Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: Wine professionals love Riesling, but this grape variety has had its ups and downs in the marketplace. Many consumers have historically thought of this wine as merely a sweet and fruity beverage; the best wines often reach the highest levels of accolades in the wine world. The Red Newt Circle Riesling is as good as it gets. Positioned between an off-dry Kabinett and a medium sweet Spatlëse, the 2017 vintage exhibits outstanding balance. TASTING NOTES: This wine is fresh, bright and charming. Its aromas and flavors of ripe apples, dried peach skin, fragrant flowers, and chalk should pair it supremely with ginger-onion cold-boiled chicken over jasmine rice. (Tasted: January 14, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
As the most historic wine-producing region in New York state, winemaking in the Finger Lakes area dates back to the 1820s and today as a region, accounts for 90% of the state’s total wine production.
Its narrow and deep lakes created by the movement of Ice Age glaciers create an environment similar to the classic Riesling-loving regions of Europe, namely Germany and Austria. The Finger Lakes retain summer heat that incidentally warms up cold winter air, making it fall down from the lakes’ steep slopes. When spring comes, the lakes, already cooled by cold winter weather, stave off vine budding until the danger of frost has subsided. The main lakes of the zone, that is those big enough to moderate the climate in this way, are the focal points of prime vineyard areas. They include Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga.
While Riesling has fueled most of the region’s success, today Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc enjoy some attention.