This is a post from my old website but I thought it would go really well with my second podcast episode that I just recorded. You can find episode 2 on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts. Please subscribe and share.
I am a German girl, so it’s only fitting that I talk about German wines now and then. If you’ve read my About Me page, you know that I did not appreciate white wine initially. It was an acquired taste just as red wine is for many others. Now, of course I’m finding that white wine is quite enjoyable at times. Served chilled and with summer coming it can be quite the thirst quencher, though I recommend you use water to actually quench your thirst! I will cover more whites in the future, but I’ll go with a wine that everyone has at least heard of, and it is undoubtedly Germany’s most popular wine: the Riesling.
Riesling can be dry, off-dry, or even sweet, and it really depends on a number of factors, including when the grapes are harvested (later harvest makes for sweeter grapes as sugar is allowed to concentrate in the grapes) and how they’re fermented and aged. Rieslings have different quality levels. Your regular Riesling is going to be a Deutscher Wein or Landwein. Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein are going to be of higher quality and often come with a higher price tag. Within your Prädikatswein there will be further classifications like Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, and of course the famous Eiswein. I may dive deeper into this topic as I’m adding more content to the blog.
For now I have curated a short list of three German Rieslings for you to try. They are all under $30 and they all are rated 90% or higher by professional reviewers James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast. So, without further adieu, let’s dive in!
Maximin Grünhaus Schloss Riesling 2020
Rated 93% by James Juckling this is a “dry riesling fairy-tale that came true”. It is a mineraly and herbal white with high acidity and medium alcohol at 11.5%. It runs around $23 around the various retailer sites.
I would pair this riesling with anything fishy, like salmon, cured or smoked fish, sushi, and shellfish.
Weingut Schneider Niederhäuser Riesling Kabinett 2019
It’s a Kabinett and it’s juicy, fresh, and fruity and James Suckling gave it a 92 score. He mentions lemon-pie and chamomile. While I am not regularly a chamomile fan, in this wine the balance is beautiful. And the abv (alcohol by volume) is only 9.5%! Plus, at under $20 it is a great value. Pairs great with seafood, but also Asian and Thai food. Think curry all the way!
Karthäuserhof Bruno Riesling Kabinett Feinherb 2020
Is this not the most beautiful label? It’s like a stained glass window in a church. And this Feinherb wine offers just a tad of sweetness in a mostly dry wine. A 91 and 90 score from Wine Enthusiast and James Suckling respectively, and WE calls this wine “a lip smacking, addictively quaffable sip juxtaposing pert grapefruit and lime against a steely frame of acidity.” No further comment needed, except it’s around $20 and has an abv of 10.5%. Pair with prosciutto, arugula, or pork schnitzel. Yum!
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