Today is Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. But it’s still plenty hot outside here and that’s fabulous weather to enjoy riesling.
Who am I kidding? I enjoy riesling in all seasons and all weather.
One of the most common misconceptions about riesling I hear is that it’s too sweet. These are comments from someone who has likely only tried some cheap, bad riesling — which is unfortunate. There is plenty of delicious, dry riesling out there and this is one example.
One thing that can trip up us American wine drinkers is the fact that many of us aren’t multilingual and don’t know the terms used on European wine labels very well. If you’re interested in finding dry riesling, remember the term “trocken.” That’s German for “dry.” And it’s also important to know “halbtrocken” which means “half dry” or “off dry.” As you can probably infer, halbtrocken wines have a touch more sweetness than trocken wines, although they’re still not sweet wines.
This one from Schloss Schönborn is absolutely, positively dry. And it’s fabulous.
Flinty mineral, honeysuckle, lime and pear aromas on the nose of this wine are pleasant, calming and refreshing. It evokes thoughts of a cool stream running down a forest-covered mountain in springtime. The palate offers crisp flavors that are like a granny smith apple drenched in lime juice. There’s also a touch of salty mineral that leads into the finish, where green apple flavors linger. This is a lovely dry riesling.
Wine: Schloss Schönborn Riesling Trocken
Varieties: Riesling
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 11.5%
Rating: 91
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
