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WBW #45: Old World Riesling

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 | Germany, Riesling, White Wine, Wine Blogging Wednesday

When Tim Elliot of Winecast announced the theme (Old World Riesling) for the current edition of Wine Blogging Wednesday, I was really looking forward to it. I don’t drink many Rieslings and consider the variety to be unfamiliar territory for the most part, and thus an adventure. German Rieslings are arugeably the most famous of all “Old World” Rieslings. The country’s Riesling vines can be traced back to 1435 and by the end of the 19th century Riesling was the region’s dominant grape variety. In Germany, you might hear Riesling called “The King of White Wine Grapes.”

I decided to come back to a German Riesling that I had quickly tasted at an industry event in the fall: 2006 Urban Riesling Nic Weis Selection. I remembered liking it and wanted to be able to take my time and get a better feel for it. Urban Riesling is produced from grapes in the vineyards neighboring St. Urbans-Hof Estate in Leiwen, Germany. St. Urbans-Hof has only 30 hectares of land on which to grow grapes, and with their reputation for high-quality wine that was growing in popularity, German winemaker Nik Weis reached the limit on what he could produce from his own vineyards. In 2006 he began to source grapes from his neighbors and began producing Urban Riesling. He put his name on the label to assure consumers it was a high-quality product. I found a bit of background on this wine at Wine Online:

“The Mehringer Zellerberg vineyard is a southern- facing site of slate soils which offers the perfect conditions for producing a typical Mosel Riesling on a high quality level,” said Weis. “Since the area is lesser-known than others on the Mosel, and because the vineyard is only slightly-steep, allowing some vineyard work by tractor, Urban Riesling also offers great value.”

As a member of Germany’s prestigious VDP (German Association of Praedikat and Quality Wine Estates), Weis is restricted from using the St. Urbans-Hof label on any wine that is not grown on his own property. He is diligent in honoring that regulation and thus, Urban Riesling carries the name I. Weis as producer on the label.

The wine has a very pretty light straw color. We were tasting it at about 9 PM, but I imagine that it would glisten beautifully if you were enjoying a glass of this Riesling out on the deck or porch. There were aromas of honey, pear, minerals, and a melony sweetness. The melon and pear carried through to the palate, and the sweetness rolled onto my tongue nicely. The wine resolved to a semi-dry, mineraly finish: quick and crisp. For around $11.99, I think that Urban Riesling is an excellent value. Like most German Rieslings it would pair well with foods that have a bit of spice to them. I think it would be great with grilled kielbasa (from a good butcher please, not the supermarket stuff if you can help it) and sauerkraut (with caraway seeds if possible). I could also see this pairing well with sushi. I think the sweetness of the wine would be a great contrast to the salty soy sauce and hot wasabi. Of course, Riesling is wonderful on its own and at only 10.5% alcohol, is a great choice for warmer weather when you don’t want to drink anything heavy.

Thanks again to Tim for hosting and picking a great topic for this round. Stay tuned for the announcement of the round-up, and the topic for Wine Blogging Wednesday #46, which will be hosted by Dr. Debs of Good Wine Under $20.

5 Comments to WBW #45: Old World Riesling

David McDuff
May 8, 2008

Nice notes, Carol. I tend to skip right past negociant wines like this but your write-up makes it sound like it’s worth a try.
cheers,
David

Tim
May 8, 2008

Thanks for your participation this month. Sounds like a nice wine.

Cheers,
–
Tim Elliott
Winecast

Dale Cruse
May 12, 2008

Sounds like you had as much fun with your Riesling as I did on this Wine Blogging Wednesday!

Jonathan Hull
March 14, 2009

Riesling is the grape of the 21st century. It is also a grape underdog. It’s not appreciated it and is the ultimate food wine. The grape has great flexibility, as it can be made, dry, semi dry, sweet, late harvest and ice wine. This grape grows very well in New York State and I want to bring awareness of the grape and the wonderful wines it produces.

Won’t you join me at: http://www.TheNewYorkRielsingExperience.com
May 2nd & 3rd 2009 form 12-5 pm at Applewood Winery in Warwick, NY

Jonathan Hull
Winemaker

Air Rift
June 12, 2010

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