Winemaker Notes
Proceed with caution - this Riesling is a marked departure from any late harvest styles you have had before. While the honeyed aromas may lead one to think of classic, dessert Rieslings, the wine spins those aromatics into a dry and rich mouthfeel. With a delicate balance between the interplay of acid and alcohol that is difficult to achieve, the result is a remarkably rich and rewarding Riesling. With a nod to German Auslese Trockens, this Riesling creates its own unique personality and expresses a full bodied, high alcohol, and driven style that is unlike any other produced at Red Newt.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very pretty, sweet white with sliced peaches, honey and some minerals. Medium-bodied, intense and fruity. Honey at the end.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made from grapes at an Auslese level of ripeness and then fermented nearly dry, this offers an explosion of pineapple, star fruit, mango and grapefruit on the nose. It’s full and rich in feel on the creamy palate, with billowy tropical fruit flavors honed by a pithy citrus peel note. It ends slightly hot but still within balance, making this a unique experiment from Winemaker
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.