Undertaking Wine

Entries categorized as ‘Riesling’

Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Dry Riesling

March 15, 2010 · Leave a Comment

I picked this up one day in my wine shop. The had this Paumanok Vineyards 2007 Dry Riesling ($17.95) and the 2008, which is their current release, side by side.  I picked it up the older release to give it a try.

I have not been to Paumanok Vineyards, in Aquebogue, in some time, in fact I don’t remember the last time I was there. Bit after this tasting I will make sure I travel along route 25 the next time I go out tasting.

On the nose I was picking up loads of lime juice, granny smith apple and some pear. There was a minerality element that reminded me of rain-soaked rocks. There was also a floral note that rounded out the nose of this wine.

The taste was loaded with fresh squeezed lime and zesty citrus juice. It had a zippy uplifting acidity that made my mouth tingle. There was more apple and pear to round out the flavors.

I really enjoyed this wine. This was one of my favorite Riesling from Long Island. I highly recommend you pick this up the next time you see it.  I will be back to the shop to pickup and try the 2008 in the future.

We had this wine with chicken and steak fajita. It went well, the loads of lime elements really enhanced the food.

Categories: 2007 · Long Island · Paumanok Vineyards · Riesling

Anthony Road Wine Company 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling

February 16, 2010 · 1 Comment

This is the Governor’s Cup Winner this past year.  Did it deserve the medals, I have no clue since I am not a judge and I have not tasted the wines it was up against.  What I can tell you is that this lasted about 40 minuets in the bottle.  And a long time Pinot Grigio fan, who only drinks Pinot Grigio, my mother in law, was shaking the bottle to get every last drop.

I received this as part of my New York Cork Club Membership a while back.  I kept waiting to bring this out with friends or family to our local BYOB Thai place.  But that never happened.

So on Valentine’s day, my wife asked me what I wanted for dinner.  I told her surprise me.  She followed my orders, she asked me to pick one of the three recipes she suggested. One of them was a Thai pulled pork…I knew just what to serve with it!  This Anthony Road Wine Company 2008 Semi-Dry Riesling ($15).

On the nose I could smell the gold right away, as in golden sunshine.  That was the first thought that popped into my head.  There was elements of honeydew melon, pineapple and tropical coconut juice; not the milky kind, the cloudy juicy kind you find in Mexico.

When I tasted this, I was picking up the semi-dry aspect of this Riesling.  Meaning there was some sugar on the palate.  Just a small amount.  But along with the honey like sweetness, there was the zinging acidity you should find in a fine, well made Riesling, like this one.  There was some lime zest that was very prominent and recognizable. 

The mouth feel was what was really enjoyable.  It has a silky viscosity that was asking me to swirl this in my mouth a little longer than usual.

This went perfectly with the dinner that my wife made for me.  I was glad that she was able to take sip or two with dinner.  Assuring that our child will be far advanced in the world or Riesling than I was before.

Unfortunately, this wine is sold out, you may however find this in a wine shop online or near the finger lakes.  If you find it, grab it. 

This wine was deserving of the Governor’s Cup title as Best Wine in the State of NY.  This wine was also deserving of the meal we had on Valentines day.  And this wine was deserving of the wait in my cellar.

Categories: Finger Lake Region · Riesling

Osprey’s Dominion 2008 Riesling Short Sip

January 6, 2010 · 2 Comments

This bottle I picked up at my local wine shop when I was in the mood for some Riesling.  It retailed for $11.95. 

Osprey’s Dominion is located in Peconic on Main Road or as I like to call it Route 25.  I have not visited the tasting room in quite some time, hopefully this will change soon.

There is not too much information about Osprey Dominion on their website that explains the history of the vineyard.  I hope to visit them and give you more information about them. 

On the nose I was not picking up much of anything too noticable.  It was not welcoming and it was taking me a while to coax anything out of it.  As the wine came up to room temperature.  As it did, there was some spice and some Granny Smith Apple.

The taste was a bit off-balance.  It was a bit to mouth drying.  It reminded me of a bubbly, in the way champagne can clean the plate.  It was quite dry.  I was also getting some strange aftertaste that I could just not get my hands on.

I cannot recommend this wine to anyone.  It was just not right.  It’s too bad, because I really was in the mood for some Riesling.

This bad experience with this wine will not sour my thoughts on Osprey’s Dominion.  I do plan on visiting them and when I do I will be sure to let you all know.

Categories: Long Island · Osprey's Dominion · Riesling · Short Sip · Wine Store

Wine Blogging Wednesday #62: Pindar 2007 Johannisberg Riesling

October 14, 2009 · 10 Comments

Wine Blogging WednesdayThis Wine Blogging Wednesday, #62 is titled “A Grape by Any Other Name”.  It is hosted by Dale Cruse over at drinksareonme.net.   We are assigned to find a wine with a lesser known varietal on the label.  I found this to be a bit of a challenge for two reasons.  There are not a lot of lesser know varietals on Long Island.   On top of it, this is Drink Local Wine Week, so I wanted to tie everything together, if I could.

When I mentioned the fact that I have to find a lesser know varietal, I am talking about this: instead of drinking Pinot Grigio, I should be drinking, Pinot Gris; instead of a Sauvignon Blanc, I should drink a Fume Blanc…get the picture.

