Jeff’s Corner

Howdy, and Hey, Hey, Hey,
Today is Riesling Day…

But, before we check out our new 2019 Riesling, I want to send a private message (I’m working on my social media lingo) to my good friend and work colleague, Mike Garza. Mike, I realize this isn’t exactly private since thousands of people will read it, but here we go anyway:

“You are an extremely lovable nuisance, Mike, but GET TO WORK. You get paid to talk about wine and carry heavy stuff for me, not to run around the tasting room looking for, finding, and hiding a tiny, yellow rubber duck named ‘Ducky’. Get real, amigo dude.”

Now, how about we move on to the just released ’19 GCV Riesling. Our ’18 and ’19 Riesling both have 1.1% residual sugar (RS), but how much sugar is this, and where does 1.1% RS fall on a sweetness scale for wine? If we move the decimal point to the right, we have 11 grams of sugar per liter of wine, which is 8.25 grams in a bottle.

We hear a lot of phrases like “semi-dry” and “semi-sweet,” but we can simplify that. “Dry” wines range from .1 to .3% RS, “off dry” from 1.0 to 3.0% and “sweet “ above 3%. “Dessert” wines can be around 10-20% RS, while Port and Sherry from 5-15%.

Finally, let’s talk about my favorite back porch GCV wine. The color of the 2019 (100% Texas High Plains) Riesling is a translucent, pale green/yellow, with a very summer-friendly ABV of 10.9%. The wine is barely off-dry, with a residual sugar of 1.1%. 1.1% RS equals about 2 grams of sugar per 6 oz glass, whereas Coca Cola has 17.5 grams in 6oz.

The nose shows delicate layers of white peach, Mandarin orange, apricot and Meyer lemon with subtle floral notes of jasmine and honeysuckle. There is a whisper of a spicy, flinty minerality which adds an undertone of intriguing complexity.

The palate is richly textured, and exhibits a spicy sweetness with textbook high acidity in harmony with the fruit and sugar. The finish is crisp, clean and perfectly balanced.

Since it’s summer and really hot, I want to revisit one of my favorite back porch pairings and have this delightful wine with some prosciutto, melon and Havarti. The saltiness of the ham and cheese compliment the delicate, floral sweetness of the wine and melon, while the Riesling’s high acidity contrasts the fat from the protein. It’s yummy!

Stay tuned for further adventures of Ducky, all the while the odds of finding Pinky the tiny Brontosaurus are slowly becoming extinct.