Monday, August 2, 2021

Dan Berger: Riesling

 A handful of the world's best wines are made from grape varieties that are rarely blended with anything else, are grown only in a few areas of the world, are notoriously difficult to make and end up not selling for anywhere near as much money as their strongest supporters believe they should.

    Among those few grape varieties that fit this description is riesling, which often displays the locale from which it's harvested. Best planted in cool or cold regions, it's a challenger for title of World's Greatest Wine Grape.

    When you attend any event at which someone has thoughtfully opened a bottle of a great riesling, even one that's 10 or 20 years old, most in-the-know people are thrilled. It's rare to experience mature rieslings.

    Yet the chardonnay lovers among us can't figure out why riesling gets such a positive reaction from the cognoscenti. Fact is, most Americans disparage riesling because, decades ago, most of the wines made from it were sweet.

    And most people associate sweetness with cheaper wines.

    As vice president of the International Riesling Foundation, I admit I'm prejudiced. But I mainly prefer riesling when it's dry. The sweeter ones can be fabulous, of course, but the drier ones are sublime.

    And there are infinitely more dry rieslings today than ever, partly because today's younger wine buyers are more sophisticated and know how complex this wine can be.

    Despite the fact that there are more dry versions than ever, most rieslings still are too sweet or soft for me -- including the many wines that say they're dry but really aren't.

    This is due partly to winery marketing managers who think to sell a riesling, it has to be at least a little bit sweet. And to achieve this they want wines that have less acidity than they should have (in my opinion), and thus the wines tend to be a bit flabby.

    The coldest regions of the United States are home to some of our best riesling vineyards, and that starts for me with upstate New York (Finger Lakes), where many wines are spectacular.

    There is also the Lake Erie district, which includes parts of Ohio. And there also are the twin upper peninsulas in Michigan.

    One of the places in the world where riesling typically is very dry, or even, some say, austerely dry, is Australia. I've been to Australia almost two dozen times, and I simply adore their driest rieslings. But writing about them is tricky because my passion, though shared by some, is hard to put into words.

    A decade ago, wine columnist Andrew Jefford of Decanter Magazine in London wrote stellar words about this. I credit his eloquence in borrowing a few of those words:

    "I'm fascinated by Australian riesling," he wrote. "This fine wine (especially wonderful from Western Australia's Frankland and Porongurup, South Australia's Clare and Eden Valleys, and Victoria's Henty) provides the world benchmark for structured dry riesling. I have never come across anything quite like it in Europe or indeed elsewhere in the world.

    "Most German dry riesling is fruitier, while the dry rieslings of Alsace and Austria (especially the Wachau) tend to be more richly dry, lacking the divine austerity, which is such a strong part of the appeal of the Australian versions."

    By contrast, Australian rieslings deliver almost all of what you would want in a dry riesling, and that includes the ability of the wines to age for a decade or even two!

    Wine of the Week: 2019 Jim Barry Riesling, Clare Valley ($20): The classic Clare Valley style shows off here with lime/grapefruit aroma, hints of florals like chamomile tea and a very dry entry. The wine explodes with riesling character when served with white-fleshed fish like halibut. Occasionally discounted to $16.
 

   To find out more about Dan Berger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Don't knock it. Riesling wine is by far the best!!


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Trollfest '09

Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

Trollfest '09 is a pet-friendly event as well. Feel free to bring your dog with you and do not worry if your pet gets hungry, as employees of the Jackson Zoo will be on hand to provide some of their animals as food when it gets to be feeding time for your little loved one.

Relax at the Fox News Tent. Since there are only three blonde reporters in Jackson (being blonde is a requirement for working at Fox News), Megan and Kathryn from WAPT and Wendy from WLBT will be on loan to Fox. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both and a torn-up Obama yard sign will entitle you to free drinks served by Megan, Wendy, and Kathryn. Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required. Just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '09 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.


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Trollfest '07

Jackson Jambalaya is the home of Trollfest '07. Catch this great event which promises to leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Sonjay Poontang and his band headline the night with a special steel cage, no time limit "loser must leave town" bout between Alan Lange and "Big Cat"Donna Ladd following afterwards. Kamikaze will perform his new song F*** Bush, he's still a _____. Did I mention there was no referee? Dr. Heddy Matthias and Lori Gregory will face off in the undercard dueling with dangling participles and other um, devices. Robbie Bell will perform Her two latest songs: My Best Friends are in the Media and Mama's, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be George Bell. Sid Salter of The Clarion-Ledger will host "Pin the Tail on the Trial Lawyer", sponsored by State Farm.

There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

This is definitely a Beaver production.

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