a great dinner at a local restaurant called Mill Pond overlooking the water on the north shore of Long Island. The food here is fantastic and is known for both amazing seafood and sushi as well as steaks and pasta dishes. Wine selection can be a challenge even for just two people with such variation on the menu. So I threw it out there and proposed we get a Riesling. Surprisingly, he went for it.
I ordered a 2009 Joh Jos Christoffel Urziger Wurzgarten Rielsing Kabinett. (91 RPWA). 2009 is one of the best German Riesling vintages in years and is absolutely not to be missed. This wine did not disappoint. On the nose I immediately got a deep honey, some citrus and a tiny hint of berry. On the palate, the wine had a beautiful viscosity with an almost salty quality. A great sweet/savory mix which for me, is a favorite combination in wine or food. A little lemon-lime, a subtle hint of strawberry and it all ended with a long, 45 second finish.
With the wine ordered, I didn't worry about what dishes to pair with it since, as I said, Riesling goes with just about anything?and boy did this wine sing against our highly varied dishes. Here's how it did dish by dish.
Appetizer #1: A dozen Kumamoto oysters on the half-shell. I like to throw a dash of horseradish and Tobasco on my oysters and the slight sweetness of the wine against the acid of the sauce and the briny-cucumber flavor of the oyster was the perfect way to get started.
Appetizer #2: Littleneck clams in a spicy red pepper and chorizo broth. The sweetness cut right through the spice and held up perfectly.
Appetizer #3: Inside out tuna, salmon, yellowtail roll with cucumbers topped with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, tempura crunch, spicy mayo, kabayaki and hot sauce. The wine enhanced the different fish flavors and the viscosity complimented the crunchy texture. Plus, the sweetness was the perfect match for the saltiness in the soy sauce.
Main courses #1 (mine): Seafood Fra Diavolo with clams, mussels, grilled calamari and shrimp over a bed of linguini in a roasted garlic tomato sauce. Wow! The dish was delicious and the wine once again, cut through all that spice and brought out the toasty garlic flavors nicely.
Main course #2 (my husband's): Grilled, bone-in, center cut pork chop over a bed of garlic mash potatoes and broccoli rabe. Once again, the citrusy sweetness of the Riesling paired so well with the buttery, garlic sides and most incredibly, it made the slight char of the grill and the flavors in the pork stand out while still holding its own.
While we don't have this wine in our inventory, we do have a great selection of Rieslings that in my opinion, are even better. Here are my favorite three:
2009 J.J. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spat. - 91 RP - $42.95
2009 J.J. Prum Riesling Kabinett - $24.95
2009 Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett - 92 RP - $22.99
Next time you're out with a group, or even just a small dinner for two, say Yes! to Riesling. You'll be amazed at the versatility and wonder why you never gave it a go before now.