The old and tired stigma against Riesling, is that it produces wines that are sweet and muddled.  Although this stereotype can be true, Riesling is undergoing a new renaissance, and is being produced in styles ranging from bone dry to desert sweet, and from round and rich to sparkling and minerality.  Riesling has also found new homes for itself far from its native German habitat, adding new heritage and a multitude of styles distinctive to the region it is grown in.  Due to the overwhelming variety in styles of Riesling to choose from, it has become extremely versatile, and makes a perfect pairing to many traditional Holiday dishes.  Below is a list of some classic Holiday cuisine and appropriate Riesling pairings to enhance and broaden your winter experience.

Apéritif

The purpose of an apéritif is to stimulate the appetite before a meal.  Usually an apéritif comes in the style of a dry to off dry, light white wine, and most often sparkling.  A dry Riesling makes a great candidate because of its lower than average alcohol and pleasant orchard fruit aromas. The 2007 Solter Rheingau Riesling Brut Sekt ($21.99) fits the bill perfectly, in that it is a sparkling wine made in method traditional used in Champagne.  Off dry, with a bouquet of orchard fruit, blossoms, and honey, Solter Brut Riesling starts off the evening with a pop.

First Course: Green Salad with Crab

With crab season upon us, many holiday salads this year will be festively decorated with a little seasonal crustacean, especially here in the Bay Area with our famous Dungeness crab.  A dry, mineral driven Australian Riesling with citrus quality pairs perfectly, in that the crisp acidity will compliment the greens on the dish, while the minerals and lime citrus will compliment the crab in the same way that a squeeze of lemon would improve fish.  Washington’s 2010 Eroica  ($19.99), a partnership between Château St. Michelle and Germany’s famous Riesling producer Dr. Loosen, is bright and fresh, with subtle minerality and mouth watering lime citrus and peach; the right choice for crab season.

Second Course: Smoked Salmon with Honey Almond Rub

Keep oaky wines away!  Although Salmon is a heavier fish, it is still far too delicate for oak.  Oak also tends to accentuate unpleasant spice, as do high tannins.  But never fear holiday diners, for once again Riesling is here for you!  Rieslings from Alsace, France, are known for being rich with lots of texture, but typically use very neutral oak that does not drag down the wines with woody density.  They are traditionally bone dry, but retain aromas and flavors of honey and stone fruits.  One of my favorite Alsatian Rieslings, 2009 Trimbach ($18.99), is an excellent pairing, as it has the roundness and texture to compliment the honey sauce, but great acidity to cut through the salmon.

Third Course: Roasted Pork with Apricot Sauce

A holiday must have, salty roasted pork and fruit sauce go like peanut butter and jelly.  And like PB&J is served with milk, I feel that that roasted pork and fruit sauce is best served with a German Riesling with just a bit of sweetness.  The saltiness of the pork is immediately complimented by the acidity of Riesling, but is even further enhanced by the residual sugar in the same way that a little sea salt can improve dark chocolate or caramel.  The bright fruit sauce is also complemented by the sweetness of Riesling, which can prolong the finish of both the food and the wine to astronomical lengths.  The second level of the German Prädikat scale, which dictates the amount of residual sugar and sweetness at grapes harvest, is Spatlese, which ranges around off-dry to lightly sweet.  2011 Dr. Loosen Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese ($27.99) is off dry, aromas of bees wax, stone and tropical fruits, and a long and seductive finish.

Riesling is a sometimes misunderstood grape, which is unfortunate considering how versatile and complex the wine is, and just how different it can be from country to country.  Riesling also makes a great holiday gift, as they tend to age extremely well for several years, with many Alsatian and German Rieslings showing their best with at least five years of age.  Try something new for 2013, and place Riesling on your list of resolutions to try.

Frohes Neues!

