Riesling Gives Great Flavor At The Right Price

Let me state my case for making Washington riesling your summer sipping wine: It’s painfully cheap. It’s bursting with a fruit salad of flavor. It’s a great companion for the grilled chicken and salmon of summer barbecues.

And - did I mention? - it’s dirt cheap.

I recently picked up a bottle of Paul Thomas riesling for $3.39. Most releases ring in at about $4. You can buy some of the best riesling in the state for under $6.

For years, I’ve been trumpeting German rieslings as the ultimate warm-weather wine. Typically, they have an incredible amount of intense fruit flavor that’s balanced with a tart, lip-smacking crispness. Drinking a great German riesling is like biting into the most delicious apple pie.

Unfortunately, the price of German rieslings has gotten a bit steep for my budget. It’s tough to find one anymore for under $15. I’ll splurge on a German riesling for a special occasion, but for everyday sipping, I decided it was prime time to re-visit Washington rieslings. I used the results of the recent Western Washington Wine Contest as a jumping off spot. The panel of judges had pretty prestigious palates; Los Angeles Times columnist Dan Berger, The Seattle Times’ Tom Stockley and Gerald Boyd from the San Francisco Chronicle were among the participants.

Just two rieslings were awarded a gold medal: the ‘95 Chateau Ste. Michelle and the ‘95 Hogue Cellar dry Johannisberg riesling. Silvers were handed out to Washington Hills for its Columbia Valley riesling and for its dry riesling, both from the 1995 vintage, the ‘94 Hogue Cellars’ dry riesling from the Schwartzman Vineyards, the white riesling from Kiona Vineyards and the ‘95 riesling from Worden’s.

When I went shopping for these, I was sidetracked by other rieslings that sported ridiculously low sale prices. The medal winners were certainly sure bets, so I found a few new favorites instead.

A Columbia Cellarmaster’s reserve was $4 and had ripe apple, pear and melon flavors. It was sweet, but not cloying, a great partner for spicy Thai food or a fruit dessert. Another $4 special, the Bookwalter riesling, was also packed with juicy fruit.

My top choice was a dry riesling from Snoqualmie ($5). It tasted like a gorgeous green apple with a hint of sweetness that reminded me of a fresh ripe pineapple. Even though it was called a dry riesling, it still had plenty of sweetness.

The whole business of calling a riesling dry has led to some confusion among consumers.

“Dry is a relative term when you’re talking about riesling,” said David Forsyth, the Hogue’s director of winemaking. “No riesling is going to be bone dry.”

Hogue is one of the few wineries to list the wine’s residual sugar on the label. When it comes to riesling, that’s welcome information. For instance, the Hogue’s “dry” riesling contains .72 percent residual sugar, while its regular release contains between 1.4 and 1.8 percent.

While some Washington wineries have abandoned riesling, largely because it’s impossible to make a profit on such a low-priced wine, Forsyth said Hogue Cellars remains committed.

In recent years, the winery has zeroed in on vineyards near the Yakima area that are well-suited to growing riesling grapes. That variety thrives with warm days and cool nights.

Forsyth praised the quality of Washington’s riesling grapes, which yield such intense flavors and bright crispness. But he’s alarmed that they might someday disappear.

“The price is so low that growers aren’t making any money, so there’s no incentive to plant it,” he said. “I’m afraid that it’s going to go away.”

So, consider this column a call to arms: Save a potentially endangered species and buy a bottle of riesling tonight.

Ooh la la

The ‘95 white burgundies from France won’t be released until next October, but already they’ve generated tremendous buzz.

At a recent tasting of ‘95 whites and ‘94 reds - special samples from Joseph Drouhin that had been flown in from France - I was completely blown away by the concentrated flavor packed into these wines, especially the whites. Experts are calling 1995 the best vintage for white burgundy in the past decade because the growing conditions were perfect, but the yields were down after a harsh winter.

A small crop makes for more intense flavors but less wine. Already hefty prices will creep up, and finding the wine becomes a challenge.

That’s why you need to talk with your favorite wine merchant about pre-ordering French burgundy now. Though you have to fork over cash for wines you won’t see until next fall, pre-ordering can mean a significant savings. For instance, the prerelease price on a grand cru (top of the line) Chablis Vaudesir is $35. In October, you’ll pay $55. You can prebuy some bottles for as little as $8.19.

Often, there’s a minimum number of bottles you are required to order, so you might want to find a friend willing to split a case or a half-case.

Hey, this isn’t as complicated as playing the stock market. The ‘95 whites taste like an amazing investment.

Simply Auss-some

Wine of the month: Ironstone Shiraz, $12. Shiraz is what they call wine made from the syrah grape in Australia. This California winery, located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, uses rootstock from down under and makes this outstanding red wine in light Aussie style.

It had pretty cherry and plum qualities, like a pinot, but was more concentrated and slightly spicy. It reminded me of a sleek, elegant zinfandel. It was terrific with a smoky grilled duck breast, but I imagine it would work well with steak or pasta with a spicy sauce.

Whodunit?

Aspiring Agatha Christies should warm up their computer keyboards and their imaginations for Veuve Clicquot’s mystery short story contest. The winner gets a trip to France, VIP treatment from the prestigious champagne house and a case of bubbly.

Entries should be 1,500 to 2,000 words and must be original, unpublished works and should prominently feature, you guessed it, sparkling wine.

For complete contest rules, write to “The Case of La Grande Dame,” Clicquot Inc., 717 Fifth Ave., 20th Floor, New York, NY 10022. The deadline is Sept. 3.

Bottoms up

Speaking of sparklers, summer is wedding season and time to bone up on making toasts. If you’re the best man and “here’s mud in your eye” doesn’t sound poetic enough, Freixenet has come out with a book of toasts that will prompt all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings.

It’s more Hallmark than Bill Shakespeare, but what do you expect for $2?

The 63-page booklet contains toasts for every occasion. To receive a copy, send $2 to Freixenet Book of Toasts and Graces, P.O. Box 1949, Sonoma, CA 95476.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Leslie Kelly The Spokesman-Review