Riesling or Reisling - Frankenstein or Frankenstien

Sometimes I feel bad for the Rieslings in this world. They are so misunderstood: It starts with the spelling of the name and continues with the types of wine one can produce from this noble grape.
This article is my small effort to help out a native German grape that went through an identity crisis on this continent, but is now making some great headway in its fight for popularity on patios and dinner tables alike.

So, it is Riesling ( “ie” prounced like “ee”) and of course the guy with the square head and screws in his neck is Frankenstein (“ei” prounounced like in “mine”) – just to get that out of the way.

The name Riesling seems a bit more difficult to clarify. 'Russ' means dark wood and this along with the grooved bark gives the resultant root word 'rissig'. Another likely reference relates to Rieslings poor flowering in cold weather which is described by the German words 'verrieseln' or 'durchrieseln'.
Then in the 1970s Riesling decided to make a “splash” in a big way and made a pact with a Blue Nun that would help to bring it world fame. But as a lot of up and coming artist will tell you, you have to choose your PR team well and make sure you can handle the new gained VIP status. As a true 70s and 80s brand the new white wine drinkers of the world were enjoying the Nun and everyone thought that “Liebfraumilch” was made of Riesling. Well, actually, legally Liebfraumilch does not have to contain a drop of the noble grape. An overpowering sweetness helped spread the Nun across a broad range of consumers and its growth in popularity was historic.
Unfortunately, as the wine drinking market matured, everyone that came across Riesling on a wine list was still remembering the great parties with the Nun. Riesling like any other grape can of course be made in a number of different styles and it does not have to be sweet. Today, by the way, Blue Nun contains a minimum of 30% Riesling.

Dry Rieslings to me are the red wine drinkers white wines. They are fragrant, elegant, with a great spine of acidity and express the terroir of the growing region extremely well. On top of that, they age very well.
Pillitteri Estates 2007 Riesling is a perfect example of this expression of terroir. On the first sip you can feel the richness of the 2007 vintage. All the sun that year ensured great ripeness which makes this Riesling juicy, but the acidity is there to leave a nice, fresh finish on your taste buds. You will notice the nice minerality that has been accentuated by a bit of bottle aging. If you are a fan of the sunshine hours on the patio or a fan of lighter fare, this is the wine for you.
“Ok, Riesling, I hope this helped you out a bit. You are doing well. Keep up the good work and make sure you drop in at my place when you smell seafood or pork tenderloin grilling on my patio.”

Cheers,

Marcel Morgenstern
Estates Sommelier