Tasting Notes: 

This is a quintessential Riesling with notes of petrol, ripe fruit, citrus and bracing acidity on the finish. Bright flavors of lime, peach, flint, fennel and charred pineapple. A beautiful and succulent, dry riesling that shows terrific balance and tension from the integrated acidity.

What struck me most about this wine is that streak of acidity that reminds me of Old World European styles. That I think has a lot to do with the winemaker himself being from Europe, their love of food (acid driven wine is very food friendly), and their understanding of the difficult environment they are growing in. 

Ravines Wines: 

Ravines Wine Cellars is located in the Finger Lakes wine region of upstate New York. Founded by husband and wife team of Morten and Lisa Hallgren they were the first winery in the region to have a winemaker with a formal degree in oenology. They're focus is on traditional winemaking, producing exclusively dry, vitis vinifera wines. Morten also pioneered the bone-dry, mineral-tinged Riesling style that has since become the flagship Finger Lakes wine to critical acclaim. 

Riesling: 

This German grape is considered by many to be one of the most unique white varietals in the world, though it has yet to reach the same popularity in America as it has in Europe. Riesling can range anywhere from a light bone-dry white with an alcohol level somewhere around 8 percent to a beautifully thick sweet dessert wine. It is a wine with a huge richness of flavor and fruit that is complemented by an intense acidity. Riesling is a beautifully balanced wine but it is also extremely temperamental. It needs to be planted in optimum conditions to produce such a flavorful yet delicate wine.

Finger Lakes, New York: 

The Finger Lakes wine region is host to more than 120 wineries and is the biggest producer of wine in New York State. The beautiful Keuka, Seneca, Canandaigua, and Cayuga lakes are the central focus of the region and play a major role in the area’s renown cool climate wines, especially its varietal whites like Riesling and Gewurztraminer. But the region is also famed for its red varieties such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, as well as other popular white varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.

Food & Wine Pairing: 

Riesling is one of the most versatile wines for food pairing. It’s naturally high in acid, and naturally low in alcohol, both traits that make pairing with food easier plus, the range of sweetness mean that there are an amazing array of ingredients the wine can accompany. 

The most obvious being seafood like trout, snapper, rock cod and of course shellfish which inherently have a sweetness to them that is often mirrored in the wine. But Riesling also pairs well with poultry, white meat, it’s also amazing with Charcuterie. Plus any vegetables that have or imply some sweetness are great with Riesling. 

If you have a super dry version of the wine, use that acid to compliment the food the same way adding a squeeze of lemon or lime would brighten up the dish. Or if you have a wine with some sweetness to it, bring out the spicy food. Anything from sushi to Indian to thai can be amazing with Riesling 

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