The 2004 Hogue Riesling, approximately $6.95 a glass from P.F. Chang’s Chinese Restaurant Chain (branches everywhere).

The 2006 Chateau St. Michelle Riesling, available for $7.99 at WineDelight.com.

The 2006 Snoqualmie Winemaker’s Secret Riesling, available for $8.96 from Wine Chateau for the 2005 vintage.

The driest of the three, the Hogue went excellently well with Ginger Chicken and Candied Walnut Shrimp. The nose screamed apricot, the flavour said the same thing, but, thankfully, in a much quieter voice. A great wine for P.F. Chang’s: 8.8.

An off-dry wine that battled the Hogue for the most-dry prize, the Chateau St. Michelle was light and refreshing. It paired superbly with a half-dozen oysters and thinly-cut Miso Tuna Rolls in a light batter: 8.8.

The Snoqualmie was by far the sweetest. While its label recommends Asian food, fruit, and cheese pairings, InterWined is hard pressed to agree. For all of its protestations, the Snoqualmie is more akin to a Late Harvest Riesling, making it an excellent dessert wine or digestif. Reading that it pairs with ‘Asian’ food, fruit, cheese seems like sloppy marketing. Indeed, it’s always strange to read that a wine would make an excellent match for cheese, as cheese is a dairy. Dairy coats the mouth and masks the flavours and flaws of the wine. In the case of the Snoqualmie, it is an unnecessary and misleading tasting note. The wine’s better than that: 8.6.

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