Sweet Wine

Sweet wine, hay making, sunshine day breaking.
We can wait till tomorrow.
Car speed, road calling, bird freed, leaf falling.
We can bide time.
-Cream

When I talk to new people about wine, I'll usually hear "I don't like dry wines. I like them sweeter," at least once. The gender mix is irrelevant. I've found as many men as women out there who prefer sweet wine -- they just don't generally admit it in public. Chances are, many of these folks got smacked in the face with a big-ass cabernet when they first started drinking wine. (Or at least after they'd moved past Boone's.) Since we tend to return to that we find pleasant, and most folks have at least one positive sweet wine experience, "Sweet is better" often plays pretty well.

I'm not here to dislodge that idea from anyone's mind.

As we've covered before, when yeast is added to wine, the yeast eats sugar, farts carbon dioxide, and pees alcohol. If a winemaker wants to make a wine sweeter, he or she will add something to the wine to stop the fermentation before it's complete, leaving some "residual sugar" in the wine. Many wines leave at least a little residual sugar to improve the taste. Also, a lot of mass-produced wines do so as well, since a little sugar can cover a lot of shoddy winemaking.

I go through phases where I prefer sweeter wine. They aren't long phases, mind you, but I certainly can relate to enjoying that sugar from time to time. I also checked my archives and realized that I hadn't written about Riesling in awhile. Since Riesling is probably the best known "sweet" wine, without further ado, I decided to compare American and German Riesling:

I started with Pacific Rim 2006 Columbia Valley Sweet Riesling -- Pacific Rim is one of the many faces of Bonny Doon winery. Bonny Doon has long been a favorite in Vine land. Their Dry Riesling is one of my standard go-to bottles if I'm having sushi or almost any kind of spicy Asian food. "Sweet Riesling" isn't normally a term you'll see on a wine's label, so when I saw this offered by Pacific Rim, I decided to give it a go. I set this up as a side-by-side with the Selbach 2005 Riesling Kabinett, a German Riesling I know to be sweet and basically at the same price point. (Around $10 for either bottle.)

At first taste, the Pacific Rim is a much more straightforward wine. This is a very low alcohol wine -- only about 9%. The nose is peachy and light. The flavor is very fruity and, as promised, quite sweet. Peaches and pineapples are the dominant flavors. The finish is a little sugary and not as crisp as I generally prefer in a Riesling. Compared to both their Dry Riesling and the Selbach, it's not as good as either.

The Selbach was more interesting. The nose was also very light, but the first taste had a lot more going on. Like many German Rieslings, there was a mineral undertone to the sweetness and fruit, giving a flavor I find appealing. The main flavors centered much more on apple and pear. The finish was crisper, again largely because of the minerality.

We also tried both of these wines with a spicy stir fry that we put together. With the food, the Selbach outperformed the Pacific Rim as well. The minerality cut through the spices much more effectively.

However, one should certainly not turn away from the Pacific Northwest if you're looking for a good choice among Rieslings. Not long ago, I had the chance to try Charles Smith "Kung Fu Girl" 2006 Washington State Riesling. As Charles himself puts it, "WHY? BECAUSE, RIESLING AND GIRLS KICK ASS!" and I wholeheartedly agree on both counts, although the caps are his. Charles brings rock and roll panache to his winemaking, and this particular Riesling brings the house down.

This Riesling is on the sweeter side, but takes off in a number of directions. The minerality of this wine reminds me of an Austrian or German Riesling, but there's more complex fruit as well. Mango, pear, some citrus -- you can find something different with each sip. The finish is slightly sweet and nicely crisp. I first had this at a wine tasting with a number of friends whose palates ranged from "only sweet wines" to "sweet wines really bite." The table was unanimous in praise for this wine. At around $13, it's an absolute steal -- and with a name and bottle design like this one has, it's a perfect wine to bring to a summer party, regardless of the flavor preferences of the gathering.

If you're looking for something sweeter, you're probably better off looking down the German aisle if you're trying to find something in the $8-10 range. For a few dollars more, you'll find some wonderful domestic offerings from places like New York’s Finger Lakes region and the Pacific Northwest -- but, in my experience, the U.S. hasn't gotten the hang of inexpensive, sweet, and high quality just yet.

Greatest Misses

From a recent conversation:

"You know, Mike -- by nature, you're more or less a cynical bastard. But when you write about wine, you always say such positive things. Have you ever run into a wine you didn't like?"

It's a good question. I mean, I'm usually pretty lucky with the wines I end up reviewing, but there are some I've bumped into that just…well…won't be on my list. I tend to spare you folks from reading about them -- but why not publish a cautionary tale once in awhile?

What follows are some wines I've run into during my explorations that didn't make the cut...

