Riesling is often described as “racy.” The term usually refers to its high acidity but is even more apt when the same wines have that slight whiff of racing fuel.

What causes this? Bottle aging and warm weather are two reasons most often given, but it’s more complicated than that. Isn’t it always? If you’re curious, Tom Stevenson has an fascinating article at the Wine-Pages that goes into detail on how Riesling takes on diesel or petrol flavors.

One excellent Australian Riesling that has a nice touch of diesel fuel running through it is the Petaluma Hanlin Hill Riesling. I recently had the 2006 which had wonderful notes of lime and honey with a nice light whiff of fuel on a lithe frame of racy acidity.

Selecting the perfect yacht juice

Yachts? Rosés? But the markets are tanking and the summer is over!
Damn the reality1, full speed ahead!
For the past few years rosé sales have power-sailed at a record pace. No one knows exactly why given their perpetual image problem due to (in no apparent order):

White Zinfandel
Rosé d’Anjou (the […]

¿Por qué Iberia?

We started with Spain and Portugal for 3 main reasons:

It’s the most dynamic (and constantly changing) area in the wine world today
There wasn’t a good map currently available (for France there are a few)
It’s a great looking land mass!

This is simply the only up to date wine map of the region […]

Move aside Hondarribi Zuri (of Txakolina fame), there’s a new grape in town.
We were in New York City last week for a wedding and the 2006 Stadlmann Rotgipfler was one of the wines flowing freely. The newlyweds are serious foodies so their choice of the latest, coolest and most obscure grape variety wasn’t too […]

Is it Cabernet Sauvignon or cabernet sauvignon?
The New York Times and Slate.com don’t capitalize the names of grape varieties but practically everyone else does. What, then, is the correct usage?
This may seem a little geeky or pedantic but it’s important for anyone who writes about wine. I seem to revisit this question […]

This article appeared in the August 2007 edition of Connections Magazine (Ireland)
A man walks into a restaurant just outside of Naples and barks out his order. “I want three things: a pepperoni pizza, a green salad and a bottle of red wine – Chianti.” This guy just wasn’t about to get sweet talked […]

I just got back from a trip to Rome with a bitter taste in my mouth. No, it wasn’t a bad trip or anything like that. It’s just that amazing bitter aftertaste in so many Italian wines both red and white. Is there any country that does bitter better than the […]

This article appeared in the June 2007 edition of Connections Magazine (Ireland)
People who know nothing about wine – no, not you, I’m talking about people who think Chardonnay is a brand name – somehow know enough to say “I like a dry wine” even if they don’t. Yes, the underlying insecurities that seem to […]

These are my top ten most memorable and enjoyable wines from the past year. The only common thread in this eclectic group is that most would be good stumpers in a blind tasting. In no apparent order:

Valdespino Coliseo Amontillado VORS Sherry I’ve heard that this wine can split the room in a […]

“I’ll be pouring some excellent Cab Francs today.”
Whatever happened to “We’re tasting some excellent Cab Francs today?” Everyone seems to be pouring everywhere these days. Am I the only person who thinks that this sounds strange? What would the equivalent be with chocolate chip cookies? “I’ll be placing some excellent […]