Ooo! "Minerally" is not usually an adjective I associate with Riesling, but it's what he uses to describe the Von der Fels in "Pork Roast and Riesling." Now I'm really intrigued... I'm usually drawn toward something like Gruener Veltliner for minerals, but will have to be more open minded about Riesling in the future. I think I still have this stereotype in my head that it's too fruity, which probably just means I need to drink more of it and learn something. :)
And: Washington represent! :) Of course he found tasty whites in Washington, we have practically the same weather as the Rhein! Okay, maybe a little more rainy... but that can be adjusted by moving east over the cascades, which is precisely what most growers around here do. In fact, I think grapes have recently outstripped apples as the most-planted fruit in Washington (by pound of production? acre? not sure how that's measured..)
I find it fascinating that you and I zeroed in on similar wines, in the same growing conditions, in very different parts of the world. Pinot noir is done excellently up here in WA -- and admittedly even more excellently in OR -- but in the end, the German ones are still better. For some reason I find the German ones have more often more subtlety and finesse, while the PacNW ones have a little more "oomph"; whether leather or tangy fruit, it definitely strongarms you a little more than the German ones. I think Steve and I have a couple of *cases* of Oregon pinot just waiting for us to pick them up down there, so we'll have plenty to swap when we arrive on your side of the pond. :)
Hm, was just thinking, I wonder what part of the flavors are affected by soil conditions? I know our abundance of conifers pushes the soil ph in the PacNW one way or another, but don't remember the details.. anyone out there know (acidic, alkaline)?
Yes, please share! I'm curious about this, too (although I guess we could just look it up... ;) ).
Interesting, I always associated Riesling with a bit mineraly. Maybe you always recalled the sweeter ones they make on the Mosel, which are indeed very bloomy; around here, Riesling is more often than not dry, thus very apply and even -- often -- rather acidic. Which is why I often preferred it in Schorle form rather than straight; the acidity was never really my cup of tea until recently. Do you remember that one we had from Ernst Minges, which we drank with the mussel soup? Quite tangy and refreshing, almost fizzy. I'm definitely learning to appreciate whites more these days than in the past.
And interesting point about the Pinot Noir! I find they really run the gamut over here: anything from a lighter, fruitier Pinot with a bit more finesse, to the powerful 2003 that we were drinking with Steve around Christmas (also a Minges). Asimov prefers the Spätburgunder to California Pinots because they're not the candy fruit bomb here that he reports he finds there; maybe he should be drinking Pacific Northwest Pinots.
I'm pretty sure more conifers = more acid. Woodland ferns love to live under the pines and since ours in front of the house don't, I've been told to put miracid in the soil around them to make them happy. :-)
Indeeeed! I wonder what kind of radius that affects. There are plenty of conifers hanging out in the surrounding forests around here, but no great quantities of them hoarding right up against the vineyards. "Terroir" is an interesting concept -- how soil affects grape flavor. So many factors! So little brain space!
6 comments:
Ooo! "Minerally" is not usually an adjective I associate with Riesling, but it's what he uses to describe the Von der Fels in "Pork Roast and Riesling." Now I'm really intrigued... I'm usually drawn toward something like Gruener Veltliner for minerals, but will have to be more open minded about Riesling in the future. I think I still have this stereotype in my head that it's too fruity, which probably just means I need to drink more of it and learn something. :)
And: Washington represent! :) Of course he found tasty whites in Washington, we have practically the same weather as the Rhein! Okay, maybe a little more rainy... but that can be adjusted by moving east over the cascades, which is precisely what most growers around here do. In fact, I think grapes have recently outstripped apples as the most-planted fruit in Washington (by pound of production? acre? not sure how that's measured..)
I find it fascinating that you and I zeroed in on similar wines, in the same growing conditions, in very different parts of the world. Pinot noir is done excellently up here in WA -- and admittedly even more excellently in OR -- but in the end, the German ones are still better. For some reason I find the German ones have more often more subtlety and finesse, while the PacNW ones have a little more "oomph"; whether leather or tangy fruit, it definitely strongarms you a little more than the German ones. I think Steve and I have a couple of *cases* of Oregon pinot just waiting for us to pick them up down there, so we'll have plenty to swap when we arrive on your side of the pond. :)
Hm, was just thinking, I wonder what part of the flavors are affected by soil conditions? I know our abundance of conifers pushes the soil ph in the PacNW one way or another, but don't remember the details.. anyone out there know (acidic, alkaline)?
Yes, please share! I'm curious about this, too (although I guess we could just look it up... ;) ).
Interesting, I always associated Riesling with a bit mineraly. Maybe you always recalled the sweeter ones they make on the Mosel, which are indeed very bloomy; around here, Riesling is more often than not dry, thus very apply and even -- often -- rather acidic. Which is why I often preferred it in Schorle form rather than straight; the acidity was never really my cup of tea until recently. Do you remember that one we had from Ernst Minges, which we drank with the mussel soup? Quite tangy and refreshing, almost fizzy. I'm definitely learning to appreciate whites more these days than in the past.
And interesting point about the Pinot Noir! I find they really run the gamut over here: anything from a lighter, fruitier Pinot with a bit more finesse, to the powerful 2003 that we were drinking with Steve around Christmas (also a Minges). Asimov prefers the Spätburgunder to California Pinots because they're not the candy fruit bomb here that he reports he finds there; maybe he should be drinking Pacific Northwest Pinots.
(By "apply" I mean "apple-y", not "apply" like in a job interview!)
I'm pretty sure more conifers = more acid. Woodland ferns love to live under the pines and since ours in front of the house don't, I've been told to put miracid in the soil around them to make them happy. :-)
Indeeeed! I wonder what kind of radius that affects. There are plenty of conifers hanging out in the surrounding forests around here, but no great quantities of them hoarding right up against the vineyards. "Terroir" is an interesting concept -- how soil affects grape flavor. So many factors! So little brain space!
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