Wine School, New York Finger Lakes Rieslings, August 19, 2014

Theme:  On my recent trip to the Finger Lakes, New York (see post July 8, 2014)  with my husband, I made sure to bring back some Rieslings from this region to share with Lisa and Mary Jo. These three wines were great for a summertime class!

The Wines:

Heart and Hands Patrician Verona Vineyard 2011 Riesling

• Color:  Clear, pale gold
• Nose:  An aromatic wine with vegetative, pear, apple crisp/cooked apples-the aromas continued to change as the wine opened up
• Mouth:  A dry, light bodied wine with tart acidity, apple flavors and good balance.
• Price:  $29.99
• Rating: 4

Silver Thread 2012 Dry Riesling

• Color:  Clear, pale yellow with greenish hues
• Nose:  First whiff of this wine reminded us of an unoaked Chardonnay. Floral, grass and peach aromas present. It has a clean, fresh nose that is quite pleasant.
• Mouth:  This light bodied wine is bone dry with fresh acidity. It is well balanced with hints of lemon and floral. Fresh, just like the nose indicates.
• Price:  $18
• Rating: 4

Herman J. Wiemer 2013 Dry Riesling

• Color:  Clear, pale gold with an almost effervescent appearance
• Nose:  Another aromatic wine with  aromas of juicy peaches and floral.
• Mouth:  Fresh acidity is present in this dry, light bodied wine. It has nice balance with flavors of creamy peaches. Quite smooth mouth feel.
• Price:  $18.50
• Rating: 4

Overall conclusion:  Amazing how the characteristics and nuances of these wines differ from the same region. The individual terroir definitely has an affect on the wine. We enjoyed all three of these wines and they were a wonderful accompaniment to dinner. 

Pairings:

Brie Cheese:  The Brie cheese was a nice pairing with all three of the wines. It really brought out the fruit in the Heart and Hands and Wiemer wines. Though it is paired best with the Silver Thread wine.
Goat Gouda Cheese:  Yum! Loved the cheese and it was a match with the wines. The fruit in the wines came out when paired with these cheeses. Very balanced pairing. Enjoyed the most with the Wiemer, but was a close second with the other two wines.
Edam Cheese:  Our least favorite cheese pairing of the evening. Paired best with the Wiemer.

Goat Gouda and Havarti Dill

  
Havarti Dill Cheese:  This is one of our favorite cheeses and it paired well with the wines. The tartness of the wines was a nice contrast to the dill in the cheese. Again, it paired best with the Wiemer, but was a great pairing with all three wines!

Tomato Bruschetta

Tomato Bruschetta: Fresh garden tomatoes was quite yummy with the Heart & Hands Riesling. Also was a nice match with the Wiemer.  
Peach Salsa with Chips:  Peach paired nicely with these Rieslings. Enjoyed best with Heart & Hands with Silver Thread a close second!
Crab Salad:  Great pairing with all!
Vanilla Poached Peaches:  We all enjoyed this dessert, but was a bit sweet for these dry Rieslings. It was nice with the Heart & Hands and Wiemer.
Bissinger's Chardonnay Salt Caramels:  A nice pairing overall, and a great way to finish the tasting!

Conclusion:

Beth: There are so many wine regions around the world! It was fun to explore the Rieslings from the Finger Lakes with Lisa and Mary Jo. I enjoyed all three of these distinct wines. I found my personal favorite overall was the Silver Thread, it was quite fresh and refreshing on its own and paired well with most of the foods. A close second was the Herman Wiemer  which I actually found paired best with the foods. My favorite pairing of the evening was the Goat Gouda with all three wines! I'm so glad I was able to share these wines from my trip with Lisa and Mary Jo. I definitely recommend trying a Finger Lake Riesling if you get the chance.
Lisa:  I do love a good dry Riesling!  I was looking forward to trying something new and from a different part of the US, so I'm glad Beth shared them with us.  First of all, I was totally surprised how unique they each were!  That being said, it was truly hard to pick a favorite.  As for the food pairings, my favorite cheese was the havarti dill.  It kept getting better with each wine.  The fresh tomato bruschetta delicious with all, but my favorite was Heart & Hands.  The crab salad was definitely my favorite food pairing of the night!  The Heart & Hands may have been the winner for me. And ending the night with vanilla poached peaches and chardonnay salt caramels--YUM!  What a treat!   Thanks Beth!
Mary Jo:  This was a delightful departure from the wines we typically taste.  We were very fortunate to be able to try wines from this area!  It is definitely a location that has interested me!  I felt each wine had its own shining moments!  With the Brie, I found the Silver Thread to pair the best, Herman Wiemer with the goat Gouda, Havarti Dill and the Edam.  I enjoyed the Heart and Hands very much with the bruschetta , crab salad and desert!  Ultimately, I enjoyed the heart and Hands the most with food.  It was very reminiscent of apples.  It was slightly, but pleasantly, tart, and had a great finish!!  The Silver Thread was delicious as a sipper!  It was very different from the Heart and Hands.  This wine is very clean and fresh, but has a shorter finish than H and H.  This was fruitier on the nose than the mouth, but had nice minerality on the mouth.  Thanks, Beth!