At the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference participants had the
chance to taste wines from “The Other 46”, which is this case was open to wines
from states other than California, Washington, Oregon and New York. I seized on
this opportunity and tasted as many of them as I could. Wines from Missouri,
Ohio, Maryland, Texas, Indiana and our host state Virginia were poured. To me
this was the ultimate experience of exploration, tasting wine from states that
have a local reach that I might not otherwise easily have the chance to try.
It was with the above approach that efforts from both my
mother (thanks Mom!) and I culminated in the organization of an Other 46 / Summer of Riesling tasting of wines at home.
I exempted my own state, NH, swapping it out for New York in lining up wines,
with the states of New York, Michigan and Connecticut represented in our
tasting. As I mentioned in my recent posts from my one-day vacation to Maine, I
was not successful procuring Riesling from
that state, and slow progress in sourcing Riesling from MA, RI and VT
means that I am at risk of not finishing my tour of New England for Summer of
Riesling, but I’m trying!
No casual wine tasting is complete without some snacks. As
you can see from the picture below, we did pretty good this time! Parmesan,
Grafton Village Cheese Smoked Cheddar and Berkshire Blue were paired with
peaches, strawberries, apples and crusty bread for a wide range of earthy and
fruit flavors to pair with the wines.
The first wine was the Sharpe Hill 2005 Dry Riesling from
Connecticut. The nose had a petrol element to it that I was quite surprised to
find in a Riesling made outside Europe where I typically detect that aroma. I
also found green apple aromas with hints of minerality. This wine is steely and
stony on the palate, with minimal fruit. I conclude that the wine is showing
its age, but hasn’t yet reached a place where I could say it is flawed. The
finish is dry, of moderate length containing some citrus notes. This was the
wine I felt has the most pronounced nose, and one I would recognize as a
Riesling hands down.
I included my homemade 2008 Riesling/Gewurztraminer blend as
a reference wine. Aromas of slate and sulfur were immediately found. In the
mouth the wine has peach flavor, is off-dry and has a short finish. This wine
is past its prime and isn’t really worth drinking.
The next wine was the Dr. Konstantin Frank 2010 Semi-Dry
Riesling from the Finger Lakes region of New York State. I found both apricot
and herbs in the nose. The wine is slightly sweet with the flavors of peach and
citrus, where the citrus builds and lingers along the finish. The acidity in
the finish makes the wine much more refreshing than the early part of the taste
might suggest. This was the wine with the best balance of the three wines
tasted.
The last wine was the Chateau Grand Traverse 2010 Late
Harvest Riesling from Michigan. Aromas of dried fruits, orange blossoms and
spices emanate from the glass. There is also a bit of a wild aroma to the wine,
similar to ice wines made from Riesling grapes. Flavors of orange and peach are
wrapped some residual sugar that comes off much drier than I expected it to be.
There is an acidity that comes in at the beginning of the finish, but it trails
off long before the flavors do.
The more Rieslings I taste the more I want to try them from
as many places where it is made. Do you have a favorite Riesling that isn’t
made in CA, WA or OR? Leave a comment with the name, vintage and state of
origin. Who knows, I might just seek it out and try it before the end of
summer!
Cheers!
Jason
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