The 2019 American Wine Society Annual Meetings took place at St. Pete Beach in Florida, on Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2019. More than 600 members from all over the USA came to this 3-day event, filled with tastings, seminars and presentations.
Janie Brooks Heuck, President, International Riesling Foundation and Brooks Winery, Oregon, presented a most interesting seminar with dry Rieslings from around the world. This posting focuses on this seminar. I am also reposting a recent article by Dave McIntyre, which he wrote for the Washington Post about Riesling.
I have already provided an overview of the event her: The 2019 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens
Postings on schiller-wine
This is the last in a series of postings related to the American Wine Society National Conference 2019 in St. Pete Beach, Florida:
The 2019 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens
VDP at AWS: Tasting Premium German Wines at the Showcase of Wines of the 2019 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA, with Annette and Christian Schiller
Renaissance of the Terroir in Germany: Back to the Roots - Seminar at the 2019 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA, led by Annette Schiller
Syrah and Shiraz: Is there any Difference, do they Taste the Same? - Seminar at the 2019 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA, led by Annette Schiller
Dry Riesling from around the World - Seminar at the 2019 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA, led by Janie Brooks Heuck, President, International Riesling Foundation
Two American Icons: With Randall Grahm, Founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard, and Joel Peterson, Founder of Ravenswood Vineyards, at the 2019 American Wine Society National Conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida, USA
Ombiasy WineTours Booth
One of the about 15 booths at the conference was Annette Schiller's ombiasyPR & WineTours booth, where Annette and I presented her 6 tours to Germany (East, South, North) and France (Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Rhone).
Not all Riesling is Sweet, and Other Things to Know About the Versatile White Wine
By Dave McIntyre
The Washington Post
Posted11/18/2019
Riesling is arguably the most misunderstood wine. Sommeliers, wine writers, people who spend too much of their disposable income on wine, tend to love it. And yet, "I don't like riesling -- it's too sweet," is a common refrain from casual wine drinkers, whenever I rave about it.
That's understandable. Generations of Americans favored sweet wine, and riesling fit the bill. Whether inexpensive plonk from Germany or generic white wine from California, we drank lots of it. But somewhere along the way, we learned that "dry" wine is supposed to be better. Chardonnay and sauvignon blanc eclipsed riesling in U.S. vineyards and American imaginations.
Today there's a bit of a riesling renaissance in the United States. Riesling shines in certain regions, such as New York's Finger Lakes, Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula and Washington state's Columbia Valley. Some dedicated winemakers are crafting exceptional riesling in Oregon's Willamette Valley, and there are a few notable holdouts in California.
Here are several things to know about riesling and to encourage you to explore this exciting wine.
• They are not all sweet!
Riesling is a versatile wine, because it can be racy and bone dry, unctuous and sweet, and everything in between. That's why consumers can be confused -- we don't know what we're buying unless the label tells us. And it doesn't, usually. But there are clues.
Rieslings from Austria, Australia and New Zealand are almost always dry, and the rare dessert wines are usually marked as such. Dry German rieslings may be labeled as "trocken," and the top bottlings called Erste Lage or Grosses Gewachs are always dry. U.S. wineries may make a range of styles. These may be labeled as Dry or Semi-Dry, to indicate moderate sweetness, which I prefer to call fruitiness. Ripe fruit, after all, tastes sweet.
Or the back label may sport a scale indicating Dry, Medium Dry, Medium Sweet or Sweet. This scale was developed by a group or wineries called the International Riesling Foundation, and it's a little more complex than it sounds. A wine's perceptible sweetness is not just a question of how much sugar is left in the wine after fermentation. The IRF scale factors in sugar, acidity and the wine's pH level to give us an indication of how sweet or dry the wine will taste.
• Riesling is a great food wine.
A food-wine pairing maxim pitches sweeter wine with spicy Asian foods, because the sugar in the wine moderates the food's heat. Riesling fits that, especially a semi-dry version. But the wine's key is really its fruitiness and acidity, a combination that equals versatility.
"Riesling can be made in many different styles, from low to high alcohol, from dry, to off-dry and then the many dessert styles," says Stu Smith, winemaker at Smith-Madrone Vineyards on Napa Valley's Spring Mountain. Smith-Madrone planted its riesling vineyard in 1972 and is now celebrated as one of the few riesling holdouts in the land of cabernet sauvignon. "It goes with just about any food, meat, soup or cuisine -- or all by itself."
Riesling is great with smoked fish, salads, curries, even braised beef -- one of my most memorable meals was beef braised in Riesling, with spaetzle. It may have helped that I was in Germany, of course. And if you buy a bottle that turns out to be too sweet for your taste, save it for a salty cheese or dessert.
• Riesling is a megaphone for terroir.
A conversation with a German winemaker can turn into a dizzying discourse on how a riesling from a vineyard on blue slate soils tastes different from one grown on red slate. But you don't have to be a geologist to appreciate riesling's ability to express its origins.
