William Knuttel, Chalk Hill Winery

“I had a fun and refreshing summer white. In Monterey County, there’s a winery called Paraiso Springs Vineyards. They produce a Riesling. Unfortunately, that’s almost a dead issue in this state--a lot of people [have] associated Riesling with a cheap white wine. But it’s one of the grapes that has gotten my attention. There are still some examples of good Riesling in California, and this is one of them. The ’98 is totally refreshing. It’s pretty close to being dry and it’s got wonderful floral character and no oak. It’s a great little alternative.”