Polishing Off the Tarnished Image of Rieslings

The question arose during the World Vinifera Conference here, which focused on the Riesling grape as it grows around the world:

If the greatest Rieslings of Germany are sweet wines, and if vintage charts of German Riesling reflect the quality of the sweet wines and not the dry ones, how do wine producers convince the public that dry Riesling is a great experience when it is matched with food?

Riesling’s tarnished image was the focus of the three-day conference here last week, an event in which 200 participants ran through a series of luncheons and dinners pairing dry Rieslings with food and through half a dozen tasting sessions comparing the dry and off-dry Rieslings of many regions of the world. Through it all, they heard major wine authorities talk of the Riesling Problem.

This first World Vinifera Conference, sponsored by the Washington Wine Institute, was inaugurated, in part, because of slow sales of Riesling--both sweet and dry--in the United States. And since Washington makes some of the best Rieslings in the United States, that state’s industry leaders were eager to find out if a solution to the Riesling Problem was simply missing the producers.

A Grand Match

What they found out, and what they had suspected all along, is that dry Riesling is indeed a grand match for many types of food, but that even the Germans, who have a long and proud tradition of making Rieslings both dry and sweet, have been having a devil of a time getting folks to buy the same argument.

Only in Australia, it was learned, does Riesling sell rather well--about 50% of all fine wine sales Down Under are of Rieslings, said Brian Croser, one of Australia’s great wine makers.

The Riesling Problem exists, many speakers agreed, because of at least two major symptoms that have grown up in the last few decades to change the public’s view of Riesling.

One is the rash of sweeter Rieslings that have been made around the world that are (a) not classic dessert style wines such as the famed auslesen and beerenauslesen of Germany, and (b) too sweet to match with food. These are the in-between wines that have 2% to 4% residual sugar and that may be fine as a hot-day aperitif but that would dominate most seafood dishes.

A second symptom is wine that has no relation to Riesling--true Riesling. These imposters have been lurking in the shadows of the wine industry for decades, playing off of Riesling’s great name the way bad actors eke out a living by mimicking great performers.

Among these are such wines as Grey Riesling (which is actually Trousseau Gris or Chauche Gris and has no Riesling heritage whatever); Franken Riesling (which is actually the low-aroma Sylvaner in disguise), and the proprietary-designated Monterey Riesling that Mirassou has popularized and that has very little true Riesling.

Other countries have confused the issue even more, with Italy putting out a Riesling Italico, with Hungary marketing an Olaszriesling and Yugoslavia offering Laskiriesling. All of these wines are made from the little-regarded Welschriesling grape, which has virtually no Riesling character in either aroma or taste.

In South Africa a wine called Cape Riesling, and in Australia a wine called Clare Riesling, both are made from the Cruchen Blanc grape, again with no Riesling parentage.

As if that weren’t enough, because of inability to market its superb Semillons some years ago, Australians began marketing Semillons as Hunter Riesling.

(A sad fact is that these most exceptional wines, many on a par with the finest White Graves of Bordeaux, were so poorly named that when they first came into the United States in the 1970s, Americans thought the wines were from the Riesling grape. Finding the wines different, we ignored them. Happily, few Semillons from Australia today carry the Hunter Riesling name any more and the wines are some of Australia’s best.)

Then add in the fact that in the United States, by strange federal edict, it’s permissible to call the classic Riesling wine “Johannisberg Riesling” or “White Riesling,” but not, curiously enough, Riesling.

All this confusion about Riesling was the focal point of the three-day conference here. One conclusion was that the consumer does not now have any inkling from many wine labels what sort of wine type is in the bottle. And speakers encouraged wine makers to adopt a uniform terminology for sweetness and stick to it.

No U.S. Definition

It was pointed out, however, that the U.S. government has no definition of any sort for the word dry on a wine label, so in theory a wine maker could use that term for a wine that had 2% residual sugar, which to most people is not dry. Some wineries, such as Firestone in Santa Barbara, have sold a lot of very good Riesling without indicating the sweetness level at all. (Firestone said here that, beginning with its 1989 Riesling, it will indicate on its label that it makes Riesling in an off-dry style.)

Tasting through dozens of Rieslings during this conference, I was intrigued by a number of dry ( trocken ) and nearly dry ( halbtrocken ) German wines. All, however, were imported just for this conference by a German trade contingent that was about as energetic in promoting its wines as was the local Washington group.

The most exciting thing about this conference was the unveiling of Washington’s great wines, Riesling among them, to some newcomers to them. This display reminded me of something I’ve known since my first visit to Washington years ago: Washington is one of the finest regions in the world for wines, but it’s a region that has yet to be discovered by many Americans because of the plodding reluctance of wholesalers to carry these exciting and often well-priced wines.

