Go on - I dare you to try a Riesling!

Riesling originates from Germany, first appearing in the Rhiengau region in 1435.  Its popularity is improving but it continues to be 'hot and cold' in the Australian market and with so many different styles people often still have the notion that it's going to be sweet.  In our restaurant it does have a following but it's often only sold by recommendation.  Many sweeter styles are produced (Australia included) but I challenge you to grab a bottle of a 'dryer' style, such as a young Clare Valley Riesling, and give it a red hot go.  Why?  Because in my mind, Riesling is one of the most versatile wines with food due to its acidity, plus it can live a long life and to see it evolve over time is both intriguing and rewarding.

So what is 'dry' Riesling? In Australia it's generally a Riesling with less than 8 grams of residual sugar per litre. Meanwhile the European Union classifies 'dry' as no more than 4 grams of residual sugar per litre.. no wonder things get confusing!  German wines labelled as 'trocken' (dry) are a good place to start, and are generally softer in their youth than most Australian Rieslings, usually there is a bit more fruit sweetness and the alcohol is a bit lower.

Kerri Thompson makes some of the best and purest Riesling in Australia.  Kerri is the owner/winemaker for 'wines by KT' in the Clare Valley and her CV includes previously being winemaker at Leasingham and working abroad both in Tuscany and France (Beaujolais). Kerri only picked 1 in 3 bunches during the very wet 2011 harvest, thus the yields are down on the previous vintage.  I have just tried her latest single vineyard releases and they are wines that will challenge your previous perceptions of Riesling.

This set of KT Riesling is on the 'dryer' scale and I like them because they have personality, energy and precision.  They also have a 'calmness' about them.  Kerri has adopted a natural farming philosophy going down the path of biodynamic practices.  This has lead to more microflora activity in the soil and improved that quality of the fruit.  Here's a run down of some of her latest gems:


2011 'Peglidis Vineyard' Watervale Riesling by KT  ($32 per bottle)
- highly aromatic and fresh with tangy citrus punch upfront (limey slate) and a dry, chalky finish.

2011 'Churinga Vineyard' Watervale Riesling by KT ($32 per bottle)
- riper than the Peglidis with floral fennel notes and lime/lemon freshness. Some more exotic yellow fruit characters.  Finishes dry and clean.

2011 'Melva' Watervale Riesling by KT  ($28 per bottle)
- contains about 9 grams of residual sugar, more of an off-dry style (slight sweetness).  Same citric profile with with a more pillowy texture and softer framework.  More opulence and upfront primary fruits.

Tasting Notes for Dryer Rieslings
 Goes well with:  Japanese cuisine (particularly sushi), quiche (holds up to egg really well), sweet shellfish. Gruyere style cheeses are also great with aged Riesling.


Try this with your guests:  Serve a young Riesling blind to your friends against a Sauvignon Blanc (same vintage) and ask them to pick which they prefer.  But the catch is... they must decide which they like better with and without food!  Then come back and leave us some comments on what you find - I think you'll be surprised!

Cellaring potential:  3-20+ years, depending on region and vintage. As Riesling ages it typically becomes riper, darker and more textural, with softening acidity and less upfront fruit characters. Sometimes the older vintages have distinct kerosene characters on the nose. This can create great synergy with the honey and toasty notes on the palate.

To buy:  If you want a dryer style of Riesling you need to look for a wine with lower sugar levels.  Many Aussie producers now show the 'RS' (Residual Sugar) amount on the front label (eg RS 16).  So keep an eye out for an RS that's 8 or less for a dryer wine. Otherwise if you're unsure then consult with the sommelier/wine merchant to guide you in your choice.  Cheers!

Does wine travel well? Things to consider when purchasing a foreign drop.

2009 Domaine Goisot Bourgogne Aligoté,  Burgundy  France ($32 per bottle)  

They say Guinness beer doesn't travel well and that a pint in Ireland tastes better than anywhere else in the world - purists say once it's travelled across the River Liffey that runs down the centre of Dublin it's travelled too far! Can the same be said for wine?  Have you every had a bottle of wine overseas and then tried it again at home only to be disappointed?  Did it taste better because you were in 'the moment' - what wine wouldn't taste great sitting in a cafe in France with loved ones! - or does the process of shipping wine cause it to change?  Australia is a long distance away from some of the 'old world' wine regions - so it's something worth thinking about next time you splurge on a special bottle or two.

