12th July 2021 | Cork Talk | 4 minute read
We all know no one does Riesling quite like Germany. With 2,000 years of winemaking under its belt, Germany has become legendary for its production of vibrant, versatile, food-friendly wines, particularly when it comes to premium Riesling. We take a look at what makes these wines so extraordinary, and suggest some heavenly pairings with fusion cuisine you’ll be itching to try!
If you’re looking for a white wine that can do it all this summer, look no further than German Riesling. A new generation of winemakers have completely rejuvenated the German wine landscape in recent decades, producing really exciting, innovative wines that suit pretty much any social setting, and are stylistically bang on trend.
These wines are crisp and sensuous with a mouth-tingling freshness and sublime fruit flavours, yet are also somehow elegant and restrained all at the same time. Whether your preference is for a dry Riesling or for one that’s on the sweeter end of the scale, the beautiful thing about German Riesling is that, not only is it divine all on its own, it offers a racy acidity and flavour profile that’s ideal for pairing with food. And the secret to its excellence is where it’s produced – cool climate Germany.
Riesling is a grape variety that adores the cooler conditions and landscape of Germany’s wine regions, and is the undisputed king of the vineyard in this part of the world. These light-skinned grapes thrive in colder temperatures as it helps to bring out the fruit’s inherent acidity. Balance this acidity with a naturally fruity flavour profile and you’ve got the foundations for a fine, crisp and flavoursome white wine.
The most impressive thing about Riesling is its ability to maintain its unmistakable fruity character, even through spells of challenging weather during the growing season, along with its ability to express terroir. So you know that, whether you’ve opted for a Trocken (dry wine) from Rheingau or a Spätlese (semi-sweet wine) from Mosel, the fruity flavours of the Riesling will be accompanied by other nuances that are distinctly unique to that region – i.e. notes of wet stone in a Riesling from the slate rich soils of Rheingau.
The combination of fruitiness and acidity in German Riesling makes it absolutely ideal for pairing with many types of food – especially Asian cuisine.
German Riesling often displays zesty notes of lime and grapefruit balanced with sweeter notes of honey and apricot on the palate, and elegant floral aromas on the nose. These nuances in the wine, along with its crisp acidity, complement flavours typically found in Thai dishes (such lime, lemongrass and coriander) exquisitely. So, we’d recommend cracking open an off-dry German Riesling to accompany your next Pad Thai or Thai Green Curry.
In terms of meat, German Riesling is at its best with chicken and duck fusion dishes, as well as smoked fish and seafood. Its floral aromatics work wonderfully with a spicy chicken ramen or fragrant seafood stir-fry, while its honeyed nuance and sweeter notes blend beautifully with hoisin duck dishes.
