Robibero Family Vineyards 2009 Riesling

Robibero Family Vineyards / R Winery  is the newest vineyard/winery in the Hudson Valley.    I recently purchased their Riesling and brought it down to a friends boat.  This wine made for a perfect boating wine!

The color was a nice light straw with a nose of strong grapefruit and pear.  Crispy flavors of pear, grapefruit, lime and green apple make this a very enjoyable wine.  The wine ends with a lime finish that was consistent throughout the tasting.

As the wine warmed up the pear is really strong on the front as it leads into a white grapefruit mid taste and a lime finish.

This wine is available from the winery for $16.99.

What do Riesling and Petrol Have in Common

Last month at TasteCamp East in the Finger Lakes we had the opportunity to taste many Rieslings both new vintages as well as aged vintages.  We had two verticle tastings at Fox Run hosted by Peter Bell their winemaker along with many other opportunities to taste many Rieslings during the course of the weekend.

Wine ranged in age from 2001 to 2008.  As you can see from the above pictures, not only is the range in age but color of the Riesling.  You will notice that the clearer Rieslings are younger, while the older are more yellow in color.

What I noticed mostly in the older Rieslings is the taste of petrol, diesel, home heating oil.  It was present in some younger Rieslings but not as strong. No the wine was not turning.

Fellow blogger Tom Mansell, who is the Science Editor at The New York Cork Report did a wonderful story on the Petrol taste/smell in the Riesling, what it is, and why. I found Tom's scientific reasoning very interesting.  Even I learned something.  Thanks Tom!

Please read Tom's post on the New York Cork Report -  "Pumped Up With Petrol: TDN and Riesling" and gain insight to the smell and taste of Petrol in your Riesling

Celebrate Riesling Month at Applewood Winery's New York Riesling Experience

May is Riesling Month in New York State and Applewood Winery is celebrating this weekend May 1 & 2 with their annual New York Riesling Experience which begins at 12pm each day.

There will be food and wine pairings, chef demonstrations, recipes, comparative Riesling tastings and live entertainment. Admission is $10 in advance (must be purchased by Friday, April 30) and $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased http://thenewyorkrieslingexperience.eventbrite.com/

According to Jonathan Hull - Owner/Winemaker at Applewood "Riesling vines are tough. They thrive in cold climates, on steep hillsides, and in marginal soil. The green-skinned grapes ripen later than many other varieties, and sometimes are left hanging on the vine to produce sweet late harvest wines or even ice wines when the grapes actually freeze on the vines. The aromas in the wine that the Riesling grape produces tend to be pear, apple, jasmine, lime, honey and some spice. The flavors range from bright, fresh citrus to ripe tropical fruit. During the New York Riesling Experience, customers will have the opportunity to taste the many different variety of wines the Riesling grape produces."

This event is the beginning of a very active event season in the Hudson Valley Wine Country.  I will be covering many of the upcoming events. I will be attending the New York Riesling Experience on Sunday.  Look for my review later next week.  I hope to see some of you there.

Whitecliff 2009 Riesling

This is a new release from Whitecliff - the 2009 Riesling.  Some if it is estate grown and some of it comes from other regions in New York.  I'd say it is a good sampling of a New York Riesling with an emphasis on estate grown grapes.  A winemakers' note - the grapes were high in acid when harvested.

The wine is rated a high medium dry based on the International Riesling Profile set forth by the International Riesling Foundation.  Layman terms - about 1%  - 1.5% residual sugar.

I tasted this wine twice - once in the  tasting room and once at home with my husband with my purchase. The taste was consistent.  The wine had peach on the bouquet with a hint of lime. It had  an overall nice balance and mouth feel.

A first the wine had a slight mineral taste on the finish. However, once the wine opened up, there was actually a bit of acid left behind on the after taste on the roof of your palate.

This wine will go very well with Asian dishes or a dish with as light spice.