In my view wines do seem fresher at their origin, especially when you're not tasting these wines every vintage. A wine can take some time to recover from bottle shock (or sickness) due to transport from overseas, making it seem unbalanced or disjointed in its early life.  For a new vintage this could last only a couple of  days or weeks while for much older, more fragile bottles this can cause irreversible damage.  If a red wine has sediment then stand the bottle upright for a couple of days to let everything settle downwards.  As well as time spent in transport, exposure to heat and light can also be an issue.  Heat and light speed up the ageing process of a wine's life, and a 'cooked' wine brings unpleasant odours and flavours, making it undrinkable.  


As a general rule you're better off buying an overseas wine from a reputable distributor when you get home rather than trying to ship it home yourself or via a general courier company.  The same can be said about purchasing wines online from overseas - make sure the courier company they use are diligent about what they're doing!  

The 2009 Bourgogne Aligoté from Domaine Goisot is a white wine that tasted different (but delicious) on its home turf compared to back here in Australia.  When I visited the cellars in France this June it tasted rich but fresh with green melon characters (honeydew) on the palate and aromatic herbal notes with some intense exotic notes.  Last week I tried it again back in Australia and although I thought it showed a similar freshness, the palate to me seemed slightly riper with some more nectarine notes and a slight creamy edge. The acidity and backbone were still firm (a trademark) with a fresh finish to keep everything in balance.

Domaine Goisot is a fully-biodynamic producer located in Saint-Bris which is the biggest village in Burgundy, located in greater Chablis. Father and son team, Jean-Hughes and Guilhem Goisot are the current wine-making team, but the family has been there since 1596! The incredible cave underneath the winery was built between the 11th and 12th century.  Aligoté is a variety that has been around since the 11th century and the vines at Goisot are are between 30 and 90 years old.

Domaine Goisot is an exciting producer to follow closely and if your a fan of a textural white that tastes great back here in the Antipodes - this Aligoté is for you!


2009 Domaine Goisot Bourgogne Aligoté,  Burgundy  France ($32 per bottle)  

Tasting Notes: aromas of nectarine and lemon pith, almost pinot gris-like with exotic spices. This is  followed by a mouthfilling palate with stony, earthy characters and a waxy but nervy, lively finish.

Would Go Well With : barramundi with ginger and shallots, whole-roasted chicken with mixed bean salad and potato mash, gruyere cheese with quince paste.

Tell Your Guests:  Domaine Goisot also makes a white wine from a grape called 'Fié Gris' -  which is an ancient cousin of sauvignon blanc.  It is one of the very few wineries who still use this variety.  

Cellaring Potential:  3-5 years.

To buy: To purchase a bottle or two visit International Fine Wines of Europe.   Click here to buy.

Grüner Veltliner - A White with Cellaring Potential

2009 Domäne Wachau Terrassen  Federspiel Grüner Veltliner  ($25 per bottle)

A lot of people ask me to recommend white wine varieties they can put in their cellar.  The majority of cellars are stocked with reds, but people want to balance that out with white wines that will also improve with age.

The reality is that it's more challenging to keep most white wines and they don't often benefit from cellaring. So why do some white varieties improve with age when others don't?  The variety planted, the rootstock and the clone itself are all important factors as they all have differing relative concentrations of the compounds - acids, alcohol and polyphenols - that influence ageing.  Riesling, semillon and chardonnay are examples of white wines that can age gracefully if they are carefully cellared.

A quirky white that ages really well is Austria’s native white varietal, Grüner Veltliner, which is versatile with food and compelling in its own right.  The grape has been around for centuries but was considered ‘jug’ wine until the 1980s. It's exact origin is unknown, but one of its parent grape varieties is Traminer.

On a trip to Austria last year for the 'Vie Vinum' festival I tried more stunning Grüner Veltliners than I thought possible and the 2009 vintage has produced some cracking wines.  Compared to the more classic wines produced in 2010, I find the 2009's are drinking very well now.

‘Vie Vinum’ is a Springtime wine extravaganza held in Austria’s capital every two years at Vienna’s stunning Hofburg Imperial Palace.  With around 400 local producers on show, the scene is set for some pretty serious tasting and a chance to compare Austrian wine regions against each other.

When drunk young, Grüner Veltliner shares similar characteristics to Riesling: racy acidity, floral citrus notes, often some minerality and a dry, crisp finish.  