The best of the Rieslings evaluated at this conference was a superb 1988 Dry Johannisberg Riesling from Hogue Cellars. It has .65% residual sugar, just enough to take the edge off sharp, steely acidity, and the aroma is excitingly spicy. It’s a perfect match for seafood.

Close behind was a lovely 1988 Dry Riesling from Paul Thomas Winery in Bellevue ($7) that offers a delicate juniper/orange blossom complexity and perfect balance for lighter foods.

Covey Run, under new wine maker David Crippen, has a slightly less dry (1.3% residual sugar) 1988 Johannisberg Riesling ($6) with a stylish pear aroma that would work well with lighter dishes in cream sauces.

All three of these wineries distribute their wines in California and all are worth seeking out.

Failing to find them, one might seek out three new releases from Jekel Vineyards in Monterey County, all made by new wine maker Steve Pessagno. The most intriguing is 1988 Jekel Johannisberg Riesling Dry-Styled ($6.75). This steely wine (.3% residual sugar) has a spice/pear aroma that’s hard to describe. In its style it’s a dramatic alternative to Sauvignon Blanc for serving with grilled seafood.

The 1988 Jekel Johannisberg Riesling (regular bottling, $6.75) has 1.9% residual sugar, offers more of the same lovely aroma, but a softer taste. Jekel’s “Sweet-Styled” Riesling ($10), with 6% residual sugar, is a handsome dessert wine, great with fresh fruit.

Winery to Watch

A Washington winery to watch (and one marketing only in Northern California at present) is Kiona Vineyards, located in the Columbia Valley. Its 1988 Dry White Riesling ($6) has but .7% residual sugar and offers a delightful Muscat-like spice and a superb finish.

Any of these wines served with food can be a more exciting match than you’d get with many of today’s overblown Chardonnays. And considering the prices, these are all best-buys in dinner wine.

Moreover, I’ve always been surprised that restaurants don’t understand the marvelous opportunities inherent in dry Riesling. Failure to offer at least one dry Riesling shortchanges the diner.

Washington’s other wines can be dramatically good too, as evidenced by a tasting conducted a week ago in conjunction with the conference. At that two-hour, walk-around event I found a number of marvelous Northwest wines worth recommending. Among them:

--1986 Covey Run Cabernet Sauvignon ($10): Classic herbal notes and delicate body combine with high acidity and lower-than-expected tannins to make for a wine of grand potential. It may be controversial because of its delicate structure.

--1986 Columbia Winery Semillon ($6): Delicate mild herb and lanolin notes and a creamy finish make it immediately appealing, but it’s sure to age well. A lovely Graves-style effort by wine maker and master of wine David Lake.

--1983 Salmon Bay Cabernet Sauvignon ($10): Round, chocolaty and fairly deeply flavored, this rich wine is well-priced and shows great potential.

--1987 Columbia Merlot “Milestone” ($15): One of the most beautiful Merlots I’ve ever tasted, with very deep-scented fruit and chocolaty nuances, a spice/cedar element and amazing concentration without over-ripeness.

--1985 Columbia Cabernet Sauvignon ($15): Grapes off Mike Sauer’s Red Willow Vineyard have long been the heart of Columbia’s red wines, and here Lake fashions them into a gorgeous and long-lived wine that has roasted nut elements in a deep, concentrated, herbal package.

--1987 Arbor Crest Merlot ($10): Rich black cherry notes in an approachable yet age-worthy wine of balance and harmony.

It’s clear that among U.S. wine-growing regions, Washington now ranks second to California in terms of overall quality, and it’s only a matter of time before these wines will all be widely available here, providing competition Californians never imagined.

Washington’s Treasures

Now, the wines are hard to find unless you go there. But touring Washington’s wine country isn’t as easy as touring Napa or Temecula. It is, however, an untapped and little-trodden adventure. And along the way you may discover even more exciting wines that are made in infinitesimal quantities.

Among those making superb wines are Quilceda Creek, Leonetti Cellars, Staton Hills, Mount Baker, Latah Creek and Woodward Canyon.

For details on who carries the wines of Washington or for information on touring the Washington wine country, call Simon Siegl at the Washington Wine Institute, (206) 728-2252.

Wine of the Week: 1987 Hogue Semillon ($7.50)--Stunningly scented with new mown hay and figs and offering a creamy finish in an otherwise citrusy crisp effort, this is wine maker Rob Griffin’s top wine, in my view. With the Hogue family’s exceptional fruit, Griffin could become America’s greatest Semillon maker. Now if only there weren’t a Semillon Problem. . . .