InterWined.com

Liquid Refreshment

23

Aug

More than Microsoft

Sean Sellers  in White Wines, Riesling , , , , , ,

Home to Microsoft, Starbucks, Fraiser, and Grey’s Anatomy, Washington State is also home to more 500 wineries.

Perhaps surprising even to those within the United States, this puts Washington as the country’s second largest producer of wine, followed by Oregon and New York State. (California, of course, is the largest US producer). And, presumably, explains the explosion of Washington wines on restaurant wine lists throughout the USA, particularly the explosion of Riesling.

Grown across some 890 hectares (2200 acres), Washington State wine producers boast that their Rieslings vary in taste and intensity of flavour from dry to off-dry to sweet, which to InterWined places the state in direct competition with Germany for the crown of best overall Riesling producer.

Examples of all three:

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.

Like what you've read? Why not subscribe to InterWined.com and get the lastest posts delivered fresh to your feeder.

Respond To This Topic

Subscribe to this post's comment rss or trackback url

Please Note: Comments are often subject to moderation to help reduce spamming.