Summer of Riesling is starting today. Hundreds of restaurants in the US are celebrating the Summer of Riesling from June 21 to September 21, 2013. The restaurants agreed to feature at least three Rieslings by the glass throughout the entire summer, along with their bottle selections.
31 Days of German Riesling
As part of the Summer of Riesling, during the month of July, participating restaurants are serving at least two German Rieslings and retailers offer at least one in-store tasting.
Summer of Riesling Party in Washington DC with Annette and Christian Schiller
If you are in Washington DC on July 21, please join Annette and Christian Schiller for a "Summer of Riesling" party from 6 pm to 9 pm at their home in McLean, VA, 22101, 6404 Woodsong Court. Please bring a bottle of your favorite Riesling, dry, fruity-sweet, noble-sweet, from Germany, Alsace, Austria, Finger Lakes, Virginia or anywhere else in the world and rsvp to aschiller@ombiasypr.com.
Riesling
Worldwide, there are about 34.000 hectares planted with Riesling. Germany – with 22.400 hectares – accounts for 2/3 of the total. The second largest Riesling producer is Australia, with 4500 hectares. But this is only about 1/10 of the total. Alsace follows with 3500 hectares. Austria, the US with Washington State and New York State as well as New Zealand make up the remainder. But overall, Riesling is really a niche wine, accounting for only less than 1 percent of total wine production in the world - but a very special niche wine.
Dry and Sweet Riesling
Many wine drinkers, in particular outside of Europe, when they see a Riesling in the shelves, have the association of a sweet-style wine. This is however misguided. Rieslings as a rule are dry wines. Of course, there are the famous sugar sweet Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese, Eiswein and Schilfwein wines from Austria and Germany, the Sélection de Grains Nobles from France, the icewines from Canada and other Rieslings, made from botrytized, dried or frozen grapes. The grapes that go into these wines have such a high sugar content that there is nothing you can do to make dry wines out of these grapes. They inevitably produce nobly sweet wines. But apart from these exceptions, which account for only a tiny share of total production, Riesling grapes in Germany, Austria, Alsace, the US and Australia have normal sugar content at the time of fermentation and tend to produce dry wines, when fully fermented.
See also:
With Wine Maker Clemens Busch in Puenderich at his Winery in the Mosel Valley, Germany
However, modern cellar methods allow winemakers in Germany (and elsewhere) to produce wines with a bit of residual sugar with these grapes. There are principally two methods applied in Germany – but neither in Austria nor Alsace - for making these sweet-style Rieslings. First, you do not let the fermentation run its course and stop it; as a result, you get a deliciously sweet and low alcohol wine. Second, you let the wine fully ferment to a normal alcohol level and then add Suessreserve (sterilized juice) to achieve the desired degree of sweetness. These sweet-style wines have lost popularity in Germany, although there appears to be a comeback, but in any case remain very popular outside of Germany, for example in the US.
Summer of Riesling
The Summer of Riesling concept was created in 2008 when Manhattan restaurateur and Riesling fanatic Paul Grieco (Hearth Restaurant, Terroir E.Vil, Terroir, Tribeca and Terroir Murray Hill) decided that during the summer the ONLY white wine that Terroir customers could get was Riesling. The following years the Summer of Riesling expanded in various ways, initially by enlisting other Manhattan wine bars as part of the celebration and adding a concert where the only alcoholic beverage available was Riesling—no beer, no spirits. In 2011 Paul took the Summer of Riesling national, with support from the International Riesling Foundation (IRF), an organization specifically created to promote Rieslings from around the world.
Paul Grieco: The Summer of Riesling
The Summer of Riesling in Paul Grieco o-tone:
What is it? - a love affair with the world's greatest grape expressed in full Technicolor.
Why? - because we must overcome this hackneyed belief that the glorious diversity of Riesling is also a fault...simply put, no grape can do what the Riesling grape can do.
Where? - every corner of the globe where wine is available.
When? - from June 21st to September 21st (we ain't kidding when we call it the Summer of Riesling!).
How? - by bringing everyone together and handing them a glass of Riesling and engaging them in conversation, with the thrust of the dialogue centering on:
Balance...of bone-crunching acidity and potential sweetness
Complexity...like a conversation with Jeffrey Sachs
Delicacy...as if Benjamin Millepied was dancing across your tongue
Longevity...suffice it to say, Moses lived a brief life compared to bottles of this wine
Sense of Place...even Bigfoot's footprint cannot encapsulate all the terroir that Riesling contains
schiller-wine - Related Postings
Visiting Wilhelm Weil at his Weingut Robert Weil in Kiedrich, Germany
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions. I Have Counted Five.
The Karthäuserhof in the Mosel Valley: An Eventful History – From Grenoble in France to New York City in the US
Visiting Weingut Josef Leitz in Ruedesheim – Johannes Leitz is Germany’s Winemaker of the Year, Gault Millau WeinGuide 2011
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
JJ Pruem Goes Supermarket: Meeting Katharina Pruem and Tasting the Incredible JJ Pruem Wines at Wegmans
The Wines of Franz Kuenstler from Hochheim, Rheingau, Germany
Ombiasy Wine Tours: Wine and Culture Tour to Germany Coming up in August 2013
Riesling, Pinot Noir and Indian Cuisine: A tête-à-tête Dinner with Winemaker Ernst Loosen, Weingut Dr. Loosen, at Rasika in Washington DC, USA
Ernst Loosen and Dr. L. Riesling - His Hugely Popular Entry-level Wine Sold Throughout the World
1st International Riesling Symposium, Rheingau, Germany
German Spaetlese Wines Can Come in Different Versions - I have Counted Five
How does a Sweet German Riesling Become Sweet?
When Americans Drink German Wine - What They Choose
American and German Winemakers Among the 7 Winners of Trophies of Excellence of the Riesling Du Monde Competition 2010
German Winemakers in the World: Hermann J. Wiemer
German Wine Makers in the World: Dr. Konstantin Frank (USA)
Dr. Frank Wines from Finger Lakes Featured at State Luncheon for Chancellor Merkel in Washington, D.C., USA
Celebrating the Arrival of the Finger Lakes 2010 Riesling in Washington DC, USA
Celebrating the Release of the Finger Lakes 2011 Riesling in Washington DC, USA
The World Class Wines of Alsace
In the world class white wine region Alsace
German Wine Basics: Sugar in the Grape - Alcohol and Sweetness in the Wine
1st International Riesling Symposium, Rheingau, Germany
With Jean Trimbach from Domaine Trimbach, Alsace, at Bart M. Vandaele’s Belga Café in Washington DC
A German Riesling Dinner at Open Kitchen in Washington DC, USA
“Wine Ambassador” Klaus Wittauer Presented Austrian Wines at the Embassy of Austria in Washington DC, USA
Visiting Colette Faller at Domaine Weinbach in Kaysersberg in Alsace
Visiting Jean Trimbach at Maison Trimbach in Ribeauville in Alsace
In the Glass: Hugel et Fils wines at the cuisine des emotions de Jean Luc Brendel at Riquewihr in Alsace
Visiting Yann-Leon Beyer at Maison Leon Beyer in Eguisheim in Alsace
The Wines of Domaine Lucien Albrecht and the Food of La Chaumiere in Washington DC, USA/France
Shouldn't the event on the 21st of July be from 6 PM - 9 PM? I know hardcore Riesling fans are ambitious but 6 AM at the crack of dawn would even be a bit early for them!
ReplyDeleteUups - thanks. Christian
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