Riesling is one of the most interesting of white wines with the variety of flavours it can show, the many degrees of sweetness balanced with crisp acidity, and the way it develops into something different with a few years bottle age.
◊ BEST UNDER $15
(about $14)
An attractive wine with a lot of interesting things going on - floral aromas, hints of lime and bitter orange marmalade, honey, and a luscious mouthfeel with a crisp, zesty finish.
Four stars (out of five)
Good value
(about $19)
A lively wine with a hint of lime and gorse flowers and honey, a bright intensity in the mouth and a dryish finish.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
(about $19)
A pale, minerally wine, with hints of lime, a zesty, steely, dry finish and a surprisingly persistent aftertaste.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
(about $28)
A complex, textural wine with hints of toffee, lime and cucumber, tropical fruit, honey and buttered toast in the background. The second day I tasted this, it was really getting into its stride. Well worth cellaring for a year or three.
Four stars (out of five)
Average value
(about $25)
A powerful riesling, rich and textural with a steely backbone, hints of lime and mineral and a crisp, dryish finish. Good with food such as white fish baked with lemon.
Three stars (out of five)
Below average value
(about $32)
This stylish wine used to be called "late harvest dry" riesling, but its new name in Pegasus's reserve opera series allows it a solo role which it sings with great beauty.
It's zesty and almost spritzy with a hint of ginger, honey, toffee, nuts and buttered toast, layers of texture and complexity and a long, lively finish. Worth seeking out.
Five stars (out of five)
Average value
• ANOTHER GLASS
Thornbury Waipara Riesling 2008
(about $20)
With hints of lime and mineral and just a touch of tropical fruit and ginger, this off-dry wine has a clean, slightly hard finish.
Two stars (out of five)
Below average value
Waimea Bolitho Nelson Riesling 2006
(about $22)
With a couple of years bottle age this is showing nice development, with hints of kerosene and rich lime marmalade, buttered toast and hazelnuts, with a bright, dry finish.
Three stars (out of five)
Average value
Two stars - simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars - outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
- Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.