Jimmy L., Beltramo’s Wine Consultant

In this setting it will refer to a recent release of an archetypal wine, one that exemplifies a grape, region & vintage in a way that it sets me to noting its inventory level daily so as not to miss the opportunity to remake its acquaintance at leisure and in full. At home, perhaps even with company. As I’ve told my editor, it gives me the chance to politely say to fellow wine lovers “if you don’t buy this you’re dumb.”

The 2011 Weingut Bernhard Ott Riesling “Von Rotem Schotter” is a gem, a beautiful expression of the Riesling grape in a dry wine made in red gravel by a man who roams and tends his vineyards daily and meticulously. The aromatics are clear and precise, with peaches & apricots, flowers and minerality all playing a part. On the palate there is richness but delicacy, complexity without stratification and a texture that glides effortlessly. The finish is dry but not sharp, intriguing and beguiling, lengthy and persistent in the complexity found on the palate. It is a seamless, balanced and nuanced wine that begs to be bottled in a Liter bottle – the 750ml runs dry too soon! On the other hand, the second 750ml offers an opportunity for restraint and for taking a look the following day to enjoy a more relaxed version and speculate on the ageing curve.

So there you have it and here it is, a beautiful wine that was the WOTN of everything we tasted last week and now available on our shelves. And did I mention for $14.99? If you don’t buy this  …  there’s more for me!  

Matt S., Beltramo’s Wine Consultant & Assistant Manager

Australia

The Yalumba winery produces high quality from $10.00 to $100.00. The Y Series wines across the board are bargains worth your attention. I particularly liked the 2010 Cabernet ($10.99). Winsor Dobbin, Sauce Magazine – Tasmania (Aus) writes: “The Yalumba Y wines are a perfect option when cash is tight and you need a quality bottle of wine. The 2010 Cabernet is a dark purple color with blackcurrant, crushed flower and violet aromas, full-blooded fruit flavors with spice, oak and mocha notes. In short it’s a quality cabernet offering lots of bang for your buck.”

Pewsey Vale Winery continues to turn out some of the finest, juicy, mouthwatering dry Rieslings for value on the planet. The 2011 Eden Valley Riesling  ($14.99) is no exception. Produced from cool climate, high altitude vineyards, this Riesling sizzles with lime/citrus, hard candy and mineral aromas and flavors. Beautiful palate feel, mouth-coating and long.

France

I had the opportunity to taste through the new releases from Domaine Cazes last year in France. The wineries specialties are the delicious sweet wines from Rivesaltes, but they also make tasty table wines. Try the 2010 Le Canon du Marechal Blanc ($12.99). This was one of my favorite whites from my trip through southern France. An aromatic, delicate white blend of Muscat and Viognier made of Certified Bio-dynamic grapes.

Another find from southern France made exclusively from Viognier is Chateau de Pennautier’s  Viognier de Pennautier ($10.99). This winery dates back to 1620 and made their first wines in 1701. If you want to taste what Viognier is like without the influence of heavy-handed barrel spice, this wines for you. Pure, fragrant, floral, peach aromas and flavors. Never heavy or sweet. Clean and fresh. Compare to California Viognier at two to three times the price.

A miniscule 500 cases of the delicious 2010 Chateau Astruc Ste Eulalie Minervois ($10.99) is produced. An impressive blend of Syrah, Carignan, and Grenache, this wine is a knockout. Sophisticated aromas of violets, gentle smoke, spice and berries. Fleshy, impeccable balance. A top-notch alternative to more expensive Rhône wines.

2010 will be another very good to excellent year for the Rhône and Southern France as you can tell by my enthusiasm for the afore mentioned wines. Domaine Paul Autard’s Côtes du Rhône ($12.99) is good barometer of the quality produced from the region in 2010. Importer Russel Herman writes:”The Côtes du Rhône is made from 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah grapes just outside the Châteauneuf du Pape appellation in Courthezon. It’s a smoky, complex wine loaded with warm raspberry fruit, showing many of the best attributes of Châteauneuf du Pape. It is ready for current drinking… and represents one of the best values from southern France.”

