Oz Clark, in his Grapes and Wines, called Riesling the wine critic’s favorite grape. I can see why. I just tried some of my 2005, and it’s marvelous.




I made it dry (the final gravity was 0.990, one of the lowest readings for any wine I’ve made) but even 9 g/L of acidity didn’t unbalance the wine. To make it, I bought grapes from my local homebrew shop. I was able to use their equipment as part of the purchase, so I took home two partially filled carboys of juice. I added pectic enzyme and pitched the yeast, Red Star Premier Cuvee. Other than that, all I added was time. Not many people think to age white wines, but some do very well, and Riesling is the queen of aged whites. These Washington grown grapes, available at retail, probably aren’t the sort to make a wine that will improve over decades, but I look forward to tasting it as it ages over the next year or two.

Was this helpful? If you got something out of this article, why not spread the word? You can click any of the icons below to share it on your favorite social media outlet. Everyone likes a pat on the back - even me!