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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/700131
www.cheersonline.com 30 • July/August 2016 riesling seem daunting, but offers up some advice. "Try different things, but focus on what you like; you'll be surprised how quickly all those crazy details become not too confusing." HOW SWEET IT ISN'T Since there is a range within each German category's sweetness level, one producer's kabinett may be another's spätlese, but Ed Manetta has a little trick to fi gure out what's going to be inside the bottle. "The higher the alcohol content, the drier the riesling; the lower the alcohol, the sweeter the riesling," explains the wine director for Cucina Enoteca in Irvine, CA. "It doesn't work 100% of the time," Manetta notes, "but generally if you're deciding between an 8% and a 12%, the 8% will be much sweeter, and the one that's 12% has a good chance of being bone dry." Sugar in wine is potential alcohol; when a wine is fermented dry, all of its sugar converts to alcohol, resulting in a dry style. For sweeter wines, fermentation is halted, resulting in a wine with a lower ABV and some residual sugar. Cucina Enoteca is part of the Urban Kitchen Group, which operates fi ve concepts in San Diego. Its workhorse riesling is Dr. Hermann kabinett riesling ($28 a bottle), a single-vineyard wine from Germany's Mosel Valley. "It is a classically styled riesling that has that sweet and sour play, where the sweetness and tangy acidity are in a constant tug of war," Manetta says. Sweeter is the Dr. F. Weins Prum Auslese riesling ($60 a bottle) from the Erdener Pralat vineyard. "Honeysuckle, peach and apricot fl avors are all over it, with some lime zest streaming through the sweetness," Manetta adds. THE "A" TEAM Though it's adjacent to Germany and its wines tend to be incorrectly lumped into the same style, Mayor points out that Austria actually produces riesling that is quite different from that of its northwest neighbor. "I often fi nd guests are very surprised when they try an Austrian riesling and see how dry and full-bodied it can be," he notes. Bourbon Steak carries eight Austrian rieslings by the glass, including the 2010 Loimer Lenz riesling ($56 a bottle) from Kamptal and the 2012 Nigl Dornleiten ($76 a bottle) from Kremstal. At the 134-seat modern steakhouse Stake Chophouse in Coronado, CA, beverage director Greg Majors also looks to Austria to pique dry wine-loving palates. He likes the 2013 Weingut Bründlmayer Steinmassel riesling ($70 a bottle) and the 2011 Weingut Knoll Ried Loibenberg Smaragd riesling ($105 a bottle). "The striking acidity and minerality of these super- vibrant wines and their bone dry fi nish does wonders for dispelling the notion that all riesling is sweet," says Tony Norton. The assistant general manager/wine buyer for the 235-seat restaurant High Cotton in Charleston, SC, likes to sneak one on menus at wine dinners or paired events, such as the 2011 W. Bründlemayer Kamptaler Terrassen ($54 a bottle) from the country's Kamptal region. Guests' initial dismay turns to pleasant surprise when they realize it's a dry, highly pairable wine. In fact, Norton has a tip to remember which regions produce dry riesling. "Looking for dry? Remembers the A's. Alsace, Australia and especially Austria will usually fi t the bill." One winery that's consistently produced dry Alsatian riesling (since 1626) is Trimbach. Steven McDonald, sommelier/wine director of the 200-seat Pappa Bros. Steakhouse at the Houston Galleria, offers the 2013 Trimbach riesling ($15 a glass, $60 a bottle), which is "bone dry and refreshing, with an overall crisp, citrus-driven style." Griffi n-Hoist also enjoys introducing people to Alsatian riesling. "The weight and texture are fuller than those from Germany, and the sweetness levels help invite the guest to reconsider riesling as a great white to pair with food." Soby's "The higher the alcohol content, the drier the riesling; the lower the alcohol, the sweeter the riesling," — Ed Manetta, wine director for Cucina Enoteca in Irvine, CA. Steven McDonald, sommelier/wine director of the 200-seat Pappa Bros. Steakhouse at the Houston Galleria, recommends the 2013 Trimbach riesling, which is "bone dry and refreshing, with an overall crisp, citrus-driven style."