Wine reviewer Mark Henderson samples some riesling.
When tasting a selection of wines, the old rule is to work from dry to sweet; lighter to fuller bodied, and white to red.
Tasting a subtle, dry white wine immediately after a powerful sweet wine can make the former look a bit "skinny''.
With today's tasting covering a variety of sweetness levels, I broke the wines up into dry, off-dry and medium sweet, which were then tasted blind with my regular panellists Mr Mac and Sarge.
We found ourselves in agreement over the top wines, and discovered much to enjoy across the whole group.
Price: $30
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Gunflint, minerals, dry botrytis, lemony citrus and a honeyed undercurrent. Textural, creamy and very rich in the mouth. Notes of matchstick, musk, orange peel, mandarin, and apple come up with aeration.
This is a powerful and complex wine with great palate richness, finishing long and dry.
Price: $25
Rating: Very good
Finer, more linear style edging to lime citrus. At first bracing in the mouth with chalky phenolics, but mellows to show a schisty/stonyness leading on to a citrusy finish. A subtle wine with lovely delicacy, building in textural richness before the crisp finish.
Attractive wine that wears its dry style well.
Price: $39
Rating: Excellent
Hints of fruit sherbet on the nose, with a honeyed background. Lemon, honey and then apple on the palate: like biting into a crisp juicy apple. Some secondary notes and minerally touches kicking in before finishing quite dry with notes of citrus and stewed apple.
Fish or a creamy pasta would pair well with this.
Price: $29
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Subtle nose at first with blossom and fragrance underpinned by honey. Rich in the mouth with ripe stonefruits, apricot and an appley backdrop. Lipsmacking and juicy: cleansing acidity leaving a citrus and apple tinged close.
Nice balance between sweetness and acidity; a stony note appears as the wine fleshes out.
Price: $25
Rating: Very good
Sweeter, floral nose with a whisper of cut herbs/mint: honeyed notes evolving. A zingy palate with distinct lemony citrus and chalkiness; the acidity noticeable at first. The palate fattens up with time, bringing honeyed apple into the equation.
This opened up considerably with air, suggesting giving it some time to breathe.
Price: $25
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Citrus blossom, apple and honey. Richly textural with flavours of stonefruits, orange/mandarin, lime and then spiced baked apple pie. Evident sweetness here but nicely balanced by the acidity. Crisp and zingy with a long finish and good complexity.
Lipsmacking and fresh and a delight to drink.
Price: $30
Rating: Good
Gunflint, matchstick, honey and mint. Juicy Fruit chewing gum on the palate with spearmint, herbs and a charry, brambly note. Intense sweetness reminds one of fruit syrup and boiled sweets, followed by musk, wet wool and manuka honey.
This comes across as overly sweet, leaving a slightly cloying finish.
Price: $39
Rating: Excellent to outstanding
Crystallised lemon/fruits, botrytis elements and fruit sherbet lead the way. A sweet, powerful and intense wine, but a little formless at first before it powers away. Honeycomb, honey, musky botrytis, lemons and mandarin brings layers of flavour: textural and richly creamy: sweetness yet with zingy acidity keeping it fresh.
Delicious.
