2007 A to Z Oregon Riesling – $12

Sourced from 4 vineyards, two in the higher altitudes of Southern Oregon and two of the oldest vineyards in the Northern Willamette Valley. No malolactic fermentation (Wine Fact: Malolactic fermentation gives the wine a full lush mouth feel and imparts a buttered popcorn nose and a green apple flavor to the wine.) Fairly small production of 2,733 cases.

The color is a very light golden wheat yellow. The nose is tangerines, mineral dust and key lime pie. The flavor is soft orange blossom honey, delicate, not tart citrus. The finish is soft ripe peaches, again very delicate. A seductive wine, it does not hit you over the head with flavor, but it sneaks up on you, it wraps itself around your taste buds.

The A to Z has nice acidity, but don’t pair it with food that is too spicy. The soft honeyed citrus and fruit would better accompany lighter meals and dessert.

2005 Skillogalee Riesling – $9

There is a Australian Video Blog that I watch, www.wineweek.com.au . The reviews are not super detailed , but Danny and Brad are very enthusiastic about Aussie wines and I get to keep up with the latest Australian slang. One thing they have been saying lately is to keep away from Australian and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, they insist it tastes of “cat pee”,  the Aussie Riesling has really been on the money lately and it is a far better choice.

Which brings me to the 2005 Skillogalee Riesling, the grapes a sourced from a single vineyard, family owned estate in the Claire Valley and produced in small batches. The bottle I found must have been an end of the bin special, because the 2009 vintage has already been released. It seems that this is a very popular and award winning wine in Australia, but in checking the Web, I did not see much information on this Riesling from U.S. sources. The price for this wine in Australia runs between $15 and $20, so this is proof there are bargains to be had in this economy.

The color is a pale straw yellow. The nose is citrus, minerals and dusty slate. The flavor is smooth rounded pears and honey, muted grapefruit in the back of your palate. The mouth feel is slightly oily and the finish is light citrus that goes on and on and on.The five years of bottle age have been kind to this wine, all the different tastes are well blended, the sharper citrus flavors just dance around the edges. Not a sweet Riesling at all, very dry and very smooth, very tasty. At this price this wine is an amazing steal.

2007 Columbia Crest Riesling – $7

The number one question we get asked this time if year is, “What wine would go with my Thanksgiving turkey dinner?”

Well, a lot of wines compliment turkey, but few quite as well as Riesling, and since Thanksgiving is an all-American holiday, give the German Riesling a rest and go with Riesling from Columbia Valley. Plus it IS among the best.

So, here comes Columbia Crest. Enough fruit for a harvest farm stand – apricots, pears, peaches and melons all getting together at the house this year.

Throw the coats on the bed, have a seat and take a sip of this crisp, refreshing white. Not too sweet, it’s terrifically tongue-loving. All those fruits present on the nose come back to party one more time in your mouth. Fine by itself, but wait ’til you sip it after a bite of Thanksgiving turkey! Its clean acidity, pure fruit flavors and mild alcohol (11.5%) bring a nice counter-balance of lightness to the feeling of heaviness as the dinner progresses.

Ever notice you never get any on Thanksgiving? Must be all the coats on the bed.

2008 Pacific Rim Riesling – $10

This organic, screw-top Riesling from Columbia Valley’s Pacific Rim has a lot going for it. Spritzy, but not too spritzy, it’s the “Sweet Tarts” of wine: sweet pears – but not too sweet – and golden pineapple tartness combine in your mouth for a refreshing “breezy summertime in Savannah” party.

Try it with Thai, chili, spicy Asian, Caribbean jerk chicken – or vanilla bean ice cream! Don’t expect much of a BUZZ from this wine though, 9% alcohol will only get beer drinkers tipsy. Unless of course you drink two bottles!

2008 Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling – $9

So Michalina’s cooking me dinner – a spicy chicken dish that smells as delicious as she does. When I get to her condo, DAMN!! I forgot to bring a wine! “Back in five, kochanie”, (Polish for “yo baby”) and I’m off, knowing I spotted a Dominick’s downstairs (that’s a chain of grocery stores in 312 that has a decent selection of wines) .

Once there, I spot a Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling for $9 chilled. Sold! Not only is Michalina Polish for Michelle, but if you know anything about Polish girls, you KNOW they likes their Riesling!

Back at her place, we enjoy a “primer” glass together while she puts the finishing touches on dinner. She couldn’t say enough about this wine – not too dry, not too sweet, nice and crisp and refreshing with lots of apples, melon and even a little lime.

Then we gave it a whole new level of appreciation when we started digging in (eating, I mean – other stuff came later). It went with her chicken dish like chocolate and strawberries. Like lingerie and sexy hips. Like bellies and jewelry. It was sweet but not too sweet, and it’s gentle sweetness was just the right counter to the spice of the chicken dish.

Chateau Ste Michelle is the oldest winery in Washington State and they are the LARGEST single producer of Riesling in the world (600,000 cases)! They were the winner of Wine Enthusiast’s American Winery of the Year in 2004, and have an amphitheater on their grounds in Woodinville, WA where you can drink their wines and see Styx or Tony Bennett (and others) in concert during the summer months.

Being around for so long and selling so much Riesling, it’s obviously not just Michalina & I that think their wines are a perennial solid choice for go-to consistency.

2008 Kung Fu Girl Riesling

Single vineyard, estate bottled Riesling from the USA all for $10.99. While there is nothing wrong with wines sourced from different areas, many excellent wines are made this way, it’s pretty cool to get a single vineyard Columbia Valley, Washington wine at this price range.

 Kung Fu Girl has a very fragrant nose and tastes of apricots with a bit of lime, The finish is nice and long, fruity but not too sweet. This is a good wine to offer to the person who is new to wine or does not think they like wine, it’s very tasty and easy to enjoy.

Moselland ArsVitis Riesling 2007

I bought Riesling wine at my local Costco for just under $10. My family had this wine at Thanksgiving and everyone that tried it enjoyed. To bad for me at the time I didn’t get to it before it was all gone. When I saw it at Costco I figured it was worth a shot for all my blog readers out there.

The nose was very clean and had some citrus, not much. The mouth has a little bit of sweet orange peel. In the mouth its very clean and soft. The finish comes through sweet and tart.

Not the perfect wine but its very drinkable. I think most people that like this wine will like it because of its sweet characteristics. Its very drinkable on its own which might make it a hit at your next party.

Price: $9.99
Vintage: 2007
Varietal: Riesling
Country: Germany
Cheap Wine Rating: 84

Buy it here: Shop Rite Wines

Pewsey Vale Riesling 2005

Wine Spectator completely missed it on this wine.  I agree with their rating (90) but their tasting notes are off.  I always taste and review a wine Read more

Columbia Winery Cellarmaster’s Riesling 2007

So fruity and sweet. This wine is the perfect summer afternoon sweet wine to drink on the porch. I bought this bottle at Wegmans grocery store. I bought this Read more