Cline 2006 Viognier -- I'm generally a fan of Cline wine. They're a good midline wine producer. Heck, I used a Cline in the installment where I talked about "wine sniffing." They generally make very decent wine at reasonable prices. I was excited about the Viognier, since the weather is cooling off a bit, and the weight of Viognier works well as we leave the heat. Also, I'm a sucker for a pretty-smelling wine. Unfortunately, things stopped there. The nose was slightly perfumey, like many Viogniers -- but not as strong as I'm used to. The body can only be described as "weak." It was like drinking fruity water, and the finish was the definition of what they call in WineSpeak, "flabby." Much better Viogniers are available.

Domaine Guindon 2005 Muscadet -- A friend of mine recommended a muscadet not long ago, and I wondered why I hadn't made myself at least passingly familiar with the varietal. I bought one at the store, chilled it a bit, gave it a swig, and remembered why I'd not done so. When I first started learning about wine, I picked up a Kevin Zraly wine course book and worked my way through. One of the first stops was "The White Wines of France." In the Loire Valley region, they make wine from the muscadet grape. That's not to be confused with Muscat -- the grape used for any number of sweeter white & dessert wines. This grape yields a somewhat dry wine which allegedly pairs well with shrimp & shellfish. I remember not exactly finding it to my liking. I'd not bought another -- until this one. And I remembered immediately why I didn't much care for it. The nose of this wine smelled alkaline to me, almost metallic. The main taste of the wine is incredibly dry and quickly turns really tart. The finish of the wine left my tongue feeling like a carpet. In fairness, since then I found that muscadet is fabulous with oysters on the half-shell, but unless you've got some salty shellfish on the menu, you might want to look elsewhere.

Australian Riesling in General -- As anyone who knows me will tell you, I love me some Riesling. I enjoy this wine because: (a) It's food friendly. (b) It's affordable. (c) It's generally yummy. I've also read recently that Australia has been "very successful" at growing Riesling. If that's so, I haven't run into many. I've tried a couple -- Lindemans 2004 "Bin 75" Riesling and Rosemount Estates 2005 Riesling. Given, both are from large-scale producers. Both are semi-sweet and crisp, and you'll get some lemon and apple from each, but nothing to write home about. They're both pretty inexpensive, so if you're doing a dinner party and your guests aren't picky, they'll probably all like this. If they are picky, make sure you get some food and other wines in them before cracking this one. Seriously -- if any of you out there in VineLand have some suggestions for Aussie Riesling, please pass them along. I hate to write off an entire country's varietal, after all.

There you have it -- a few of the wines I'd think twice about. Feel free to disagree. If there are wines you expected to be something special (or at least decent) and ended up disappointing, share your stories. Think of it as group therapy.

Wine School! (Class #8 -- Riesling)

Riesling -- the crowd pleaser.

In my CinWeekly interview, I mentioned Riesling as my favorite wine of the moment. I mentioned it's "the most flexible," meaning one can find a Riesling to pair with almost anything. Since I love to cook and love to eat even more -- it's a natural.

I wasn't a big fan of whites for a long time. I'd drink them, sure -- and it was nice to have something cold around the house, but I chilled them almost to freezing and basically used like light beer. Once I started learning about wine, I grew to tolerate them. I thought most were too tart or too oaky. I discovered good Riesling and my eyes opened. Riesling was my gateway white.

Among U.S. wine drinkers, "Riesling" meant "syrupy-sweet German wine" for a very long time. As I discussed in my Riesling column, that's an unfortunate stereotype. While the grape is of German origin and the most expensive Rieslings are dessert wines -- the majority of decent Riesling out there isn't going to pucker your mouth. If you'd like a primer on deciphering Riesling, refer to the "Raise Your Riesling Steins" entry and you'll get a good idea.

For our tasting, I decided I'd try to put my advice to first hand application. On my birthday, I did a wine tasting for my family. The cast of characters:

• My father and mother -- neither of whom are big drinkers. They have the occasional glass of wine, but rarely have any around the house.
• My sister and brother-in-law -- also occasional wine drinkers, but the usual drink of choice at their place is Michelob Ultra.
• The Sweet Partner in Crime.
• My 95 year old grandmother who almost never drinks -- except for an occasional glass of Manischewitz.

They were faced with:

• Pierre Sparr 2004 Riesling (France) -- $11-14
• J & H.A. Strub 2005 Riesling Kabinett (Germany) -- $13-15
• Salmon Run 2005 Riesling (New York) -- $11-14

I'd rather my party did most of the talking.

We started with the Sparr. My grandmother's initial comment was "This is sour. I like sweet wines." My mom and sister thought "bitter apple" was a good description of it. The most colorful description was from my brother in law: "It's kind of got an odor in your mouth. It tastes like…I'd say…rubbing alcohol smells. Not that I drink rubbing alcohol or anything."