Another tasty value from the Rhône in 2010 is the Les Vignerons d’Estezargues d’Andezon Côtes du Rhône ($10.99). Robert Parker The Wine Advocate rated this wine 91 points and says: “The classic cuvee, which has long been selected by importer Eric Solomon, is their 2010 Domaine d’Andezon, a blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache. While there are critics of Syrah grown in the southern Rhone, even the cynics agree that the old-vine Syrah from the Gard has a special character to it. This wine comes from 40+-year-old Syrah vines and 60+-year-old Grenache vines, bottled unfined and unfiltered after being aged in both tank and concrete. Dense ruby/purple, with a stunning nose of blackberry liqueur and jus de viande (beef/meat juices), it’s thrilling, intensely pure, full-bodied mouthfeel, good freshness, and striking floral character all combine for one of the very best bargains in dry red wine that readers are likely to find anywhere in the world. This is super and should continue to drink well for another 3-4 years.”

Italy

I wrote about  Cleto Chiarli’s Lambrusco ($10.99) in an earlier article in November 2011. It’s worth noting again the merits of this delicious fizz, in this context as a value sparkling wine: “Obtained by a careful grape selection of the ancient “Grasparossa” vine cultivated on the hills surrounding Castelvetro village in the Modena province. Deep ruby red color with a pink froth. Fruity aroma and palate, typical of this varietal, which are very pleasant indeed. Thanks to a rational and slow fermentation the wine has a distinct softness and delicacy. It can be a wine for dessert as well as a wine for the typical dishes of the local cuisine.” Dalla Terra Importer 

Argiano hit it out of the park with the new release of the 2009 Non Confunditur ($15.99). “Non Confunditur” is the Latin term written on Argiano’s crest and was the motto of the former owners, the Lovatelli Gaetani d’Aragona family. A blend of Tuscan and French grapes, the 2009 might be the best vintage for this wine I’ve tasted. Clove/allspice, savoury aromas. Black fruit, spice flavors. Juicy acidity adds a nice punch to the wine.

Two wines I’d highly recommend from Vietti winery in Piemonte are the 2009 Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne ($15.99) and the 2007 Barolo Castiglione ($39.99). Vietti winery writes about the Barbera d’Asti Tre Vigne: “Ruby purple color with ripe red cherry aromas with hints of mineral and vanilla. A dry, medium bodied red wine with refreshing acidity and soft tannins. Well balanced with good integration of oak, good complexity and a finish of red cherries.” You might say $40.00 for a bottle of wine a value?  But hold on. The Barolo Castiglione bottlings from Vietti can, in most vintages, represent the best value in Barolo. The 2007 again, might represent the best value in Barolo. This wine is flying off the shelf and will easily eclipse the phenomenal success of the 2004 vintage. Rated 93 points from Antonio Galloni at The Wine Advocate, he writes: “The 2007 Barolo Castiglione deftly balances the open, radiant personality of the vintage with considerable underlying structure. Warm, dense and full-bodied, the 2007 Barolo Castiglione flows effortlessly across the palate with generous fruit and fabulous overall balance. The wine was even better when I tasted it from bottle a few months later. It is another overachieving wine from Vietti and a bottle that is exceedingly fairly priced.”

Spain

Celler Pinol’s Ludivicus Tinto ($10.99) is a must buy. A blend of Garnacha, Syrah and Carinena from the Terra Alta district in the Tarragona province of northeastern Spain. Lovely, pure, fresh berry flavors that possess a hint of tension in the finish. Delicious.

The 2010 Bielsa ‘Viñas Viejas’ Garnacha ($10.99) is another stellar, value offering from  this producer from Campo de Borja. Easy to like, uncomplicated aromas of raspberry, cranberry and cherry kirsch. Fleshy, seamless texture.

Howard Padgett, Imported Wine Buyer