From Clare Valley to Niagara £75pp
£75pp including nibbles | Starts 7:30pm
Riesling has always been a wine that I have enjoyed in its many guises; however, yesterday I went to a tasting where it has now elevated to a must-have, must-drink wine! It was an incredible German tasting where even two prominent wine critics, who never attend tastings together, were both there because it was so iconic!
I now get the opportunity to share some of the stunning German Riesling delights with you, and they are not expensive to buy either—whether that’s because it’s the wine trade’s best-kept secret or the fact that the wines are impossible to pronounce, they are definitely the most incredible wines with the coolest producers. The Prädikatswein system—based on the ripeness of the grapes when they are harvested—also complicates life but adds another level of joy and expense! We will try an Auslese and an Eiswein. I do, however, feel a trip to Germany coming! We will look at the Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, and a cult winemaker from Mosel, who is part of the thrilling revolution in German winemaking.
We will also feature iconic Rieslings from Austria, Alsace, Clare Valley Australia, Central Otago New Zealand, and an ice wine from Canada. Hmmm, 9 wines again, and oh yes, of course, a sparkling Riesling as an aperitif, that makes 10!
Come and try these incredible wines, and you will learn a lot and fall in love with this fabulously sophisticated grape. Though it ranks twentieth in terms of quantity grown, it is in the top three white grapes for importance alongside Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, perfectly representing whatever terroir it is grown in.
What you’ll be tasting
Aperitif
Saar Riesling Cremant, Weinhaus Peter Lauer, Brut NV
Whites
2023 Polish Hill Riesling, Grosset, Clare Valley, Australia
2016 Felton Road, Riesling, Block 1, Central Otago, New Zealand
2023 Niersteiner, 1G, Weingut Wottmann, Rheinhessen, Germany
2022 Riesing Weiser-Kunstler, Mosel, Germany
2023 Niedermenniger Riesling Herrenberg Kabinett feinherb Onkel Peter Weingut Hofgut Falkenstein, Mosel, Germany
2021 Alzinger, Reid Loibenberg, Riesling, Smaragd, Wachau, Osterreich, Austria
2021 Domaine Rolly Gassman, Silberberg de Rorschwihr, Alsace, France
2016 Schloss Vollrads, Riesling, Auslese, Rheingau, Germany
2021 Inniskillin, Niagara Riesling Ice wines, Ontario, Canada