Rieslings like the Sparr from in the Alsace region are traditionally very dry. Part of this is due to the terroir, but most Alsatian wines are in this style. French Rieslings also improve with a little age, so this wine would have been very different after two or three more years. These wines have some fruit to them, but they're generally much more acidic than other Rieslings. I remembered Alsatian wines generally go well with shellfish. We still had some shrimp cocktail from lunch, so away we went. The wine's acidity worked extremely well with the shrimp. Everyone liked it. I'd imagine this would be a great choice at a raw bar.

Next, the Salmon Run. My grandmother liked this one "better than the first one." My brother-in-law thought it was "pleasant" and he said it "didn't have any nasty taste." My mother said it was a wine you could easily "drink too much of on a sunny day." My dad said only, "Fuller, fruitier." My sister said it was "tangy, but sweet."

American Rieslings tend to be middle-of-the-road. While they're not quite sweet enough to handle heavy food, they are good everyday wines. Most of the U.S. Rieslings you'll see will be from California, but the Finger Lakes region of New York is now cranking out some very good versions. Finger Lakes Rieslings generally have enough acidity to handle a broad variety of foods, and they're very easy to drink. If you're going to a party and don't know what to bring, this is a safe bet. With this particular wine, you'll get a lot of pear and apple flavor and a long, smooth finish.

Finally, the Strub. A German Riesling Kabinett tends to be on the sweet side. My grandmother indicated the wine "smelled and tastes sweet." My brother in law said the body tastes "like when you eat a bunch of sweet candy…you get that thick taste in your mouth." My mother thought it would be too heavy for food. My sister said it tasted like pears. My father reclined, saying little, contemplative. Perhaps the accumulated effect of wine, cognac, and Kahlua got to him.

This wine is very German. It would go very well with traditional Rhine-style cooking. Spaetzle, beef & pork sausages, and sauerkraut would be a natural pairing. It could also accompany anything spicy. Thai, Indian, Chinese, Mexican -- any of them would work well. As the SPinC put it: "Anything that would go with beer would go with this."

So ends our tour of the big six. A friend of mine contacted me a couple of months ago -- he told me about the "century club," a group of people who pride themselves on tasting 100 different varietals. I think that's a noble goal, but let's be honest. Unless you've got a lot of time and money, probably 90% of the wines you drink on a regular basis will fall into one of these six.

I hope you've enjoyed this, picked up some good information, and you'll feel a little more comfortable when faced with a wine list. I invite you to share of your own observations in the comments.

Cheers, everyone!

Wine School! (Class #2 -- Whites, the basics)

Moving to the other side of the wine aisle…

When I started drinking wine, I thought (as many do) that red wine came from red grapes and white wine from white grapes. Let's have a look see. Here's a picture of some ripe cabernet sauvignon grapes:

And here are some ripe sauvignon blanc grapes:

Hmm…

The color of wine has little to do with the color of the grape. If a winemaker wishes to make a red wine, the skins of the pressed grapes stay in the fermenter with the juice. The alcohol produced acts as a solvent, drawing color from the grapes. This process is called maceration. Grape skins are not present in the fermentation of whites. (Rosés are made by leaving the skins in briefly, yielding a "less red" color.) Since tannin also comes from the skins, white wines tend to be less dry and have more fruit flavor than reds. Tannins also act as a preservative, which is why -- as a rule -- it's better to drink whites and less tannic reds young, while cabernets can age for long periods of time.

As I mentioned before, there are three major white varietals: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling. And, as before, pick up a bottle of each of these varietals, pour a little, and taste them in this order.

Dancing Bull 2005 Sauvignon Blanc $7-9
Rabbit Ridge 2004 Central Coast Chardonnay -- $9-11
Selbach 2004 Riesling Qualitätswein -- $8-10

First, Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon blanc likely originated in the Bordeaux region of France. Most white Bordeaux are made largely from this grape. Sauvignon blancs tend to be tart and crisp. The tartness of a sauvignon blanc comes from the wine's higher level of acidity -- much as an orange is more tart than an apple. As you sniff this wine, you'll usually smell something a little tropical -- pineapples and grapefruits, usually. There's also often a smell that many people describe as "herbaceous" -- like freshly cut grass.

You'll immediately taste the acidity on the first sip. Many SB's have a very pronounced citrus flavor. Some also have a mineral character -- and we'll get to that when we explore sauvignon blanc in more detail. The finish is usually tart and crisp. On a hot day either after working outside or sunning poolside, there are few more refreshing choices than sauvignon blanc.