In cool climates, such as New York's Finger Lakes and Michigan's Old Mission Peninsula, riesling takes on a lean, racy profile. Warmer climes such as the Columbia Valley in Washington state or Napa Valley give riesling a richer body, with riper fruit flavors.
But there are differences, and U.S. riesling is especially exciting now, as winemakers explore its different expressions. Rieslings from Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes tend to have a delicate texture with an accent of lime zest, while ones from nearby Keuka Lake are richer. Brooks winery makes more than 20 rieslings, including several single-vineyard bottlings, that vividly demonstrate the terroirs and microclimates of Oregon's Willamette Valley.
• Riesling ages well.
Wine lovers who are still collectors should keep a stash of riesling in their cellars. We tend to consider white wines at their peak just a year or two after the vintage, but riesling's acidity gives it a potential for long life.
"Why do I keep making riesling?" Smith asks. "Because I love drinking it while it's young, and savor it when it's aged."
Friday, November 1
11:00 am – 12:15 pm Sessions B
Session B-1: Dry Riesling From Around the World
Presenter: Janie Brooks Heuck, President,International Riesling Foundation
Abstract: Riesling is the most versatile white grape in the world and expresses where it is grown better than any other white variety. It is the favorite grape of most wine professionals, but is so often misunderstood. Explore the terroir, climate an d soils of six Rieslings, all dry in style, from around the world with Janie Brooks Heuck, President of the Int. Riesling Foundation.
The Dry Rieslings Janie Poured
2017 Anthony Road Vineyard, Riesling Dry, Finger Lakes, USA
2017 Chateau St. Michelle Columbia Valley, Dry Riesling, USA
2017 Brooks Estate, Ara, Riesling, Willamette Valley, USA
2017 Weingut Stadt Krems, Kremstal, Riesling trocken, Austria
2017 Dr. Loosen, Blue Slate, Riesling Dry, Mosel, Germany
2013 Hugel, Riesling, Grossi Laue, Alsace, France
Annette Schiller's Presentations at the 2018 American Wine Society Annual Meetings in in Buffalo, New York State
The 2018 American Wine Society National Conference in Buffalo, New York State, USA: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens
VDP at AWS: Tasting Premium German Wines at the Showcase of Wines of the 2018 American Wine Society National Conference in Buffalo, New York State, with Annette and Christian Schiller
"Abbey Wines”: The Importance of the Monasteries for the Development of Viticulture - Seminar at the 2018 American Wine Society National Conference in Buffalo, New York State,USA, led by Annette Schiller
Burgundy Pinot Noir and German Pinot Noir: Differences and Similarities - Seminar at the 2018 American Wine Society National Conference in Buffalo, New York State, USA, led by Annette Schiller
A Journey through the Rhône Valley - Seminar at the 2018 American Wine Society National Conference in Buffalo, New York State,USA, led by Annette Schiller
Annette Schiller's Presentations at the 2017 American Wine Society Annual Meetings in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania
The 2017 American Wine Society National Conference in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, USA: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens
Showcase of Wines at the 2017 National Conference of the American Wine Society: Annette and Christian Schiller Present German/ VDP/ Loosen Bros. USA Wines
A Journey through the Vineyards of Alsace - A Tasting Seminar at the National Conference 2017 of the American Wine Society, led by Annette Schiller (ombiasyPR & WineTours)
Burgundy: What makes it so Special? - A Tasting Seminar at the 2017 American Wine Society National Conference in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, led by Annette Schiller (ombiasyPR & WineTours)
German Wines in the 21st Century - A Tasting Seminar at the 2017 American Wine Society National Conference in in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, led by Annette Schiller (ombiasyPR & WineTours)
Annette Schiller's Presentations at the 2016 American Wine Society Annual Meetings in California
The 2016 American Wine Society National Conference in California, USA: Seen Through Christian Schiller's Camera Lens
The New Germany: Red, Sparkling and Dry - Tasting at the American Wine Society 2016 National Conference in Los Angeles, USA, led by Annette Schiller
The New Classification of German Wines: The VDP Classification - Annette Schiller Conducting a Seminar at the 2016 National Convention of the American Wine Society in Los Angeles, USA
The Insider’s View of Charles Krug Winery - Peter Mondavi Jr., Co-Proprietor, Charles Krug Winery
Château Climens, Premier Cru Barsac and Savory Dishes…who knew? - Bérénice Lurton, Owner of Château Climens and Tony Lawrence, Global Food & Wine Pairing Specialist
schiller-wine: Related Postings
UPCOMING Tours/ Wine Dinners/ Tastings - Annette and Christian Schiller/ ombiasyPR & WineTours/ schiller-wine, Germany, France, USA (Issued: November 1, 2019)
Announcement: Upcoming ombiasy Wine Tours 2020 - (1) Alsace and Germany South, (2) Rhône Valley, (3) Bordeaux
Annual Riesling Party at the Schiller Residence in Washington DC, USA (2019)