Five things to know about Riesling

According to Erin Brind'Amour, Tasting Manager at the New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, Rieslings are the “signature grape varietal of the Finger Lakes.” 

With the arrival of the 2010 Finger Lakes Riesling Festival coming this weekend, knowledge about the popular wine is essential — especially to those who are interested in attending.  Here are the top five Riesling tips and tricks Erin provided:

1. A history of the “Riesling”:
French or German? Wine connoisseurs debate over the origin of the Riesling, but the name of the wine comes from the grape variety used to create it. “In the United States, for the most part, we name our wines after the grape,” Brind'Amour said. This naming technique makes it easier for wine beginners to know what grape is in their glass. 

However, naming differs in Europe, as almost all the wine is a blend. In order to know which grape is included in the wine, the drinker must know the region in which the grapes were grown.

2. It's all local:
Because the climate in the Finger Lakes region is similar to that of Germany, grapes of the Riesling variety grow well. This makes the Riesling the “most widely known and produced wine in the Finger Lakes.”

“I may be biased,” Brind’Amour said, “But I believe [the Finger Lakes] grows the best Riesling in the U.S.”  Brind'Amour tries to buy local herself, and suggests that those interested in wine do the same, as it is the Culinary Center's mission to “create awareness about New York State products.” 

During the summer, the Culinary Center offers a “flight” — a culinary term for a grouping — of three different types of Riesling.  During “Riesling month” in May, however, the center offers a flight of five different Rieslings. The type of wine ranges from dry to sweet, and during the “Rendezvous with Riesling” event the center holds, which brought 44 wineries last year, wine lovers can taste, pair and chat with the wine makers.

3. Riesling: the “Pairing Wine”
Unlike many wines, the Riesling comes in many different degrees of dryness, and is said to “pair with anything,” according to Brind'Amour.  “Everybody should like them,” she said, because the taste is so diverse. 

As for pairing at home, her advice is to “match the weight of the wine with the weight of the food.” In general, a Riesling goes well with light meat (chicken, fish and pork), as well as spicy foods, such as Asian or Thai that allow the “acidity to balance out the spicyness.”

Brind'Amour's final advice about pairing, however, is that “the best wine is the wine that you like.”

4. Dry or Sweet?
Watch out for the ratings on the back of the bottle, as well as the label of “dry,” “semi-sweet,” “sweet” or any other name that the winery provides. There are no regulations on what a winery considers “dry” or “sweet,” and their ideas may differ from those of the consumers.  The Culinary Center, along with other wineries in the U.S. and Germany, are trying to spread the use of the International Riesling Foundation scale that will standardize the measures. 

5. Brrrr... It's too cold in here!
Once the Riesling of choice is brought home, the wine, and all wines in general, should not be kept in the fridge.  The ideal temperature for whites is 52-54 degrees, and the temperature for reds is 62-65 degrees.  If a white is too cold, or the red too hot, it will mask the flavor. 

Brind'Amour recommends, if serving wine at dinner, to take the white wine out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before dinner.  Red wines, however, should be put in the fridge 15-20 minutes before dinner. 

In addition to these five things you should know, Erin said that wine lovers should take a beginner course done by Wine and Spirit Education Trust — which offers classes up to a diploma level — or one of the many wine, beer and pairing classes offered at the Culinary Center, especially if budding connoisseurs would like to know about what they are drinking, how to serve it, what to pair it with and many other wine skills.