Sauvignon blancs are incredibly food-friendly because of their high acidity. Much as a cabernet sauvignon's tannin allows it to cut through the fat of a piece of red meat, the makeup of a sauvignon blanc allows its flavor to stand up to many other foods. Spicy foods like Mexican, Indian, or Thai go well, as would a simple salad. (Salad, honestly, is one of the more difficult food pairings.) Light fish dishes also go well, as the sauvignon's flavors won't overwhelm those tastes.

On to Chardonnay, the most popular white varietal in the world. Why? In my opinion, there's more variation in taste among chardonnays than almost any other varietal, red or white. Thus, there's a "flavor" of Chardonnay for almost any palate. In general, Chardonnay generates a full-bodied white wine, less tart than the sauvignon blanc. The fruit is less pronounced, and the finish tends to be smoother.

As for that variation in flavors, if you ever hear discussions of "old world" versus "new world" wines, Chardonnay is a classic example. Old World-style chardonnays (such as white Burgundies) tend to be slightly acidic and crisp. The fruit flavor tends to be mellow, pleasant, and refreshing. New World Chardonnays (specifically, California chards) have two distinct additional flavors: butter and oak.

The "butter" flavor comes from a process called malolactic fermentation. This bacterial process converts the very tart malic acid into lactic acid. Lactic acid is not as tart -- it's the same acid found in dairy products. The result of malolactic fermentation is a compound called diacetyl, which has the aroma of buttered popcorn. If you hear someone referring to a wine "undergoing full malolactic fermentation," that's longhand for "this wine won't be very tart."

The "oak" flavor is unmistakable. Many New World chardonnays are aged in charred oak barrels (or toasted oak chips are added), which makes the wine slightly darker and imparts a character of oak or vanilla. For many years, the California wine industry went overboard in "oaking" wines, leading to a signature flavor on one hand, but a tough wine for many palates to handle on the other. Some California wineries are swinging the other way, specifically making "unoaked" Chardonnay.

The Rabbit Ridge I used is very much a "New World" chardonnay. Both the oak and butter flavors are present.

Because Chardonnay has so much variety, you can find a specific one to go with any number of foods. The Old World chards go really well with seafood, while the New World ones pair with chicken, cream sauces, and pork.

Finally, Riesling. Many people's thoughts of Riesling don't go far beyond the mouth-puckering sweetness of Black Tower or Blue Nun -- causing lots of folks to pass on this wonderful varietal. Riesling is generally the most full-bodied white wine and there is usually some sweetness. Riesling is also one of the few whites, along with Sauternes, that can be aged.

I did an extensive entry a while ago on Riesling, so if you want to know your spatlese from your kabinett and your trocken from your halbtrocken, go here.

The Selbach is a "Qualitätswein" -- the German designation for basic table wine. You'll notice a fairly strong apple scent when you swirl. The taste will be "round" and full with a pleasant sweetness. The sweetness will be even more evident next to the other two wines. You'll also get a little bit of acidity on both the taste and finish.

Like sauvignon blanc, Riesling is an exceptional food wine. Thai or Chinese food go remarkably well with Riesling, but traditional German and Austrian cuisines work well here, too. If you're ever at a loss for a bottle of wine to take to dinner, buy a Riesling, specifically a "dry Riesling" (the label will either say "Dry Riesling" or "trocken"). Dry Riesling pairs with anything from sushi to bratwurst.

One final note: Although there's no absolute consensus on the order in which you taste wines -- I tend to taste drier wines before sweet wines, and light wines before heavy ones. A sauvignon blanc will taste better before a chardonnay, rather than the other way around.

I'd suggest you do a couple of these "varietal side by sides" so you can tell the difference among grapes. The next several "lessons" will deal with the varietals individually. First up will be pinot noir.

Until next time…class dismissed.

Thanksgiving wine -- bottles to carve by

Ah, Thanksgiving. A time when families gather to give voice to their collective baggage, travelers delayed in airports scream at underpaid gate employees, highway traffic floods to a crawl, and somewhere in this madhouse of activity…dinner gets cooked.

Pairing a wine with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner can be a challenge. A big red won't work. The tannins will overwhelm most foods on your table. A usual white, like a chardonnay, usually doesn't have the strength to stand up with the oils in a turkey or pair with the variety of foods on the table -- from cranberries to stuffing to sweet potatoes. What do you want?

You want something that won't break the bank. You generally don't want anything too complex, as such a wine will usually be wasted as everyone gorges and then prepares for a long afternoon nap. So, where to go?

I've picked a few examples of varietals that tend to go well with a Thanksgiving (or other big cooking holiday of your choice) meal. This, of course, is not an exhaustive list, Vine readers should share their holiday wine faves in the comments for everyone to read.

