Always a pleasure for me to taste flights of Riesling; one thing I’m mindful of is serving order, from the dryest wines, then gradually ascending sweetness. The uncertainty as to whether a particular Riesling is dry or sweet can be a turn-off for many consumers. However, several wineries use a variant of the International Riesling scale on the back label which gives a clear indication. Another "cheats method" is to look at the alcohol level on the label. The sweetness is normally the unfermented natural grape sugar, so a Riesling with say, 12-12.5% alc should be dry while lower alc levels will increase in sweetness. It’s imperfect science but a useful starting point. 2023 Valli Waitaki Riesling Price RRP $39 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Brightly perfumed, white flower florality, crisp apple, lemon skin citrus, a wisp of dry honey, very engaging. Crisp, fresh, light honeyed sweetness yet the racy acidity keeps this vibrantly just off-dry. Creaminess on entry, that combo of honey, citrus and apple really works. With air, now drier and more about that salivatory acid drive. www.valliwine.com 2024 Pegasus Bay Bel Canto Dry Riesling Price RRP $40 Rating Excellent A salty mineral quality, wisps of struck match and botrytis, orange peel and honey. Dry with clear richness and depth to the palate, mouthfilling, orange/ mandarin citrus, caraway seed, flavours go on and on. Now a wee prickle on the palate, pear notes, showing its youthful tautness now. I’m sure this will only get better with time. I may be underscoring it. www.pegasusbay.com 2024 Hawkshead Central Otago Riesling Price RRP $36 Rating Excellent Lovely florals, touches of jasmine and red apple, a little spice perhaps. Dry, quite fine and linear, taut in the mouth in a nice way. Flower petal and apple again on the palate, fleshing out now, gaining richness. A finer, elegant style, steely and rather charming. Rather than shouting from the rooftops this has a rather beguiling feel, I suspect a glass would evaporate before you know it. www.hawksheadwine.com 2019 Domaine Rewa Central Otago Riesling Price RRP $30 Rating Excellent to Outstanding Fascinating nose of beewax and lanolin, citrus and dry honey, draws you back for more. Richly creamy on entry, the lightly honeyed citrussy notes meet a counterpoint of crisp acidity that brings this to a just off-dry conclusion. Hints of granny smith apple and almond now, some chewy grip, excellent carry, this marries depth while being light on its feet. www.domainerewa.com 2015 Pegasus Bay Aged Release Riesling Price RRP $45 Rating Excellent to Outstanding One of those noses where isolating characters is superfluous, it is so quietly engaging as a whole. The palate ramps up the impact, a tickle of spritz initially, giving way to chalky phenolics that build texture, toast and honey development and excellent length. One again it’s the expression as a whole that is so engaging. So, so moreish. www.pegasusbay.com 2024 Carrick Josephine Organic Bannockburn Riesling Price RRP $42 Rating Excellent Yeast esters and honeyed botrytis, flower blossom, citrus, red apple, lots going on. That red apple a core around which honey, citrus and spice revolve. A little chalky grip, richly honeyed palate and then a real salivatory quality that gets the juices flowing. Lovely balance between the sweetness, acidity and grip, now with some real raciness driving the long close. www.carrick.co.nz
