Secret Crush

Versatile yet undervalued, Riesling may soon enjoy a renaissance

By Christina Burridge

MY DRINKING LIFE BEGAN a long time ago with a Riesling called Black Tower, popular as much for its bottle as for its sugary alcoholic contents. Years went by before I tried it again, on a trip to Australia, where almost every restaurant from stylish Melbourne establishments to little Thai and Vietnamese cafés in Sydney’s Cabramatta suburb had Clare or Eden Valley Rieslings on their lists. They were a revelation—bold, exciting wines, all lemon and lime, with a teasing, lingering sense almost, but not quite, of sweetness.

Even a couple of years ago, the LDB’s selection of Riesling was mediocre, especially outside the German specialty listings. But restaurants love to serve Riesling, finding wines like Dr. Loosen and Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler perfect for by-the-glass. And this spring’s Vancouver International Wine Festival spotlight on Riesling has piqued the city’s palate—and increased the number of listings at both the LDB and private wine stores.

Not everyone’s a convert. At the Wine Festival’s Riesling seminar an otherwise sophisticated drinker dismissed the elegant Pierre Sparr Riesling Altenbourg 2003 as “very nice but Retsina overtones.” Liberty Wine Merchants, which has the largest selection of German Rieslings in the country (about 170), isn’t convinced that we’ve taken them to our hearts yet either. “They’re wines with a people problem,” explains Tyler Dawson. “They appeal to the wine savvy but haven’t crossed over to the mainstream.”

What I like about Riesling is its glorious versatility. It goes with anything Asian so long as it’s not too spicy: sushi, Thai, Malaysian, Indian, Chinese—the wine’s electric acidity matching all those hot, sour, salty and sweet flavours. It goes with salads, which most other wines don’t like but most people do. And cheese and paté. It likes seafood and roast chicken and loves pork, smoked meat and sausage, where its bittersweet notes contrast with the unctuous fat. Not many white wines can do that—and the sweeter ones work with fruit and dessert, too.

Riesling covers the entire sweetness spectrum, from crisp aperitif to the most luscious ice wine. Its hallmark is its perfect equilibrium between acidity and the sweetness that comes from ripe grapes. When it’s young, it’s all citrus and green apple, peaches and apricots; then it picks up honey and spice; the lime flavours often intensify; then comes slate and stone; and finally, sometimes, oily kerosene and petrol. A broad spectrum.

Just like Pinot Noir, it’s a wine maker’s wine because it shows off the flavours of the land. Riesling has left its traditional home of Germany, Alsace and Austria and moved happily to Australia, New Zealand, Washington and British Columbia. Because it hasn’t quite caught on, one of Riesling’s other attractions is its exceptional value for money. The delicious Gehringer and Hawthorne Mountain Rieslings from B.C. are about $14; for less than $40 you can start drinking some of the best in the world and it’s hard to pay more than $65 for something exceptional. With Riesling, you are not paying for marketing, or fashion, oak barrels or technology—just the site and its manifestation in the bottle.

Unlike most whites, Riesling grows old gracefully, especially the sweet ones. One of the Wine Festival highlights was the chance to try the Deinhard Riesling Auslese 1971, a gorgeous gold-yellow with honey and caramel flavours and lots of acidity keeping it fully charged. Drinking it, I thought I should rush out and buy the widely admired 2001 or 2005 vintage and set it aside for 35 years. But then I remembered I’d be dead.

WORLD TRAVELLER

Three delicious Rieslings from three corners of the globe


Tantalus Vineyards 2006 Riesling
“Kerpow!...Seriously good.” That’s how top UK wine writer Jancis Robinson described the 2005 Riesling, the inaugural vintage from Kelowna’s Tantalus Vineyards.The just-released 2006 vintage is equally delectable, button bright with peach and lime flavours. Watch out as well for the superb 2005 Old Vines Riesling from some of the oldest vines in the Okanagan, planted when the winery was called Pinot Reach. Private wine stores, $19.90

Karthaüserhof 2005 Kabinett Eitelsbacher Karthaüserhofberg
A glorious German mouthful of a wine from the upper middle Mosel. Kabinett is the lowest degree of ripeness in the German system and this wine jolts the palate, all zingy, tangy electricity. If you really want to know what stone tastes like, the green, mineral slate flavours deliver an epiphany. Liberty Wine Merchants, $37.99

Skillogalee Riesling
A very attractive Riesling from a family winery in the Clare Valley that was one of the hits at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. Hand-picked from low-yielding vines, it’s got great charm with delicious floral notes backed up by lemon and apricot along with sufficient zest to promise a substantial future. Specialty listing, $24.90—C. Burridge

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