Also, if you're hosting the meal, I recommend storing a small flask of Maker's Mark inconspicuously in the kitchen. For use in the sweet potatoes, of course…

Ca' del Solo 2005 Big House Pink -- Rosés are an excellent choice when you're entertaining for a number of folks. That is, once you get past the fear of pink. Rosés, as I've mentioned before, are extremely flexible, food friendly wines. A rosé generally has a little more body than a white, so it can go with heartier stuffings -- but the acidity that it brings to the table will cut through sauces and sweeter foods nicely. Turkey is a classic rose pairing. This entry from Ca' del Solo -- an alternate label of Bonny Doon Vineyard that produces some excellent, inexpensive blends -- will fill the bill at any such gathering. Remember, though, roses are best when not served ice-cold. You want to at least let it warm to 50 degrees or so. Once you unscrew this rose (and I'm going to do a feature on screwcaps a little down the line -- don't be afraid of them, either…) and pour a glass, you'll be greeted with a light, tropical fruit nose (I get pineapple from it). This wine has a nice "weight" in your mouth and has a well-balanced fruit flavor -- a little strawberry and a little grapefruit. The finish is tart and crisp. The Big House Pink is about $8-9 a bottle. If you have guests that can't decide between red and white, pour them this one. They'll appreciate you.

Covey Run 2005 Columbia Valley Riesling -- Thanksgiving dinner is about options. White meat or dark? Beans or greens? Stuffing or bread? Red or White? You're going to want flexibility, and there's no more flexible white than a decent Riesling. I focused on Riesling once before as a crowd pleaser -- and I'd hold to that if you're looking for a safe bet for your holiday table. For this particular selection -- Covey Run is a winery in Washington. Over the last ten years, Washington and Oregon have become major players in the American wine market, and their wines are some of the best values you'll see in domestic wines. The climate in Washington's Columbia Valley mirrors that of the Saar region in Germany. Some of the best Rieslings in the world are produced there. This wine certainly echoes its heritage. Covey Run's Riesling starts you with a fruity nose of apricots and peaches. This wine would not be considered a "dry" Riesling by any stretch. It's somewhat sweet, but there's a nice tartness that runs through the body of the wine. The finish is gentle and citrusy. This wine has enough interesting fruit flavor to satisfy any corkheads that may be at the table, while it's easy-drinking enough for your everyday guest. At $7-10, it's a great value.

Camelot 2005 Pinot Noir -- Pinot noir is a traditional Thanksgiving wine -- generally because it's a lighter, food friendly red that people can quaff without too much consideration. For a big meal, most folks will, again, generally be fine with a "mainline" pinot. (Personal note -- after the Santa Barbara jaunt, tasting inexpensive pinots was a bit of a shock to the system…) Camelot, although often shelved next to domestic pinot noirs, is actually French wine. It's certainly nowhere near the quality of red Burgundy (most of which are pinots) -- but for our purposes, it'll work. The Camelot has a light nose of cherries and herbs. It's a medium to light bodied pinot with a very nice, dark strawberry taste that slides into a long, semi-dry finish. There's nothing complicated about this wine -- it's just an easy drinking, well-balanced red that will pair with most anything you might have on the table. At $8-9, you can certainly leave a few bottles of this open on the table for copious consumption.

Il Faggeto 2005 Prosecco Veneto -- As I was putting this entry together, my sweet partner in crime asked me, "So, what would you drink with dessert?" Since I don't put The Vine together to discuss Alka-Seltzer, I needed to find something that would go with a pumpkin pie. A little looking around netted me a Prosecco. Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine. Don't confuse it with champagne -- it's not nearly as carbonated or dry. Prosecco tends to be semi-dry and slightly fruity. As you may have noticed, I don't taste a lot of sparkling wine -- because, honestly, I don’t know the best way to really "taste" them. I see most sparklers as for…well…straight-up drinking. (Sparklers have their uses, which I'll get to at a later date.) Il Faggetto Prosecco is a fun wine. The carbonation gives it an interesting flavor -- there's more fruit pushed to your tongue than you would find in your average champagne. While it's a bit sweet initially, the finish slides towards dry. Why would this be a good wine with pumpkin pie? At the end of the meal, you need something that will a) cleanse your palate and b) not be too heavy. Il Faggetto fills the bill. The bubbles will cut through the numerous spices of said pie, while the fruit adds a nice complementary taste. In addition, you could also serve this as a aperitif (WineSpeak for "wine before you eat anything") since it's relatively low in alcohol and pairs nicely with cheeses and fruit. Best of all, you can find this for $8-10, so you can either get your guests warmed up or cooled down without worry.

By the way -- for the other traditional Thanksgiving dessert, pecan pie, there's only one proper pairing. Single-barrel Kentucky whiskey. I recommend Blanton's or Baker's bourbon, or Bernheim's single-barrel wheat whiskey. Accept no substitutes.

