Riesling New York's best wine?

[Craig Camp]

The 2003 Dry Riesling, from the Rivendell Winery in the Hudson River Valley, near northern Manhattan, won the 19th annual New York Wine and Food Classic yesterday. The competition is seen as the definitive contest limited to New York state wines.

[GordonCooks]

This wine may be a little better - Link

But I've had neither so I'm speculating

[Rachel Perlow]

If any wine store carries these wines, I'd bet it is Wines for All in Tappan, NY. They emphasize American and NY wines.

[Really Nice!]

If any wine store carries these wines, I'd bet it is Wines for All in Tappan, NY. They emphasize American and NY wines.

Just a guess, but I'm willing to bet you can find it at Vintage New York.

Rivendell is owned by Robert Ransom and Susan Wine, who also own two Vintage New York shops in Manhattan’s SoHo and Upper West Side areas, devoted exclusively to New York wines.

"Robert Ransom and Susan Wine" there's a joke in here somewhere...

[slkinsey]

I have to try some of these. I have to confess that I tend to stay away from Rieslings grown/produced outside its traditional geography because they don't seem to taste like Riesling to me. Do the NY ones taste anything like traditional Rieslings?

[KatieLoeb]

I have to try some of these. I have to confess that I tend to stay away from Rieslings grown/produced outside its traditional geography because they don't seem to taste like Riesling to me. Do the NY ones taste anything like traditional Rieslings?

Sam:

I've had some of the Finger Lakes rieslings (Dr. Konstanin Frank) and they are delicious. The flavor profile is definitely riesling but with much less minerality than one would be accustomed to from German/Alsatian examples. If one isn't a "rockhead" in terms of their wine preferences, then they're right up your alley.

[Jason Perlow]

New York Rieslings are great wines, but my problem with them is they are comparatively expensive compared to EXCELLENT German and Alsatian Rieslings.

When I can get the real Mccoy from Germany at $6-$12 per bottle for a nice ripe QMP, why should I spend $15 and up for a NY one? And vintage NY Riesling is nonexistent. Sure, theres the difference in terroir, but hey, they aren't THAT different. If they were the same price or cheaper, it would be a different story, I would drink them all the time.

[tanabutler]

New York Rieslings are great wines, but my problem with them is they are comparatively expensive compared to EXCELLENT German and Alsatian Rieslings.

When I can get the real McCoy from Germany at $6-$12 per bottle for a nice ripe QMP, why should I spend $15 and up for a NY one?

An excellent point, made even more potent by the fact that European imports cost about $3 more/bottle on the West Coast.

On the other hand, those Gruner-Veltliners are made of rocks, and we jist cain't get 'em out here. They are worth the mark-up. --minerally sigh.--

[Jason Perlow]

New York Rieslings are great wines, but my problem with them is they are comparatively expensive compared to EXCELLENT German and Alsatian Rieslings.

When I can get the real McCoy from Germany at $6-$12 per bottle for a nice ripe QMP, why should I spend $15 and up for a NY one?

An excellent point, made even more potent by the fact that European imports cost about $3 more/bottle on the West Coast.

On the other hand, those Gruner-Veltliners are made of rocks, and we jist cain't get 'em out here. They are worth the mark-up. --minerally sigh.--

California must have some weird taxation on foreign wine then. In New Jersey, German and Alsatian Rieslings are less expensive than the New York ones. Most of the importers of German and Alsatian wines are based in this area of the country, though. Terry Theise being one of the major ones.

[CtznCane]

Being a loyal California native and an enjoyer of riesling's I wish I could say we have some nice ones. Late Harvest wise we do but not much in the way of other rieslings that are not Late Harvest. Perhaps I haven't looked hard enough but I'd be interested in trying some of the better New York ones. Any ideas as to Bay Area (San Fran/East Bay preferred) sources for them?

[Jmoryl]

Hmm, if I'm not mistaken the grapes for the Rivendell wine come from the Finger Lakes.

I haven't had that one yet, but I enjoy Finger Lakes riesling and have been following the area for years.

Gordon - the Ingle Vineyard Riesling from Heron Hill is a very fine wine; this has been an automatic purchase for me for the last few years. But this year the price has about doubled (it is now $25 in the tasting room) so I'm likely to pass, given some other equally good FL rieslings are much better QPR.

Jason - you must be buying these wines in NYC. Upstate the usual range for the standard bottlings of FL riesling run $9-$15 in the stores that discount. VintageNY in particular has a very steep markup. With the sucessful hyping of the '01 German vintage and current euro exchange rate I'd like to know where you are getting your $6 - $12 QmP wines. I've been seeing $13-$20 for many estate bottled Kabinetts and $18 and up for most Spaetlesen.

If you don't find vintage variation in the FL rieslings you aren't following them closely enough.

If anyone wants to try a good one that has fairly good availability look for the '03 Dr. Frank Dry Riesling (e.g. $14 at Astor in NYC) - lots of minerals, great balance.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, truth be told, I haven't bought many new Rieslings in about 6 months, as we have a decent supply at the moment, so my pricing data is a bit out of date. Most of my wines are 1999er or 2000, some 97's and 98's. I don't have any 2001's as far as I know, maybe one of my Selbach Osters or Prums are. But I bought most of mine from larger liquor stores in NJ, I don't buy much wine in NYC, except on the rare occasion I go visit Nancy's or Astor Wines or some place like that. I've never been to Vintage New York.

