Eric Asimov of the New York Times has done it again: He has written about Riesling. One of the reasons why I like his writing so much is that he has for a long time been a supporter of appreciating Riesling more.
In this piece, he makes some valid points about the discrepancy between German Riesling drinkers, who overwhelmingly prefer their Rieslings dry, and international Riesling drinkers who rather have significant residual sugar in them. As he seems to point out, there is a room for both. While he loves the sweet style, he also thinks it is time to embrace the dry style. And sees a future for both styles, which I agree with.
In my book, that is one of the reasons why Riesling is the greatest wine grape around: It is so versatile, and can be made to excellent wines in so many different ways that it is mind boggling…
Here are some quotes (which naturally made my heart swell):
“The sweet style is thoroughly distinctive. Residual sugar is beautifully balanced by snappy acidity, making for a wine that is refreshing, even bracing, rather than cloying. No rieslings anywhere in the world are like these.”
“In these dry wines, without the residual sweetness to create tension with the acidity, the balance must come instead from a wine’s body and texture, which include the components of alcohol and fruit. If captured properly, the wines feel full of energy, as if they are thrusting forward toward the next sip. If not, they feel flat and dull. ”
Well worth your time.
Happy Sunday!
the winegetter 