Once it ages however it becomes more like chardonnay in terms of palate weight and texture, although the aromatics of Grüner Veltliner and Chardonnay are vastly different. Older chardonnay has more neutral characters whereas the old Grüners I tried still had the trademark citrus characteristics (lime with grapefruit) alongside more peppery, spicy and exotic notes.   This opens the door for a greater scope of food matches and in Austria it was matched with some brilliant home made breads, cured meats and of course Wiener Schnitzel that requires a bolder style of wine.  


And the great thing about Grüner Veltliner is it's capable of lasting decades if stored correctly, so if you can get your hands on a bottle or two it'll send you on a wine journey that's well worth the effort.  With both Australia and New Zealand wine makers getting in on the Grüner act, access to these wines will hopefully become easier, and if Aussie cult vineyard Lark Hill’s latest release, the 2011 Grüner Veltliner is anything to go by we should be seeing some pretty serious local examples in the future.  

In the meantime a young, vibrant wine to get your hands on now is the 2009 Wachau Terrassen  Federspiel Grüner Veltliner from Austria which is a solid single vineyard wine which is a great value, entry-level example of the variety.  It's good now but will benefit from time in the bottle. This is an old estate but has been reinvigorated of late, thanks to the dynamic duo of Horvath and Frischengruber.  I rate them because even though they're one of the larger producers, they make consistent wines that are true to their variety.

2009  Domäne Wachau Terrassen  Federspiel Grüner Veltliner

Tasting Notes:  mountain herbs and white pepper on the nose, whilst on the palate there is classic freshly squeezed lime juice and grapefruit notes with some more exotic stone fruits as the wine warms up in the glass.  Dry finish with chalky, wet stone notes, medium acidity and a slight touch of fruit sweetness.

Would go well with:  classic Thai food - show me some spice (red or green curry).   Also, vongole or the classic Schietzel is always a winner with some sweet potato mash.  Washed rind cheese such as Pont l'Eveque from Normandy is also a great option.

Tell your guests:  The Wachau is a world Heritage site in recognition of its architectural and agricultural history.

Cellaring potential:  5-25 years - try it now and then track how it changes over time.

To buy:  The 2009 Wachau Terrassen  Federspiel Grüner Veltliner is available for $25 per bottle.  Click here if you want to buy a bottle or two.

p.s The oldest Grüner I've tasted is a 38 year old 1973 Schloss Gobelsburg ‘Renner’ Grüner Veltliner.  If you can keep one in your cellar for that long without drinking it you're doing well!

How to pick a good Shiraz - the perfect Winter Drop

Shiraz is a dark-skinned variety that can produce strong, full-bodied and intense wine.  James Busby brought it to Australia in the early 1800’s but the origins of Shiraz (known as Syrah in France) are debatable, with one theory suggesting it was brought back from the city of Shiraz in Ancient Persia by a French Knight and planted near his home in the Rhône Valley, France.  This - while a great story - is unfortunately not true with DNA tests revealing the Syrah grape variety is actually native to France.  This testing also concluded that Syrah is the offspring of two obscure varietals which are native to Southeastern France – ‘Mondeuse Blanche’ and ‘Dureza’.   

So what is Shiraz like to drink?

Colour

Anywhere from medium red through rich purple/red to black in the bigger styles.

Nose

Primary fruit characters from cooler climate styles to warmer region examples include: herbs, mint, spice, pepper, menthol, eucalypt, raspberry, dark cherry, mulberry, blackberry, plum, blackcurrant, black olives, aniseed, licorice, stewed plum, chocolate, jammy and raisin.

As Shiraz ages its primary aromas and flavours begin to evolve into more complex and savoury secondary/developed characters. These include: chocolate, earthy, barnyard, cowyard, cigar-box, coffee, gamey, meaty, salami and leather, mushroom.

Palate

The palate should have plenty of flavour, usually with a lovely sweetness in the mid-palate due to ripe fruit and alcohol.  Young wines will often give a firm tannin impression of big, but soft, chewy, mouth-puckering tannins. In older wines the tannins will be finer giving a grainy sensation. Higher alcohol levels, usually in warmer climate examples, can give a hot warming feeling as the wine is swallowed.

Oak characters are usually present, but should not dominate. French oak is the subtler of the two main oak types adding notes of cedar and spice, and fine-grained tannin which integrate well as the wine ages. American oak loads the wine with coconut and vanilla flavours and it can easily dominate and does not integrate as well as the wine ages. Sometimes a combination of the two oaks can be used.