Until next time…save me the drumstick.

Raise your Riesling steins...

Images of Oktoberfest -- overflowing beer steins, overweight men in lederhosen, Chad Johnson leading the chicken dance, and…wine?

Yep. No celebration of Oktoberfest would be complete without a discussion of German wine -- at least not in this space.

German wines are easy enough to understand. You start with one word and go from there:

Riesling.

There are other grapes grown in Germany -- a couple of white varietals, and I've seen a rare bottle of rosé or red from that corner of the world. None of them, however, have the tradition or quality of the Riesling grape grown in the valleys of the Rhine and Mosel rivers.

Until recently, German wines have been marketed sparingly to American consumers -- partly due to the steadfast German tradition of not including a translation guide to the labels for we U.S. monoglots. While some German wineries have started doing "easier to understand" labels, we need a quick German vocabulary lesson in the interim.

Most people think of Riesling as sweet wine. A good number of them are not. German vintners are very helpful -- they give you a fair idea of what you're getting before you open the bottle. If you see the lone word "Riesling" on a bottle, you can be certain that the wine will be somewhat sweet.If you see "trocken" on a bottle -- this means "dry." Many trocken Rieslings taste almost like sauvignon blancs. "Halbtrocken" means "half-dry" (or "demi-sweet" if you prefer). Almost all Rieslings have pronounced fruit characteristics -- apple, pear, and citrus are most common.

German wine law also requires a vintner to identify the quality and style of wine they're producing. There are two major classes of German wine -- Tafelwein (table wine), rarely seen in the United States, and Qualitätswein (quality wine), which includes almost everything you'll find in a typical store. Within the Qualitätswein designation, there are two sub-classes. I won't go into the German, but the labels include their respective abbreviations: QbA and QmP.

Any German wine from one of the thirteen major wine regions (the four top ones are Rheinhessen, Rheingau, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, and Pfalz) that's ranked as "basic quality wine" will be labeled QbA.

QmP wines, though -- are the really good ones. They are given one of the following designations in increasing level of quality: Kabinett (usually light and semi-dry), Spätlese (medium style, with more body and a more intense flavor from a little extra ripening of the grapes), and Auslese (full-style, made from hand-picked grapes that are well-ripened). There are other designations above these three -- but they're going to be out of the price range of the Vine. If you get one of those three designations, you'll have a solid product.

As a side note, Germany is the world's foremost producer of Eiswein (Ice Wine) -- which is a delicious dessert wine made from grapes left on the vine until they freeze. Definitely worth trying sometime.

Riesling may be one of the world's most food-friendly wines. While Riesling makes a good aperitif or dessert wine, you can pair one with just about anything. A Spatlese halbtrocken will go with just about anything -- from chicken to pork to roasted vegetables to smoked salmon, or real wine killers like asparagus. I've done a Riesling with cream of Portobello mushroom soup, and it was fabulous. Drier Rieslings are probably the best pairing on the planet for spicy Thai, Chinese, or Indian dishes -- especially if they're loaded with ginger or curry. About the only thing I absolutely wouldn't have a Riesling with would be a good cut of steak. But if you want goulash or stroganoff, you'll be in business.

I'm going to taste three Rieslings here. Doing a side-by-side-by-side tasting would prove fascinating, as you can easily taste the difference among different "preparations" of similar grapes from a relatively small area.

Schmitt Sohne 2005 Riesling Spätlese -- One of the more inexpensive Spätleses that you'll find on the market, Schmitt Sohne's offerings are easily recognizable by the smiley-faced sun on the front of the bottle (not to be confused with "Mr. Smiley" of the former Kentucky license plates). Schmitt Sohne is the largest German exporter (in terms of volume) to the U.S. As I mentioned, a "Spätlese" definition means that the grapes ripened a bit more, meaning more sugar in the grapes, a higher alcohol content, and generally a more complex flavor. The nose of this is a bit less pronounced than many regular Rieslings -- with a combination of apple and wood. The wine hits your tongue with a sweet punch of apples and honey, which then quickly turns citrusy in its very full body. The taste (nectarines?) melts easily into the finish of the wine, which is long and tart -- with just a hint of spice at the very end. A good strong cheese and some apples with this wine would make a fabulous dessert -- made even better by the fact that you paid $8-10 for the bottle. A great way to end a meal or start a picnic.

