A Tale of Two Rieslings ?

[Bill_H_o_o_p_e_r]

@Berry Crawford

@salilb

@Berry Crawford

I don’t think Nahe goes into the Alsace category and producers like Lietz keep their wines elegant.

Leitz’s wines are certainly elegant, but his wines are still very Rheingau and quite distinct from Mosel Riesling

I agree. Not saying otherwise. Im just saying that the Mosel isnt the only source for elegance in Germany.

Hi Berry,

I certainly don’t disagree that German wines can be elegant, but I don’t necessarily associate elegance with sweetness, nor would I say that Alsace Riesling lacks elegance. I will say that with the exception of wines designed primarily for export, no region in Germany except the Mosel could correctly be categorized as making mostly sweet or off-dry or low alcohol wines.

The original question was:

'Do you like the higher-toned, nervy Alsatian Rieslings or the lower-alcohol, “sweeter” German style? Or, something else? ’

All I’m saying is that higher-toned and nervy fits Germany pretty well, while Lower-Alcohol and Sweeter really only fits the Mosel. If this were 1995 or even 1975, this poll would be easier.

Cheers,
Bill

[Berry_Crawford]

@Bill H o o p e r

I certainly don’t disagree that German wines can be elegant, but I don’t necessarily associate elegance with sweetness, nor would I say that Alsace Riesling lacks elegance.

My voting in the poll was not a agreement with Mark that the best or most typically correct German Rieslings are sweet. If anything I find dry riesling more elegant than the sweet ones (though I like both styles).

I don’t think Alsace Rieslings lack elegance but I don’t find the average Alsace riesling as elegant as the average german one. Maybe my sample size is too small or too narrow. 90% of what I drink from German are Mosel wines so that could be influencing my opinion. Still I find producers like Muller-Catour and Leitz more elegant than alot fo what ive had from Austria or Alsace. The mouthfeel feels lighter to me.

[Bob_Hughes]

I voted Austria (or other - I guess the fact that Mark consigned Austria to “other” tells you all you need to know about the general wine public’s lack of knowledge of this wine-producing area. I sometimes think the beginning & end of most people’s knowledge of Austrian wine is encapsulated in a glass of gruner veltliner they had somewhere in a bar!).

At any rate, according to CT I have Alzinger, Brundlmayer, Bauerl, Heidler, Hirsch, Hirtzberger, Nigl, Nikolaihof, FX & Rudi Pichler, Prager, Salomon, Schloss Gobelsburg, Spaetrot, Stadlmann & Summerer in the cellar - not sure how I missed Emmerich Knoll there, but still, a fairly comprehensive list.