How to pick a good Shiraz

If you like a young, full-bodied Shiraz it can be drunk within a few years but because it generally has higher tannins and higher alcohol content is can also go the cellaring distance.    For the much older vintages, make sure the level is good at the top of the neck, and that there is no wine leaking through the cork. Enquire about it's origin and how long it has been there.  If you have the chance to taste before you buy, look for the defining fruit characters mentioned above that Shiraz should offer, and also the structure is very important. Try to avoid 'baked' characters, this can sometimes mean the wine has been stored badly, or it may be past its peak.


For me, great Shiraz producing regions in Australia include the iconic Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, Heathcote in Victoria and I'm a big fan of the Canberra District which produce the more subtle syles. 

2007 Radford Shiraz, Eden Valley  South Australia - $38 per bottle

For my palate The 2007 Radford Shiraz from Eden Valley is a perfect example of what a Shiraz should be.  This is the work of Ben and Gill Radford, who are making small parcels of excellent high-altitude wines that have great depth of character but finesse and restraint.  Ben has been head winemaker at the cult winery Rockford  in the Barossa Valley since 2007, so Gill has taken charge of the Radford labels. If your a white wine fan the Radford's also have the oldest Riesling vines in the Eden Valley (planted in 1930).  Their bio-dynamically grown Riesling is some of the best I've seen.

Tasting notes: Medium bodied, blackberries, ripe plums and spice (white pepper) on the palate.  Firm but approachable tannins, very intense, moorish style that makes you crave that second glass.

Would Go Well With :  Lamb chops and coriander pesto, hard cheeses (cheddar such as Quicks), veal schnitzel

Tell Your Guests:   The Barossa Valley is home to some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world, with the oldest block being at Langmeil which was planted in 1843.

Cellaring Potential:  5-12 years so your choice to drink now or cellar for later.  The following vintage (2008) is also a good drop,

To buy:  The 2007 Radford Shiraz from Eden Valley it is available direct from the vineyard website for $38 per bottle.  Click here if you want to buy. 

An English Eatery and a (bottle of) Riesling

'The Fat Duck' Restaurant Berkshire, England


1993 Zilliken 'Saarburger Rausch' Auslese Riesling from the Saar, Germany.

From the outside you could easily walk past and not know it was there. On the inside it's packed with presence, but in the most unobtrusive way.  It's 'The Fat Duck Restaurant' in Berkshire, England which is one of only four restaurants in the UK to have 3 Michelin Stars and was named best restaurant in the world in 2005.  Don't ask me how I got a reservation, but let's just say I was lucky.


I loved the theatre, the drama, the precision and the WOW factor that Chef Heston Blumenthal brings to the table. Each server had their own unique personality and made us feel comfortable. Was there a favourite dish or a wine match that stood out? For me it was the 'Roast Foie Gras with Barberry, Braised Kombu and Crab Biscuit' and it's interesting to see how they wine match there. With this it was a 1990 St.Urbans Hof 'Ockfener Bockstein' Auslese Riesling from Mosel, Germany. Honeysuckle notes with citrus, stone fruit and a bold palate, but not overtly sweet. More please! 


You can't get this wine in Australia but something similar is the 1993 Zilliken 'Saarburger Rausch' Auslese Riesling from the Saar in Germany.  In 2011 it's definitely hit its straps and has deep layers of rich nectarine fruits with white flowers and lanolin notes while the fresh acidity keeps everything in balance.  It would also work extremely well with soft cheeses.  I've given the details below.

Oh, and back at The Fat Duck Restaurant the dessert we had was called 'Like a Kid in Sweet Shop' which nicely sums up the whole experience of dining at one of the world's best.


1993 Zilliken 'Saarburger Rausch' Auslese Riesling from the Saar in Germany


Tasting Notes - Deep layers of rich nectarine fruits with white flowers and lanolin notes.  Fresh acidity keeps everything in balance


Would go well with  - Foie Gras, Soft cheeses such as Fromage D'affinois, Pork Belly

Cellaring Potential - Riesling is a truly noble variety that ages gracefully whilst exhibiting variety definition, so when produced in a good year, it can last the distance - 20 to 30 years if cellared correctly


To buy - The price of the Reserve Release 1993 from Zilliken is about $115.  Click here to buy