Bollig-Lehnert 2004 Riesling Kabinett -- A good, solid choice if you're going to be looking for a Kabinett. Inside this traditional green tapered bottle lies a very respectable wine. The nose of this wine carries extremely clean fragrances -- a little fruit and springtime. The first taste of the wine is very gentle and fruity, but not overwhelmingly sweet. (I'm surprised that this didn't get a "halbtrocken" designation.) The overall flavor is full of peaches and honey -- full bodied and long lasting. The finish ends with a quick uptick of tartness. The wine is extremely complex -- you may find yourself tasting slightly different things from sip to sip, which isn't uncommon with Riesling. Foodwise, this may be one of the most flexible wines you can run into. It's not so sweet that you couldn't have it with a basic chicken or pork dish -- but this would work extremely well with peppery food. Mexican food, especially a spicy enchilada sauce or any kind of salsa, would be a nice complement for the fruity backbone of this wine. It'll set you back $11-14, but if you need an extremely flexible wine -- for instance, if you just don't know what you're having for dinner, or you're out and you want a bottle for several people, this is a great choice.

Selbach 2004 Riesling Dry -- As Riesling continues its resurgence among American consumers, savvy German winemakers are making some changes in their labeling. Much as some of the French producers now put the grape varietal on the bottle to increase their market share in the States, so are German winemakers giving monolingual Americans a little more of a hint as to what they're drinking. A few years ago, this wine would simply have been labeled "trocken." You'll recognize the Selbach immediately by the multicolored, stylized fish on the bottle. The wine has an initial clean scent of pineapples. Once it hits your tongue, though, you know you've got a completely different animal than our previous two selections. This wine is very dry, with fresh lemon and tart apples on your tongue. While the wine is quite full-bodied, it's not nearly as fat as the other two wines I've mentioned. The finish is light and crisp with a lingering tartness. This wine is really best enjoyed with food. Dry Rieslings tend to be less complex than their cousins, and they're really a bit too dry by my tastes for either before or after dinner. But if you have this with a meal -- anything loaded with garlic and spice will be balanced exceptionally by this wine. As you've undoubtedly picked up, I love Thai cooking -- and this wine seems to be created specifically as a food pairing for lemongrass and fish sauce. Sushi also works exceptionally well with the Selbach. It's been a favorite of mine for quite some time. $8-11.

Until next time -- Zum Wohl!

"To cellar, perchance to dream..."

Wine cellar.

Wonderful words -- evoking an air of distinction, privilege, and, most importantly, a ready store of really good vintage for on-hand consumption. Realistically, these two words are a fantasy for most of the wine drinking world, and they should be -- especially for those of us who don’t want to break the bank.

As you probably already know, wine's natural enemies are heat, light, and exposure to oxygen. If Sherman set the Wayback Machine to the early days of winemaking, someone discovered that wine kept in a cave lasted longer and the flavor often improved over time. Underground, wine is obviously protected from light, stays at a constant temperature, and the stable humidity prevents the cork (or other stopper) from drying out, thus keeping the wine nice, cozy, and unoxidized until brought out and opened. Many of us try to emulate the "cave" with what we have handy -- usually a hall closet or basement. We may even install or build a rack or two to keep the bottles organized. Alas, we're generally doomed to failure.

Wine, like a Florida retiree, is extremely sensitive to temperature change. The optimal storage temperature for wine is 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows the proper chemical reactions to take place, producing the flavors we love so much. Once a wine gets warmer, the chemical reactions speed up. This not only ages the wine more quickly, but it can throw the balance of flavors seriously out of whack. At a constant 70 degrees, a wine will age between two and eight times faster than at 55 degrees. At 90 degrees, a wine will age between four to fifty-six times faster. If your wine is in the kitchen by the stove for a month in that cutesy little wrought iron wine rack that looks like a French waiter, it can be as if you've had it for 24 years.

I can already imagine some of you thinking, "Great! I can buy some wine that needs to be aged, keep it in a warm place for a month, and I'm all set." Not so fast. Higher temperatures increase the speed of chemical reactions, but wide swings in temperature, especially in heating, have a nasty effect on wine flavors since the reactions and oxidations get out of whack. With such variations, you're going to end up with vinegar faster than you can say "gewürztraminer." The "hall closet" trick usually fails here as well -- since very few closets are temperature-regulated. (Put a thermometer in your closet and check a few times if you don't believe me.)

So -- what do we do to hang on to wine?

A few possible options: first, you could petition your local zoning board to let you drill 20 or so feet beneath the foundation of your home, and build yourself a wine cave. That should be sufficiently deep to avoid freezing, while maintaining consistent temperature and humidity. Just watch the sewer lines.

Second, you could purchase a wine refrigerator. Serious wine collectors do this -- cheap ones will run you several hundred dollars, but they do an excellent job keeping wine in a proper state indefinitely. You can also rig a spare fridge to maintain a relatively constant temperature (I do this for homebrewing lagers) -- but even then, you probably wouldn't want to keep your Lafite '61 in there. Typical refrigerators allow swings in temperature of 8-10 degrees, which will keep wine in the right ballpark – but for really long term storage, it’s problematic.