The Dr. Frank is a good wine, I've had it.

[Adam Balic]

I have to try some of these. I have to confess that I tend to stay away from Rieslings grown/produced outside its traditional geography because they don't seem to taste like Riesling to me. Do the NY ones taste anything like traditional Rieslings?

I think that Riesling has been producing in Australia for ~100 to 120 years, so I guess this is a type of tradition. I like Riesling the best out of all white wines and possibly all wines, but I find the differences very interesting. I like both dry and sweet versions, but the biggest problem I have is when the sugar levels are not balanced by acid.

German - honey/apples

Alsace - pears/citrus (not lime)/floral

Traditional Australian - lime/honey/flora depending on location and age

Would be very interested in trying the US wine, wonder if it is in the UK.

Oh, I assume we are talking about Rhine Riesling? A lot of "Riesling" around the world are different varieties entirely, "Italian Riesling" for instance is pretty vile, but I have had some good "Rhine Riesling" grown in the North of Italy.

[GordonCooks]

My favorite NY reislings are made by Hermann Weimer. Old school mosel-style - probably my favorite NY wines.

[jayt90]

I think that Riesling has been producing in Australia for ~100 to 120 years, so I guess this is a type of tradition.

I have had excellent dry riesling from Australian producers such as Jim Barry.

But I have occaisionally had spectacular riesling from Henshcke's single vineyard bottlings.

They are offered in Ont. by the LCBO every year or two, and there is a small following for them, as they are priced in the $25 range.

[Adam Balic]

I think that Riesling has been producing in Australia for ~100 to 120 years, so I guess this is a type of tradition.

I have had excellent dry riesling from Australian producers such as Jim Barry.

But I have occaisionally had spectacular riesling from Henshcke's single vineyard bottlings.

They are offered in Ont. by the LCBO every year or two, and there is a small following for them, as they are priced in the $25 range.

Proberly the most famous Australian Rieslings are produced in the Watervale region, which is sort of an sub-region of the Clare valley (South Australia)."Tradionally" these were ment to be aged really, they were drinkable, but not that interesting for a 12 months, then went through a dumb period of 5-10 years, after this point if they were any good they would have lots of complex flavours. Newer style wines drink much younger.

Western Australian Rieslings can be much more full bodied then the South Australian wines, sometimes with tropical fruit overtones, but the state also produces some lovely delicate wines.

Appologies for hi-jacking the American wine discussion.

[Jmoryl]

Jason,

Sorry to presume that you bought your FL rieslings in NYC - the prices you quoted seem to be typical of the markup one sees there. I live in NJ and haven't seen much in the way of Finger Lakes wine here; since I visit upstate NY frequently I tend to stock up there.

Well, the good news is that wine lovers in the US are starting to give riesling the respect it is due. The bad news is that prices for good German wine have skyrocketed since the rave reviews of the '01 vintage. For instance, Selbach-Oster, which has always been well priced, is now fetching about $20 for a Kabinett and $25 for a Spaetlese (e.g. '02 Zeltinger Schlossberg in NYC). It is not unusual to see a +$30 Kabinett or Spaetlese these days. I love some of the Austrian producers, but the problem is even more severe there.

The Finger Lakes appears to be settling into a style that lies somewhere between the delicacy of a good German (often with a low alcohol level of 8% or so) and the full-bodied minerality of Alsace (although many complain about increasing levels of RS in Alsace).

Cheers,

Joe Moryl

[bleachboy]

German - honey/apples

Alsace - pears/citrus (not lime)/floral

Traditional Australian - lime/honey/flora depending on location and age

This is actually an extremely apt observation by a probable expert. Write it down in your notebooks, students.

[Adam Balic]

German - honey/apples

Alsace - pears/citrus (not lime)/floral

Traditional Australian - lime/honey/flora depending on location and age

This is actually an extremely apt observation by a probable expert. Write it down in your notebooks, students.

Thank you for the flattering comment, sadly I'm not even close to being an expert. Just a punter who happens to like Riesling - a lot.

[birder53]

Jason,

Sorry to presume that you bought your FL rieslings in NYC - the prices you quoted seem to be typical of the markup one sees there. I live in NJ and haven't seen much in the way of Finger Lakes wine here; since I visit upstate NY frequently I tend to stock up there.

Well, the good news is that wine lovers in the US are starting to give riesling the respect it is due. The bad news is that prices for good German wine have skyrocketed since the rave reviews of the '01 vintage. For instance, Selbach-Oster, which has always been well priced, is now fetching about $20 for a Kabinett and $25 for a Spaetlese (e.g. '02 Zeltinger Schlossberg in NYC). It is not unusual to see a +$30 Kabinett or Spaetlese these days. I love some of the Austrian producers, but the problem is even more severe there.

The Finger Lakes appears to be settling into a style that lies somewhere between the delicacy of a good German (often with a low alcohol level of 8% or so) and the full-bodied minerality of Alsace (although many complain about increasing levels of RS in Alsace).

Cheers,

Joe Moryl

Wegman's in Bridgewater, NJ had a selection of NJ and NY wines when their liquor store first opened. The Salmon Run Riesling is one of my favorites. They have rearranged the store and I haven't seen where these wines were moved too yet. Maybe they didn't sell well enough to warrant the shelf space they had. I'll ask the next time I'm in. I try to ask for NY reislings at the liquor stores I frequent hoping they will stock them if enough people ask for them.