Austria

When you think of Riesling, what passes through your mind? The first word you associate with this wine might just be sweet, and in many cases you would be correct. This past Wednesday, however, I participated in a Twitter #WineChat that featured drier Rieslings and compared Riesling from Germany, the Alsace region of France, and Austria. It was a delicious and interesting chat about wine, and it was fun to compare the three side-by-side.

Summer of Riesling may be over, but this white wine is versatile and the perfect pairing for many, many food choices. We tasted the following wines:

2011 Selbach Riesling Dry, from the Mosel region of Germany

This wine featured lots of dry mineral notes with a hint of ginger spice and apple, along with some fresh herbs. It offers lots of acidity and mouthwatering fruit flavor.

2011 Domaine Ehrhart Riesling Vieilles Vignes

Lime zest, honeysuckle, and bursts of citrus filled this glass. While nicely acidic, this Riesling was richer than the first, with a more luscious mouthfeel, almost toward a Viognier to me, which I absolutely love.

Salomon Undhof Steiner Kogl Riesling

One of my fellow #WineChat participants used the words “lemon doughnut” to describe this wine. I loved the rich, toasty brioche notes along with the citrus flavors; the description was really spot on.

As I mentioned above, Riesling is incredibly food-friendly; someone on the chat noted it does NOT go well with beef or chocolate. I like pairing Riesling with Thai or Indian food the best, though we paired ours with a spiced tomato compote and triple crème cheese. A dry Riesling is also a perfect wine to bring to Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanks to the Wines of Germany, Wines of Austria, and Wines of Alsace for inviting me to participate in this chat. The wine was complimentary; all opinions, as always, are my own.