The most unexpected restaurant meal I had on a recent trip to New York was at a Hawaiian restaurant called Noreetuh. To be honest, I’d booked because I couldn’t resist the idea of a restaurant that served spam (as a sushi-like appetiser called musubi), but what I hadn’t expected was a serious wine list crammed with top German riesling.
And Noreetuh is not the only one: New York is in love with riesling to an extent that isn’t at all common in the UK, where it’s still – after all this time – associated with poor-quality German wines such as Liebfraumilch. It’s rare to find more than one at a supermarket tasting, eclipsed by a good dozen sauvignon blancs.
For Noreetuh’s wine director Jin Ahn, whose passion for the stuff borders on the fanatical, riesling is peerless. “Fine riesling comes to you naked, and you cannot hide any faults with the winemaking. Its ability to age, and its ability to shine as a dry wine all the way to a sweet wine, makes it unique,” he enthuses. Ahn’s list, which contains vintages going back to 1983 (and prices up to $350), is exceptional even by New York standards. “Noreetuh is a small restaurant, which has its advantages. I list these wines because I want to, not because anyone makes me.”
If you don’t share Ahn’s enthusiasm for riesling, however, you’re not alone. The Pegasus riesling in today’s pick, for example, gets only an average of three stars from Majestic customers. Not everyone buys into the curious taste of kerosene or petrol in a mature riesling, and although rieslings are much drier than they once were, which makes them more versatile, there’s still a sweetness in many that would make them jar with popular foods such as pizza or pasta.
But it is a grape variety well worth persisting with. If it hasn’t grabbed you yet, maybe focus on those from the New World. Australia’s Eden and Clare valleys produce a particularly distinctive, limey style – the Forage Supply Co “Spliced” Eden Valley Riesling 2022 in today’s pick is truly delicious. Those from New Zealand and Washington State are slightly more floral – Tesco stocks Chateau Ste Michelle’s 2021 Dry Riesling (13%) from the latter at £12– while Austria’s tend to be leaner and more mineral, and more like the indigenous grüner veltliner. Alsace’s are more aromatic still, but drier. The key is to look at the alcohol content (the higher it is, the drier the wine) and the vintage: the older, the more complex – and possibly petrolly – they may be. But it might be that, like Ahn, you’ll fall big time for that.
Four rieslings to rave about
Waitrose Blueprint Dry German Riesling 2021 £7.99, 12%. Much drier than Mosel riesling used to be, with a sharp whoosh of green apple and fresh lemon juice. Great value.
Emiliana Novas Riesling 2021 £10 Booths, £11 WoodWinters, 13.5%. A full-bodied, zesty riesling from Chile that would work well with Thai food.
Pegasus Bay ‘Main Divide’ Riesling 2019 £13.99 (or £10.99 on mix six) Majestic, 13%. A mature off-dry riesling from one of New Zealand’s best producers. Amazing price for a wine of this quality. They suggest duck as a pairing, which sounds good to me.
Forage Supply Co ‘Spliced’ Eden Valley Riesling 2022 £22 The Wine Society, 12%. A bit pricey, but this deliciously limey Australian riesling (named after an ice lolly) is a great way to kick off your riesling journey. And part of the proceeds go to a project to tackle homelessness. Fun bottle, too
Kaufmann Rheingau Riesling 2020 £19.99 (or £13.99 to Angels) Naked Wines, 12.5%. You need to be a Naked Wine Angel to take advantage of the really competitive price. It has that slightly oily, petrolly, limey taste of a mature riesling, which is surprising in a vintage as recent as 2020. Would be great with smoked salmon – or, indeed, spam.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