So looking around my local wine shop there was not too much of a selection.  In fact there was one.  But I was curious about another wine staring me in the face, so I whipped out my BlackBerry Storm and typed in the browser, Riesling, and this according to Wikipedia popped up:

“Many grapes that incorporate the name Riesling are not true Riesling. For example:

  • Welschriesling is an unrelated variety, which is common in Austria, Croatia, Hungary and Romania which may also be labeled as Riesling Italico, Welsch Rizling, Olasz Rizling or Laski Rizling.
  • Schwarzriesling (Black Riesling) is the German name for Pinot meunier, a grape used in Champagne, but which is also grown in Southern Germany.
  • Cape Riesling is the South African name for the French grape Crouchen.
  • Gray Riesling is actually Trousseau Gris, a white mutant of the Bastardoport wine grape.
  • White Riesling is the ‘real’ Riesling, which is also called Johannisberg Riesling (named after the famed Schloss Johannisberg) and Rhine Riesling (= Riesling Renano in Italy, occasionally Rheinriesling in Austria)”

Pindar 2007 Johannisberg RieslingNotice the last bullet…I just scored!  I chose Pindar’s 2007 Johannisberg Riesling.  I had no clue.  And I was excited because I have a post about my visit to Pindar Vineyards out next week.

This is a beautiful straw colored wine.  It has nice viscosity in the glass as I gave it a swirl or two.

On the nose I was getting a nice floral aroma.  There was this wonderful honey sent and a very nice Apricot aroma.  I really loved the bouquet on this wine.

The taste was even more exciting.  The apricot carried over with a touch of honeydew melon.  There was creamy honey like flavor that coated the mouth so well.  This had great balance of acidity and sweetness.  The zing I was getting on the sides of my tongue were making me have more, and the honey lemony citrus finish, that was quite long, was driving me crazy.

This was a semi-dry wine that was a lush medium to full body wine. I had this with some leftover Chinese food and it was just perfect.

This was a Gold Medal Winner at the 2009 Food and Wine Classic this year, and I can see why.  This was my first Johannisberg Riesling, but not my first Riesling.  I wish I had the time to compare this along with Governor’s cup winner From Anthony Road Winery, but it is just too late in the day.  I will have to do it another day.

I highly recommend you pickup this 2007 Johannisberg Riesling.  It retails for $16.99 in the Pindar tasting room, but I got it for $ 14.99 at my local shop.

So I tried everything together, “A Grape By Another Name”, Drink Local Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday, and I also supported my local wine shop.  My post is finished; now let me finish this bottle.

Categories: Pindar · Riesling · Wine Blogging Wednesday · Wine Store

Dr. Konstantin Frank Semi Dry Riesling 2006 Quick Sip

September 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Dr. Frank Semi Dry RieslingThis is a semi dry Riesling from Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyards($14.95) from the Finger Lake Region of New York.  I have had a dry Riesling a few weeks ago, so I decided to go for a semi dry one afternoon with some leftover Thai food.

In the glass, there was a mineral aroma; it reminded me of the smell of water pouring over steam rocks.  I was also getting some nice honey, melons, and citrus aroma.  It was not to sweet smelling, just right.

The taste was a nice lemon/lime, more toward the lime side.  It was clean and crisp, thanks to the acidity.  The honey was coming through not in flavor, but in feel.

The finish was nice in smooth.  There was a good balance between the residual sugar and the acidity.

My lunch of Curry Chicken and this Riesling was perfect.  This is a wonderful wine to have with a spicy dish.

This was a most enjoyable wine, the sugar was coming through a bit, and it was taking me a little while to get adjusted to.  However, by the end of this Friday afternoon, I was trying to squeeze the last drop from this wonderful Riesling.

Categories: Finger Lake Region · Riesling · Short Sip

Herman J. Wiemer 2006 Dry Riesling

August 13, 2009 · 3 Comments

2006 Dry RieslingI am no longer a New York State Riesling Virgin.  The other night it was the Mrs., Thai food and this, Herman J. Wiemer Vineyard 2006 Dry Riesling from the Finger Lake Region.  Let me tell you, this wine was grand!

I have never tried a NYS Riesling.  I have had some Riesling from around the planet before, but really did not care for them.  The Riesling’s that I have had were more on the sweet side, which I am not a fan of.  To figure out where you are in the land of Riesling, check out this link.  I am at stage 2, but after this wine, I am moving full steam ahead into stage 3.

This wine is unreal.  It was so good, that we drank it so fast I did not take any notes.  It was so satisfying and delicious; I could not put the glass down.  So from memory here is what I remember.

On the nose there was a wonderful citrus aroma, with a hint of lime.  The lime is what intrigued me to take a quick sip.  The taste added a kiss of honey with wonderful citrus flavors.  It was a clean finish, and had the perfect amount of acid to clean my palate for the next glass.

We had this with Thai from our local Thai place.  This Riesling was perfect with the Pad Thai Noodles and the Beef Coconut Curry Melissa had.  What a great wine and dinner too.

This is a wine I highly recommend to anyone who is curious about Riesling or has experience with Riesling.  I want more of this and will make room for this wine in my cellar.  I know there are a whole slew of lakes in this great state of ours that need to be explored; I intend to do just that.

Categories: Finger Lake Region · Notes · Riesling · White Wine