New Jersey Riesling

I know many of you may not see Riesling as your “go to” white wine. Some of you may even have the misconception that all Rieslings are sweet. However, I have good news if you fall into either category. Yes, there are many sweet Rieslings out there and they have their place (great with spicy foods). Sweet helps neutralize heat. There is much to learn about this interesting grape. In Germany, where Riesling is king, the wines are classified based on the degree of sweetness. They range from Kabinett (dry to off-dry) to Trockenbeerenauslese (sweetest). It is one of the few white wines that can generally be aged (in some cases longer than a few red wines). Riesling is also one of the most versatile grapes and will pair nicely with many dishes.

The better news is that there are some excellent Rieslings being produced right here in New Jersey. Probably about 25% or more of our wineries grow and make at least one Riesling. A couple of wineries produce a Dry Riesling and a Sweet Riesling. One has even produced a Riesling that they barrel ferment in oak. But you don’t have to learn German (or pronounce Trockenbeerenauslese). New Jersey Rieslings are easy to pronounce and go down even easier. New Jersey Rieslings have also been well-received by a few wine critics.

Here are several of my personal favorites:

• Beneduce Vineyards Thee Windows White-A lovely light, crisp wine; perfect, especially this time of year. They also make a very nice Dry Riesling, which took a Silver Medal at the 2018 NJ Wine Competition.
• Mount Salem Vineyards Dry Riesling-Dry and crisp; a super version of the Dry Riesling. It took a Bronze Medal at the 2017 New Jersey Wine Competition.
• Unionville Vineyards Riesling-An excellent Riesling, from which they also recently made a Pet Nat (also excellent)
• Alba Vineyards-Though I have not tasted their Riesling for a while, they make an excellent and well-received Dry Riesling and Riesling (slightly sweet). Most recently, Gold Medal, 91 Points at LA International Wine Competition (Dry Riesling) and Gold Medal and Best of Category for Riesling at 2017 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition
• Fox Hollow Vineyards-They make the only oaked version I have ever had, as well as a traditional stainless steel fermented version. Both are very good. The unoaked version took a Silver Medal at the 2017 New Jersey Wine Competition and a Bronze at the 2017 Finger Lakes Competition.
• Turdo Vineyards & Winery-2018 DiLuca Dry Riesling-Their reds are so good, some might overlook a white wine. Don’t, they are also very good.
• Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery Riesling-While not currently listed on their website, as you can see above I have a bottle. It is not labeled as dry or sweet. It appears to be an off dry, with a somewhat sweet initial taste on the palate, but with a dry, acidic finish. They have also produced a Signature Series Dry Riesling that took a Bronze Medal at the 2018 NJ Wine Competition. I look forward to the next release of this one.
• Old York Cellars Dry Riesling-Very good. They also make a Sweet Riesling. They won a Bronze Medal for their Riesling at the 2017 Great American International Wine Competition.
• Sharrott Winery Dry Riesling-Nicely balanced and very reasonably priced. At the 2017 Finger Lakes Wine Competition, they took a Silver Medal for their NV Riesling and a Bronze for their NV Dry Riesling.

Cheers!

Coming Soon

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• Anniversary Weekend with NJ Wine
• Wine Down Summer at Riverwinds
• The Winemakers Co-Op Portfolio Tasting

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