Palate-pleasing floral white
By Pauline D loh (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-22 10:00
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I am often asked to pair Chinese food with Western wines and one of my favorite bottles is always, inevitably, a Riesling. This is an often maligned white, dismissed for its light bouquet and "feminine" flavors in a country used to more robust alcohol that burns rather than caresses the palate.
What a shame. There are so many delicately flavored Chinese dishes that will benefit from the company of a floral Riesling. It is a sophisticated union that should please the most discerning taste buds.
Imagine a fresh fish, lightly steamed and scented with the herbal accents of spring onions, coriander and thinly shredded ginger, with a final sprinkling of aromatic sesame oil. Pair it with a buttery yellow green glass of Riesling and it's a marriage made in culinary heaven.
Such a dainty dish will surely be ruined by a heavier red or white. And remember, the strength of the wine is not dictated by its color - an innocuous looking white may sink like a ton of rocks on the palate and ruin the dinner.
Yet, a quick turn around the cellars and it's clear Riesling is not a popular choice around here. At the Sanlitun supermarket I went to in Beijing, there was a lone bottle of German Riesling hidden among the Cab Savs and Chards. I also spotted a Riesling from Xinjiang, but the dubious answers to my questions on origin deflected my interest.
There are many misconceptions about Rieslings, especially on the sweetness of the varietal. The German wines used to be very sugary, almost cloyingly so. More recent vintages have shown a leaning towards drier vintages.
Perhaps one of the reasons for the "change" is the sensitivity of the grape itself. It responds like an barometer to the conditions of growth like rainfall, soil, sunshine and even wind - conditions collectively known as "terroir".
In Australia, the Riesling produced has always been a drier wine than those produced in the Old World. And now it seems, global warming may have made the conditions in Germany and France more similar to that in Australia.
This white grape is one of the most commonly grown in Germany and is cultivated mainly in the cooler regions, a preference it also dictates in its adopted countries of France, Italy, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
It likes the cold so much that in Canada, it is the main varietal in the Niagara-on-the-lake vineyards, famous for its icewine under the Inniskillin label.
Riesling grapes are also bottled as late harvest dessert wines, thanks to a serendipitous process called noble rot. It is caused by a fungus and the wines are often named after it - botrytis. The rich golden vintages develop an almost syrupy sweetness characterized by intense floral notes that may range from citrus to osmanthus.
Riesling is normally drunk quite young to take advantage of its aromatic nose. Another reason is that older vintages laid down longer often develop gout petrol or petrol notes. This is reminiscent of glue or kerosene and may put off novice drinkers who chose the wine for its freshness.
When buying Riesling, go for the German vintages if you veer towards a sweeter wine. If you prefer a wine that is noticeably more dry, the Australian and New Zealand vintages are good choices, especially those from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.
I also like the Riesling from Albany, at the southern tip of Western Australia straight east from the Margaret River. Here the Riesling is the perfect match for the little local oysters, arguably the best I have tasted.
And so it is that Riesling is a good match for anything that comes from the sea, from oysters to lobsters to shellfish such as mussels or abalone. Even plain old fish.