Great Wine Made Simple - Andrea Immer [95]
Vinho Verde A fun wine, some of which are a very nice quality now. Don’t write it off, especially for the price. Although white, red, and rosé Vinho Verde is produced, white is the major export to this country.
“WHO’S WHO” OF PORTUGUESE WINE IMPORTERS Although Portugal as yet lacks a major specialty importer to champion her wines, there are a few names bringing some excellent wines in on a small scale:
Broadbent Selections Bartholomew Broadbent, an Englishman based in San Francisco, brings in great Ports and Madeiras and a few excellent still wines from high-quality estates in the Douro district (where Port is made).
Sogrape The producers and importers of Mateus, this company also owns and/or imports many high-quality still wines from all of Portugal’s best-quality regions. You will see the Sogrape label on these wines.
Fran Kysela Another importer of great fortified wines, as well as top still wines.
Admiral Wine Merchants Both fortified and still wines.
Germany
When it comes to German wines, my message is very simple: You will love them. Here’s why:
Riesling You already know how I feel about this grape. Germany is the headquarters for great Riesling, which is considered by some top wine experts to be the best white wine grape in the world. In Germany, it achieves a bewitching power and purity of fruit and an uncanny range of flavor, all in a sleek package. It is a lithe ballet dancer of a wine compared to the sumo wrestler bulk of Chardonnay. Which one would you rather invite to dinner?
Your budget The price range for truly great German wine starts at under twenty dollars per bottle. I can think of no other classic wine style or region capable of making this claim. What is more, there is real choice at that price level, not just a token wine or two that you have no hope of ever finding for sale. It is certainly possible to spend a lot more for great German wines, but the highest prices are for the rare dessert wine styles, which most people don’t drink on a daily basis anyway.
Great meals, every day There is no better wine for a wide range of foods, especially the regular foods that people really eat (such as takeout, salads, and sandwiches) than German Riesling (we’ll discuss this more in the next chapter). Although it’s light in body, it never lacks for flavor that complements everything from a BLT to mac and cheese, and just about anything else you might throw together or pick up. And in a restaurant setting, aside from its versatility with varied foods, German Riesling has an amazing ability to showcase a chef’s talents, coaxing the final flourishes of flavor from great dishes. And because it’s less popular than Chardonnay, it’s usually less pricey.
WHEN IT COMES TO GERMAN RIESLING, YOU NEED TO START FRESH In the context of all that, I find that people still need to be convinced about German Riesling, and it is very frustrating. But I know why. One look at the long flute-shaped bottle is all people need to make the Liebfraumilch association—and this is understandable, because at one point in the 1970s, Blue Nun was among the top-selling wines in the nation. Generally, wine tastes have evolved since then, leaving German Riesling on the back burner—by mistake, because quality German Riesling bears no resemblance to Liebfraumilch. Here is what you need to know about the real thing:
Sweetness German Rieslings generally do not taste sweeter than the other popular white wines drunk in this country—Chardonnay and white Zinfandel—except in the case of the late harvest and dessert styles. Because they remember Liebfraumilch, tasters prepare themselves for a sweetness in the wines, just as they take for granted that the popular whites are dry. Often, they are not—review Chapter 2’s “dry” discussion if you need a frame of reference, or to remind yourself that you don’t have to drink “dry” to get sophisticated taste.
Fruitiness German Rieslings do, however, typically have a very fruity taste, which can seem sweet. And