Pick of the week
Cuvée des Ardoises Château des Erles Fitou 2003 ($16.95, No. 949222) is rich and chewy, with luscious flavours of ripe plum, black cherry, licorice and herbs.
Do you get stumped pairing wine with food? Do you wonder whether Swiss chardonnay is the best choice for Swiss chard? (Answer: No, try sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio.)
A few sommeliers I know have a playful saying for people caught in the lurch: When in doubt, try riesling.
It probably helps that wine experts, more than most folks, tend to speak reverentially about riesling. The noble white grape is often described as the world's most undervalued variety. In fact, professing a fondness for riesling can instantly peg you as a bona fide connoisseur. (Next time you encounter a snooty waiter, consider sighing wistfully and crooning, "Ahhh, riesling!" He might even tip you with a free glass of dessert wine -- a sweet riesling from Germany, of course.)
It's hard to deny that riesling, particularly dry to off-dry German riesling, is extremely versatile at the table. I think of it as the SWAT team of the grape world, able to tackle the most treacherous ingredients and flavours, such as heavy spice, smokiness, vinegar, pungent herbs and even raw fruit.
That's one reason riesling is especially attractive in spring and summer. There's a minefield of wine-slaying ingredients popping up on plates this time of year, including acidic salads, smoked-fish appetizers and fruit-based salsas (often found on fillets of fish, chicken or pork). And let's not forget asparagus and artichokes, springtime's most problematic partners, which can taste metallic in the company of most wines.
The hallmark of riesling is its bipolar flavour profile. On the one hand, it has a boldly fruity character, usually suggesting stone fruits and citrus, which occasionally veers into actual sweetness. On the other, it almost always crackles with electric acidity, which in the best examples will balance the sweetness.
While many German rieslings, in particular, contain a considerable amount of sugar, the best are never cloying and can even seem totally dry. If you're a die-hard dry-wine person and want to explore German riesling, it's best to stick with the style labelled "kabinett." And keep in mind that the vast majority of rieslings from elsewhere, even nearby Austria and Alsace, are completely dry.
Today's fine-wine release at Ontario LCBO stores shines the spotlight on the world's most underrated grape, with examples from all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, California, Washington state, Ontario and the classic riesling hotbeds of Germany, Austria and France's Alsace region. For curiosity seekers, there's even a nice one from Luxembourg, which I'll get to in a minute.
The best of the lot, in my opinion, is Selbach-Oster Riesling Auslese 2003 ($28.95, product No. 684365) from the Mosel region in Germany. It's not for riesling newbies. This one is medium-sweet and almost syrupy, an especially ripe example from the hot European season of 2003. The primary flavours are of succulent peach, apricot and baked apple, with secondary nuances of minerals and petrol. But the lively acidity makes it dance on the palate. Complex and classic, it should pair nicely with smoked trout or spicy Chinese or Thai dishes.
Another beauty, also on the medium-sweet side, is Geil Erben Riesling Spatlese Bechtheimer Geyersberg 2004 ($15.95, No. 994780). It's from the neighbouring region of Rheinhessen, and is brimming with canned peach and mandarin flavours, finishing with brisk acidity. It would be a delicious aperitif.
In the dry style, check out Lucien Albrecht Riesling Reserve 2004 from Alsace ($15.95, No. 745000). Medium-bodied and peach-like, it shows additional hints of orange and honeysuckle.
Also from Alsace is the very good Marcel Deiss Riesling Beblenheim 2004 ($34.95, No. 955773), medium-bodied, dry and quite minerally, with notes of peach pit and grapefruit, and a long finish.
Another good buy from Germany is Kendermann Dry Riesling Kalkstein 2004 ($15.95, No. 678060). It's my favourite of the three wines on offer today from Kendermann (intended to show the variety of flavours that can be coaxed out of the riesling grape depending on the region in which it's grown). This one, from Pfalz, is medium-bodied and honey-like, lifted by fresh melon and zesty lime notes.
Few people think of Luxembourg when it comes to wine. (It's probably safe to say few people think of Luxembourg, period.) But this tiny, landlocked grand duchy lies just west of Germany and north of France's Alsace region in a very good zone for the grape. Bernard-Massard Riesling Grand Premier Cru 2003 ($16.95, No. 685297) is a nice discovery, light to medium-bodied and quite zesty, with honeyed lemon-orange nuances and a faint tingle of minerals. It would work well with salads or as a warm-weather aperitif.
After that big buildup on riesling, you might expect the pick of the week to be, well, a riesling. Sorry. It's a red from southern France and unquestionably one of the best values in today's Vintages release. It's called Cuvée des Ardoises Château des Erles Fitou 2003 ($16.95, No. 949222) and it comes from a French property near the Mediterranean coast recently acquired by famed Bordeaux-based "flying winemakers" Jacques and François Lurton.
This is a hot, wind-swept terrain where the beefy carignan grape is at its best. No surprise then, the wine is a blend of carignan, syrah and grenache, rich and chewy, with luscious flavours of ripe plum, black cherry, licorice and herbs. It's terrific on its own or with hearty, braised or barbecued red meats. bcrosariol@globeandmail.com
