Riesling is one of the most disrespected wine varieties and is often demonized by wine gurus, self-proclaimed experts and wine snobs.
For years, before the mid-1970s, the riesling ruled the world of wines, appearing in its most common guise as the semisweet German Liebfraumilch. The variety was then singlehandedly deposed by Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery when he introduced the world to blush zinfandel. In recent years, the blush zinfandel has given way to moscato, which is rapidly becoming the nation’s sweet wine favorite.
Fortunately for riesling wine lovers, several diehard vintners continue to make the variety and offer them in a sweet, semisweet or totally dry style.
The riesling now waits in the wings hoping the moscato also will fall from favor with the American public, as did the zinfandel before it. It may again rise to the stature of the once and future king.
Barefoot Riesling ($7) If it’s a sweet wine, you know that an example of it will be made by Barefoot.
The wine opens with a bright and shimmering light yellow color followed by an intense aroma reflecting peaches with hints of apricot and a hint of citrus. The fruit of the aroma carries over to the flavor and then on to a spectacular finish.
This is the wine to accompany modern American dishes and is a standout with Asian foods. Our suggestion: try it with sushi.
Wente 2013 Riverbench Riesling ($16) The Wente 2013 Riverbench Riesling is a semidry wine, meaning that it lies in the nether land between sweet and totally dry and is similar to the Liebfraumilch of days gone by.
The wine does this by emulating the aromas of honeysuckle, lychee and grapefruit, with a hint of nutmeg leading to the taste, which is crisp and fresh, delivering the familiar Liebfraumilch flavors of tropical fruit and citrus. The acid and the semisweetness are in perfect balance, resulting in an excellent mouth feel.
This intriguing wine is delightful as an aperitif or served with fruits, cheeses or any of light meats.
Mirassou 2013 Riesling ($10) This fruity, semidry wine has been made in the age-old German Liebfraumilch tradition, stressing apricot and raisin aromas and a similar fruit flavor. The usually high fruit acid level, common to the variety, is purposely held in check so the flavor of the fruit predominates.
The Mirassou 2013 Riesling can be a replacement for the usual sweet white wines and is indispensable for those of us who remember the good old days when Liebfraumilch was the king.
Trefethen 2013 Dry Riesling ($25) The Trefethen 2013 Dry Riesling is a totally dry wine and is made specifically for those who want to enjoy the variety without the sweetness.
This is a dynamic wine that accentuates all the fruit flavors that the riesling grape can deliver while not encumbering them with sweetness, allowing flavors often masked by fruit sugar to shine through. The aroma has a jasmine quality as well as a suggestion of violets. A lemon effect runs through the flavor and aroma along with apricots and raisins. That continues on to an explosive finish that lasts in the mouth a great while.
Nixa resident Bennet Bodenstein is a wine columnist and manages ArticlesOnWine.com. He can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.
