Too often people walk right by that section of the wine shop where all the tall and skinny green bottles are shelved — also known as “Germany” and/or “Alsace”. Those confusing-looking labels with long, unpronounceable names like “Trockenberenauslese” and “Gewurztraminer” are too intimidating for the average wine buyer. And if that description fits you, don’t feel bad — those foreign marketers could do a much better job of making it easier for you.
One importer who is doing a pretty good job of making German wine more accessible is Peter Click. Thanks goodness, because there are some wonderful white wines from Germany that would otherwise be undiscovered by the masses in the USA. For the uninitiated, allow me to enlighten you: not all German wines are “sweet”, and not all Riesling is sweet, either. In fact, many of the better wines from Germany (and Alsace, for that matter) are bone-dry, and fantastic for food pairing. Case in point: Clean Slate Riesling from Mosel, Germany. Not only is it tasty, but it’s easy to say, easy to spell, and comes in a more common-looking, clear white bottle.
Tasting Notes: Clean Slate Riesling 2007
Nose is — you guessed it — clean, with sharp, pleasant aromas of ripe granny smith apple, pear, and spice. In the mouth it is similar, with flavors of ripe, bright granny smith apple, honeydew melon, sweet pear and peach. Acidity is about medium, with a mild tartness pushing the fruit through a longer than expected and flavorful finish. Texture is creamy smooth, perhaps described as oily. It’s like biting into a fresh apple, with some fruit salad elements finding their way into your mouth as well. A refreshing quaff on its own, is also a great partner to an array of dishes — particularly spicy foods and Asian cuisine. I matched it successfully with sushi, general tsao’s chicken, shrimp fried rice, barbecued ribs, lamb rogan josh (Indian), and buffalo wings. I imagine it would be equally successful with other Indian and Chinese dishes, Thai cuisine, similarly hot and spicy foods, pork loin, pork chops, and fresh ham. Of course, it’s a no-brainer with traditional German dishes such as bratwurst, knockwurst, and weisswurst, or anything in sauerkraut or red cabbage. At $12 — in some areas closer to $10 — this is a great value. Try this on your beer-drinking friends.
a-8 t-9 b-8 fc-9 v-10 ~ 94 Points
Importer: Click Wine Group
Brand site: Clean Slate Wine
Find this wine at a retailer near you through Wine-Searcher, Vinquire, or WineZap
In these difficult economic times, we wine geeks with short pockets must do a better job of hunting down the great values. Traditionally, I have looked to South America for dirt cheap deals on deliciously drinkable wines.
It’s not too late to drink rose wine — in fact many of this year’s releases are still fresh and vibrant. Which is a good thing, since pink wines tend to be enjoyable on their own and match with a wide variety of foods.
A few years back, Pinot Grigio replaced Chardonnay as the number-one selling white wine in the USA. As a result, prices for established, reliable Pinot Grigio skyrocketed, and a slew of unknown Pinots — of varying degrees of quality — flooded the market. The popularity of the wine became so great that many California wineries have renamed their wines made from Pinot Gris as “Pinot Grigio”. Today, there are shelves filled with that popular Italian white wine, some very good, some not so good, most of them overpriced. Which is too bad, because Pinot Grigio tends to be an easy drinking, food friendly wine.
Usually when in the wine shop, I try to pick up a bottle (or vintage) that I’ve never tasted before — to me, exploration and discovering something new is what wine drinking is all about. Once in a while, though — and often when I’m purchasing a bottle for someone else — I pick up a wine that I know well, and know I can “count on”. Most of these “staples” are always available, easy to find, match with a wide variety of dishes, a good value for the money, and most importantly, are reliable and consistent from year to year. Simi Sauvignon Blanc is one of those wine “staples” I purchase over and over.