The many faces of Riesling - Riesling wine

Sunset, May, 1997 by Karen MacNeil

Riesling has always reminded me of Judy Garland. There is Judy as young Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz - kind, innocent, pretty. Then there's Judy Garland, the mature woman - intense, gripping, fragile, and complex in the same split second. Rieslings, depending on where they are grown, can have either personality.

But before we talk about Riesling in any depth, we should tackle the issue of why the wine is not hugely popular in the United States. After all, for most of wine's history, wine experts and collectors have considered Riesling to be the greatest white grape in the world. In fact, records from the 19th century show that fine Rieslings were often the most expensive wines at auction.

How, then, did so prominent a wine fall off its pedestal? Well, in many parts of the world, it didn't. Not surprisingly, the Germans, Austrians, and Alsatians, who make the best Rieslings on the planet, all continue to believe in the grape's supremacy. Many British wine professionals do too.

But Riesling is rarely the first choice of American consumers. One theory has it that we like Teutonic precision in mechanical things (cars, appliances), but when it comes to wine, food, and romance, give us France.

I think there's something else at work as well. We are a culture for whom bigger is better, more (not less) is best. Riesling, the most gossamer of grapes, doesn't easily dovetail with our collective style.

Great Riesling is about clarity and transparency, not about body and power. Rarely found in other grape varieties, clarity and transparency are among the most difficult qualities to describe. But here goes.

Clarity is the sense that the wine's flavors are as clear and explicit as the sound of church bells. In contrast to Riesling, many white varieties have more opaque flavors that are rich, thick, and creamy.

Transparency is the sense that the wine's flavors are utterly naked and pure. Transparency is one of the hardest flavor concepts to grasp, which may be why it usually comes to one while drinking an especially stellar Riesling.

All of this, however, is dependent on one critical factor: a cool climate, where grapes mature ever so slowly.

The most famous cool climates for Riesling are in Germany, Austria, and the Alsace region of France. In these places, Riesling can be dazzling, with intense mineral and peach flavors and breathtaking clarity and transparency. Similarly, the cool vineyards of upper New York state, Washington, Ontario, British Columbia, and New Zealand can produce fabulously racy Rieslings.

In California's generous sun, Riesling is more gentle, less intense. More like Dorothy than a mature Judy Garland. California Riesling is therefore often considered the perfect picnic wine, and I also think it's the best wine in the world to sip while you're cooking.

Any discussion of Riesling is incomplete without speaking about sweetness. One myth is that Riesling is nearly always sweet. Not true. Many are bone-dry, and others have just a smidgen of natural sweetness that is too low to be perceived by human taste buds.

Still others are a touch sweet. A good analogy would be a cup of coffee that has had a teaspoon of sugar added to it. In the United States, Rieslings like this are called "semi-dry."

Finally, there are nectarlike sweet Rieslings that are my favorite dessert wines, beating out even the vaunted Sauternes of France. Rieslings labeled "late harvest," "botrytis," "beerenauslese," "trockenbeerenauslese," and "eiswein" should not be missed.

Rieslings are so varied it's fun to put together a small tasting of samples from around the world - perhaps as a prelude to a dinner party.

Brundlmayer Zobinger Heiligenstein Riesling "Alte Reben" 1995, $37 (Kamptal, Austria). A rare luxury.

H. A. Strub, Niersteiner Bruckchen, Riesling Kabinett 1995, $14 (Rheinhessen, Germany). Bold and minerally with pronounced acidity.

Hogue Dry Johannisberg Riesling 1995, $6.50 (Columbia Valley, Washington). Light and delicate - waiting for fresh seafood.

Kuentz-Bas, Riesling "Cuvee Tradition" 1994, $12 (Alsace, France). Minerally and vigorous; lemon zest meets a mountain stream.

Navarro Cluster Select Late-Harvest White Riesling 1994, $19.50 half-bottle (Anderson Valley, California). Possibly the most opulent, elegant dessert wine in the United States. A honeyed-apricot silkiness. Available only from the winery; (707) 895-3686.

Trefethen Dry Riesling 1996, $12 (Napa Valley, California). Trefethen is one of the oldest and best producers of Riesling in the Napa Valley.

WINE DICTIONARY: late harvest

Late-harvest wines are made from grapes that have been picked late, after the normal harvest. Because these grapes contain a greater amount of natural grape sugar, dessert wines are usually made from them. Most of the world's great dessert wines, including French Sauternes and German trockenbeerenausleses, are made from late-harvest grapes.

- K. M.