Third, and most practically, tone down your expectations and drink your bloomin' wine. If you've got a relatively cool, relatively stable temperature anywhere in your domicile -- even if it's not perfect, you can still “cellar” wine. But, if you're like me, temptation eventually overcomes you. However, if you can stay your hand for a year or so, you can work wonders with relatively inexpensive wine – since many of them are shipped to market prematurely (and new vintages can be bargains, since they have no track record), and nine months or a year of aging will improve some wines markedly.

Some rules of thumb -- less tannic wines don't cellar as well, so pinot noir, merlot, Beaujolais, etc -- these should be drunk relatively young. Cabernets, zinfandels, shiraz/syrah -- these you can have around for awhile. White wines generally don't cellar well -- but there are a few exceptions which I'll touch on below.

Here are a couple of inexpensive numbers you might want to consider picking up half a case of and forgetting about for a little while:

Pietra Santa "Sacred Stone" Master's Blend Old World Style Red -- The reference to "Old World" in this overly-nomenclatured wine is to the winemaking techniques of the Rhone valley in France. Sacred Stone is an American version of one of a Rhone red. Many of the wines made in the Rhone are blends -- syrah is usually the backbone, but there are usually other grape varietals floating around in the mix. There’s an appellation (WineSpeak for “type of wine”) called Chateauneuf-de-Pape (French for "Chateau of the Pope" -- this wine bears the papal seal on the bottle) that can contain up to 14 different grapes. Rhone reds are very earthy, and a wine drinker first trying one of these can be knocked back rather harshly by what could be termed a "mild nose of old armpit." Many Rhone wines taste best to me with a little decanting. The Sacred Stone is a Rhone wine with a dose of deodorant. This wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Zinfandel, and a few other grapes. It has a nose of earth, plums, and pepper. When you taste it, the Zinfandel comes at you very strongly. There's a powerful fruit flavor with surprisingly mellow tannin considering the nose of the wine. The finish is peppery with a nice lingering fruit flavor and warmth. I think you should be able to find this one for $8-11, and you could certainly (as suggested by the label) cellar this one for a year or two and end up with what could be an extremely good value. Any kind of earthy vegetables, meats, shepherd's pie, etc. would be absolutely top notch with this one. I think this is a fantastic wine for the price.

Root:1 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon -- The official wine of The Wizard of Covington, Root: 1 is another South American entry into the world of inexpensive wines. I focused on Chilean sauvignon blancs, but their growths of cabernet continue to improve year by year. However, this particular wine has a bit of history. As I mentioned in the earlier installment, Chile is the only place in the world where original ungrafted (never attacked by phylloxera) European vines grow. Root:1 is a product of these original "old vines." If you're a fan of fruitier -- rather than more tannic -- cabernets, you'll really enjoy the Root:1. The nose of the wine is dominated by blackberries a little vanilla. The flavor of the wine is cherries combined with berries, berries, and more berries. There are some very soft tannins as you taste it -- they become much more pronounced on the finish, which is gentle, slightly coffee-flavored and dry. The wine is rich, and would stand up nicely to sirloins, grilled mushrooms, and rich sauces of just about any type. It reminds me more of a zinfandel or a blend than a straight cab. While this is a very good wine now for $10-14, with aging of six months or a year, the berries and tannins should balance nicely, and more complex flavors will undoubtedly come forward as it becomes more "cabby."

Mirassou 2005 Riesling -- Under most circumstances, there's no way in tarnation you'd want to cellar a white. Most whites are made to be drunk young – usually within a year of release. The basic idea for most whites: buy, chill, open, serve, repeat. However, there are a couple of varietals you can cellar if you wish, and, in some cases, you'll end up with a superior product. This offering from Mirassou is case in point. This is a wine that was probably released a little too early for its own good -- but vintners that mass produce wine generally don’t worry about finding the perfect release date for a wine. They are on a schedule, after all. The typical sweet fruit nose of a Riesling isn't as pronounced with this particular vintage. The taste is a little sharp on the tongue, almost spicy -- and a little dry for a "regular" Riesling (not to be confused with a "dry Riesling"-- which is another animal altogether, and we’ll touch on that next week). The finish is much more similar to a gewürztraminer -- again, a little spicy, although there are some nice pineapple undertones. The fruit, though, doesn't stand up as much as it should. If you put this one away for a year (after buying a few at $7-8), the spicy nature will surely mellow, and the fruit will become more pronounced, leaving you with an excellent wine to pair with either fruity desserts (apple pie would be outstanding) or spicy food like Thai.

Until next time, drink no wine before its time…unless of course you do.