WINE: Mary Dowey is pleased to note the New World breathing fresh life into an Old World grape.
I'm going to put my hands up straight away and admit that I'm a mad keen Riesling fan. Most wine writers are. Winemakers the world over also love playing around with a grape which is regarded as refined, delicate, exhilarating, ageworthy and smart. But look, we're not beating a desolate drum any more. Marks & Spencer has 11 in stock this summer (in the UK at least - before you go out counting). Ely Wine Bar in Dublin has 12 on its list. O'Briens carries 14. Oddbins in Ireland offers 18. Now will you believe me that Riesling is finally on roll?
"A lot of customers are definitely looking for something other than Chardonnay," says Daithi Kelleher, wine buyer for Dunnes Stores. "Riesling is fighting for space with some of the other more unusual varieties like Viognier, Marsanne and Semillon, but it's definitely moving."
Dunnes has been terrifically successful with the Australian Riesling, Blackwood Park from Mitchelton in Victoria (see recommendations). This is indicative of a general trend which has seen the New World recapture consumer confidence in a grape associated for far too long with cheap, sweet, watery, rubbishy German wines along Liebfraumilch lines. Jacob's Creek Dry Riesling, a bestseller here since it was launched in 2000, has had a major impact on the market, making Riesling mainstream. Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling has just arrived (see recommendations), nudging drinkers towards a slightly more sophisticated style.
Australia is in fact awash with delicious, lime-fresh Rieslings from areas cool enough not to over-cook this grape's delicate, zesty flavours. At a recent tasting in the Australian Embassy in Dublin, there were over 30 on the table - not just from the Eden and Clare Valleys, Riesling's main strongholds, but also Western Australia, Victoria, the Adelaide Hills and Tasmania. Prices ranged from 9.99 to 22.99, reflecting the wide diversity of wines from simple, fruity numbers to complex, handcrafted stars.
New Zealand is also making striking headway with a grape widely regarded there as having fashion or cult status. Other New World countries are also helping to spearhead the Riesling Revival. I tasted one or two delicious versions in South Africa recently, and I bet a country with enough cool breezes to produce dazzling Sauvignon Blanc is capable of many more.
Wine lovers who sample a few New World versions and see that Riesling is a stylish, modern drink often go on to explore some of the superb examples coming from the Old World - especially Germany, Alsace and Austria. To a small, inner band of Riesling fanatics, these exquisite European wines - prized as highly as the best Burgundy or champagne a century or so ago - will never be bettered. But we have Australia and other parts of the New World to thank for rescuing Riesling from obscurity and helping millions more people to enjoy it. That's worth celebrating - with a well-chilled glass of you-know-what.
REASONS TO LOVE RIESLING
1. It's the perfect summer wine - lively and refreshing with a citrus tang.
2. It's sophisticated. Riesling lovers are seen as people with refined tastes (They are, they are!).
3. It's often lower in alcohol than some other white wines - so you can drink more.
4. It's a terrific, appetite-whetting aperitif.
5. It's also flexible with food - especially salads, fish, seafood, Chinese and Thai dishes.
6. It keeps for years, growing steadily richer and more complex.
WHERE'S BEST?
Germany: the Mosel for light, delicate styles; the warmer Pfalz for richer ones. Austria: many are tingling, mineral and intense. Alsace: highly aromatic, full-bodied and spicy. Australia: ripe pear and lime flavours; Clare and Eden Valley are tops. New Zealand: similar flavours but the wines are lighter and zestier. Washington State: little exported to Ireland, but has a reputation for refined middleweights.
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL
New examples are arriving from South Africa, Chile, Argentina, California. Miguel Torres even has a little Riesling outpost in Penedès in Spain.
SUPERSTAR PRODUCERS
Australia: Jeffrey Grosset, Henschke, Howard Park, Knappstein. Germany: JJ Prum, Ernst Loosen, Max Ferd, Richter. Alsace: Trimbach, Domaine Weinbach. Austria: Franz Xavier Pichler.
A SPUR FOR SCREWCAPS
The screwcap movement took a leap forward a couple of years ago when 14 producers in Australia's Eden Valley jointly decided to bottle all their Riesling under screwcap - not just to avoid the problems of cork taint, but because trials showed that the wine kept its freshness much longer. An important discovery, given that Riesling can be cellared successfully for years.
THAT STRANGE SMELL
Riesling often smells of petrol, diesel or kerosene - especially as it ages (but New World Rieslings can turn petrolly when still young). It's one of those things that we just have to ... well, swallow, and when you consider that Sauvignon Blanc often smells of cat's pee, you may decide a light whiff of diesel isn't bad. It certainly doesn't spoil the taste.
WHAT ABOUT THE SWEET STUFF?
German Rieslings can be confusing: it is sometimes mighty hard to figure out whether they will be dry, off-dry or sweet until the cork is pulled. Look out for the word trocken (dry) on the label (although often it's not there). Kabinett is the lightest category of dry (or relatively dry) German Riesling; Spätlese, harvested later, is more full-bodied.
Riesling also makes superb dessert wines - either from sugar-rich grapes which have been harvested late, or from late-harvested grapes which have been attacked by botrytis ("noble rot"). In Germany, in ascending order of sweetness (and price), the main categories are Auslese, Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.
Other countries also make sweet Rieslings. They go brilliantly with fruit puddings (apple or lemon tart especially).
BOXING CLEVER?
We're inclined to be sniffy about bag-in-box wines - but maybe we should think again. A new Australian boxed red, Wally's Hut Shiraz, South Eastern Australia NV, is a balanced party guzzler made by Nugan Estate whose standard Shiraz has been a Bottle of the Week. Its boxed white partner, a Verdelho, isn't half as good, so my advice is to stick to the red. From all SuperValus, EUR21.99 for three litres (the equivalent of EUR5.49 a bottle).