German wines are wonderful, but the entire topic can be, well, hard to learn. The ancient looking wine labels, hard-to-pronounce German names (hard for some of us, anyway), and words like “kabinett” or “trockenbeerenauslese” can send the faint-of-heart running toward a bottle of Chardonnay. If this is you, it’s time to screw your courage to your sticking place and learn about German Rieslings. In this video, we take the entire subject and break it down into small morsels, and then focus on just two of the many styles. If you learn them one or two at a time, you’ll be an expert before you know it. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think by leaving a comment!
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Tag Archive: Riesling
Lesson Six: Riesling Part 1
With this article we begin our study of Riesling, one of the “Big Six” grape varietals that are frequently made into wine. Riesling has a long and noble history, and it enjoys a strong, loyal following of wine enthusiasts.
Riesling’s characteristics
Although Riesling can be made in a number of styles, there are certain core characteristics that typify a Riesling. On the nose, you can almost always detect clear aromas of green apple. This scent can be accompanied by honey, white flowers, and fleshy fruits like pear or peach. Of course, as I’ve indicated before, your sense of smell may pick up certain things that others do not detect. It’s all perfectly fine, so do not worry if you’re picking up aromas of minerals or even a little petrol–those are common to some Rieslings as well.
On the palate, Rieslings can run the range from crisp and light to thicker and intense. This factor is influenced by the amount of residual sugar in the wine. One constant characteristic is high acidity, which you can identify as your salivary glands increase production. It’s this high acidity that makes Riesling such a food-friendly wine. The flavors tend to mirror the aromas, and well-made Rieslings will have a wonderfully long finish.
German Rieslings
Germany is the home to Riesling, where it has been grown for hundreds of years. Many of the vineyards in use today have been growing Riesling for centuries, continuing a long tradition.
German Rieslings can be intimidating at first. The labels seem to be almost impenetrable with their gothic script, and anyone unfamiliar with the German language might feel lost as long German words stare back from the wine label. Once you understand the German system of wine classification, though, it becomes much easier. (It’s almost a stereotype to think of Germans as highly organized engineers who would classify everything. The quality of automotive brands like Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW seems to reinforce that stereotype.)
The German wine classification system
In Germany, wines are classified in terms of their quality, and within the top tier they are further classified in terms of their residual sugar. Being familiar the system (which really is not that hard once you spend some time on it) will help you understand the level of quality and dryness/sweetness in the wine.
At the base, Germans have tafelwein, or table wine. This is your basic, every-day drinking wine, and it is usually not exported to other countries. Similarly, Germans can opt for landwein, or country wine. This is also a basic drinking wine, but one that is produced within a certain region. Like table wines, country wines are typically not exported.
The next level of quality is known as Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete, which is fortunately abbreviated as QbA. These wines are often exported, and you can find them in almost any wine shop. The quality of these wines is significantly better than a tafelwein or landwein.
The top tier of quality is known as Qualitätswein mit Prädikat or QmP. In 2007, this category was renamed as Prädikatswein, although many wine labels still bear the QmP designation. Within the QmP tier, wines are further classified based on the level of residual sugar in the wine. We will tackle that system in the next article in this series.
Did I miss something? Make a mistake? Is the explanation perfect? Leave a comment and let me know!
The three most important wines to know
People who are budding wine enthusiasts often find themselves in a bit of a quandary. They are learning about wine, and friends of family suddenly treat them as “wine connoisseurs.” Novices are being asked to make wine choices at restaurants, to bring wine to a dinner party, to recommend something.
Now, I’ve never been offended when someone thinks I know more about a subject than I really do. Still, it is uncomfortable to be asked to make a recommendation and not be absolutely certain. So, with this in mind, I offer you the three most important wines to know: Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Sangiovese. This information comes from Michael Jordan, general manager at Disney’s Napa Rose restaurant and a soon-to-be Master Sommelier (if he hasn’t achieved that title already!). When it comes to wine, Michael is a guru, so when he gives advice, I listen.
When I interviewed Michael a couple of years ago, he stated that if people can remember Riesling, Pinot Noir and Sangiovese, they would have everything covered. One white, two reds–nice, simple, basic, yet incredibly spot-on. These three wines are perfect for matching up with food or enjoying on their own. Nothing complicated, just solid wines that will not fail you.
What makes these wines so perfect? First, each of them can stand on their own–they don’t “require” food to be enjoyable. Second, each of them pairs up well with a wide range of foods. Let’s look at these in a little more detail.
Riesling is a terrific white wine that almost everyone enjoys. It can be bone-dry (meaning it has no residual sugar in it) to slightly sweet to very sweet. We won’t get into all of the types of Riesling here, but if you pick an American Riesling or a German kabinett style (think “wine cabinet” to help you remember), you’re set. They are slightly sweet, but few people think it’s too sweet. It is crisp, bright, light on the palate and has great acidity. This wine matches up perfectly with all sorts of fare: Asian food, shellfish, salads, chicken with light sauces (or no sauces), even Mexican food. The acidity offsets the spiciness in some ethnic foods.
Pinot Noir is a lighter red wine originally from Burgundy in France. While a red Burgundy will set you back quite a bit, there are great Pinot Noirs to be had from the U.S. and New Zealand. The wine is dry–but not in the sense that it dries your mouth out. (That’s a topic for another post.) It’s soft, approachable, and like liquid velvet. You can pair Pinot Noir up with burgers, steaks, pizza, pasta with red sauce, salmon, tuna, and more.
Sangiovese is not as well known by its grape name, but if you’ve ever seen Chianti, you’ve encountered Sangiovese. This wine is the “big brother” of Pinot Noir in the sense that it’s more powerful and can be paired up with “bigger” foods: game, steaks, lamb, and so on. It also works well with most Italian dishes: spaghetti, lasagna, and more.
We’ll cover each of these wines in more detail soon. But for now, just remember Riesling, Pinot Noir and Sangiovese. You’ll be glad you did!
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A free Riesling resource
Jancis Robinson points us to a great deal: a free e-book that will educate you about Riesling. Now if we can just find someone to send all of us some free Riesling! 
Technorati Tags: wine, learn about wine, wine education, riesling