Making the case for Riesling

Shaded from the hot sun, we were outside “working” on the patio. We were talking about our next environmental project over a chilled glass of Pleiades Rosé of Sangiovese. My friend told me that she avoided rosés since she first tasted Sutter Home’s White Zinfandel back in the '80s. “It was too sweet!” she exclaimed.

A few days later, while volunteering for Ben Smith at Cadence Winery in south Seattle – an occupation I’m well versed in – another volunteer exclaimed that Ben’s 2021 Olsen Vineyard Riesling (his first Riesling) was too sweet at 6.7% residual sugar (RS). I bought a bottle after we were done for the day.

RS is the sugar left after the yeasty beasties have had their fill of sugar. During fermentation, the yeast eats the sugars and belches out alcohol. Sometimes the yeast gets its fill and naturally dies and sinks to the bottom of the barrel. Sometimes a winemaker may put a chill on the tank and the yeast will call it quits.

Generally, the more sugar the yeasty beasties eat, the higher the alcohol. Generally, grapes for a dry wine are harvested at around 22 to 26 brix and could be anywhere between 12.5% and 15% alcohol depending on the available sugars. Brix is the measure of the sugar content of the batch of crushed grapes. Each degree of brix is 1 gram of sugar in 100 grams of solution. The more fruit sugar, the heavier and higher the brix.

Remember, the higher the alcohol content, the drier the wine. Most of the time, anyway. But like the English language, there are exceptions. When the conditions are ripe, a winery has the opportunity to make a very rare wine, a late harvest wine, or even an ice wine or a wine with concentrated flavors because of botrytis with an alcohol content in the mid-teens and RS of 14 or more. These numbers will be listed on the label.

There is a time and a place for every grape variety. Years ago, California produced many Rieslings but tastes changed. Chardonnay and Cabernet were in and Riesling was out. Riesling migrated north to the cooler climates of Oregon, Idaho, Washington and British Columbia.

Germany, the grape’s homeland, is still the top producer, but the United States is a close second. Riesling put Washington on the world wine map. In 1999, Washington state’s vineyards included 1,900 acres of Riesling. By 2017, Riesling there had exploded to 6,695 acres and 33,200 tons harvested. In 2021, 24,800 tons were harvested.

With annual production in the neighborhood of 2 million cases a year, Chateau Ste. Michelle is by far the world’s largest producer of Riesling. And it has partnered with a respected German estate of Dr. Loosen, with roots in the middle Mosel for over 200 years to make wine from Washington grapes.

Ernst Loosen, owner of Dr. Loosen's estate, approached Chateau Ste. Michelle for a joint venture to craft an ultra-premium Riesling from Washington grapes. The result is Eroica, named after Beethoven’s Third Symphony. Eroica debuted with the 1999 vintage and today has several styles from dry to classic ice wine.

Riesling is more versatile than any other of the top noble grape varieties – Cabernet, Chardonnay, Syrah or Merlot. This multi-talented cold-climate grape has lots of fruit, high acidity, can be harvested early to late into the season and is exquisite when botrytis inhabits the grape’s skins. It can be dry, off-dry, sweet or very, very sweet.

Riesling isn’t always sweet, in fact, it could sometimes be drier than some Chardonnays or Pinot Grigios. Even when it’s sweet, it’s a great food wine. Its moderate alcohol levels and inherent fruitiness lends it the ability to pair well with the spicy foods of Thai, Mexican and Indian cuisines. Crab, shrimp and scallops shine when paired with Riesling.  And cheeses and fruits of all kinds.

In the Alsace region of France, Riesling is always fermented out dry except for their Vendage Tardive, which is their version of a late harvest Riesling. Riesling is also prolific in South Africa, Australia and Oregon. But where Riesling really shines is Washington state. Yup, we produce more Riesling worldwide than any other wine region except Germany.

Germany still leads with superb Rieslings from halbtrocken (half-dry) to very sweet (Eis wein). Mosel is the most recognized and largest region along the Rhine River. Other smaller regions include Rheingau, Pfalz and Rheinhessen.

But August being Washington wine month, let’s celebrate the grape that put us on the world’s wine map. Here are a few recommendations to have with your next bowl of curried shrimp or on the cheese board:

Pacific Rim Columbia Valley dry Riesling from California’s innovative Randall Graham, who planted biodynamic Riesling vines in Horse Heaven Hills and launched Pacific Rim in 2006. Sold to Banfi Vintners in 2011, this Alsatian-inspired Riesling has 0.8% RS.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling. Cold Creek Vineyard was planted in the 1970s and is one of Washington's oldest and most acclaimed vineyards. The grapes were picked over a four-week period resulting in a harvest of varying sweetness. Nicely balanced with 12.5% alcohol.

Eroica Columbia Valley XLC (Extended Lees Contact) Riesling was fermented in an upright oak cask with native yeast fermentation and aged for 12 months on full lees, a traditional winemaking technique. That time in barrel on the dead yeast cells, or lees, give the wine a full-bodied mouthfeel. 11.5% alcohol.

Nine Hats Riesling is sourced from some of the Columbia Valley’s oldest Riesling vines and clocks in at 13% alcohol. This dry wine would be perfect with grilled trout.

Founded in 1987, Silver Lake Winery is one of a handful of Washington’s oldest wineries. The Silver Lake Riesling is fermented in stainless steel and fermentation is stopped using cold temperatures and sulfur dioxide. With around 12.5% alcohol and 6.5% RS, it was perfect with last night’s spicy hot ceviche.

Bonaire’s Yakima Riesling is produced from estate-grown vines from Morrison Vineyard that's up the hill from the winery. This Riesling is cold fermented in stainless tanks. 6.6% RS makes it a great match with a fresh catch of Dungeness crab.

Years ago, I and 300 others from 10 countries attended the first World Vinifera Conference organized by the Washington Wine Commission. The conference’s focus was Riesling, one of the four noble grape varieties. We tasted Riesling from all around the globe for two days. At the end of the second day, I was invited to attend a tasting of Latah Creek’s wines. I was delighted to see red wine in the lineup after two days of Riesling. I went straight for it.

Please don’t snub Riesling, give it a second taste. You’ll appreciate its noble qualities and can still prefer red wine.

Cheers!

Mary Earl has been educating Kitsap wine lovers for a couple of decades, is a longtime member of the West Sound Brew Club and can pair a beer or wine dinner in a flash. She volunteers for the Clear Creek Trail and a longtime supporter of Silverdale. 

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Making the case for Riesling