Reblogged: Terry Theise on aged rieslings
By now you probably know that I am totally hooked to aged rieslings. Terry Theise, an importer of small winery German wines into the US, talks about why he thinks aged rieslings (and champagne) are worth waiting for. Here is his analogy:
“If you were an alien and some earthling showed you first a butterfly and then a caterpillar, and said true or false, this creature came from that one, I doubt you would infer it. Mature Riesling becomes, simply, the world’s most complex wine.”
He also made me sigh of relief by stating that it is virtually impossible to describe the taste of aged riesling…I definitely find myself struggling a lot in that field.
the winegetter 
I don’t think I’ve ever had an aged riesling–please try and describe one. I just perused your blog and your descriptions are very good, unpretentious and accurate. The world’s most complex wine–that must be something!
I picked grapes for in Udenheim for a small family farm. A long time ago… but it’s an experience I will never, ever forget. That’s also when I tasted my first riesling.
Udenheim? Are you kidding me? That is pretty close to where I am from…that is something.
I agree, there is nothing better to get a feel for what it means to grow and make wines than harvesting grapes…even if it is just for learning how glad you are to only do it a day or two and not the whole harvest, or even every year! :)
Describing aged rieslings…hm. I’ve written about some here and here…and I will write about more in the future for sure. Their range is stunning: from sherry to young and fresh, from concentrate to watery…I need to do it “on the wine”, not abstract. So, bear with me, but the next aged riesling I will try to be even more attentive to my description.
Thanks for stopping by!