Wine & Cigar Pairing- RieslingCV - Dezel Quillen has one of the most informative and entertaining wine blogs that I read and he will join us as guest wine-blogger as we expand the world of wine and cigar pairing beyond the world of Virginia wine. We have excerpted from Dezel’s latest blog, expanding it to include the synergy created by the right cigar.Dezel’s Blog, My Vine Spot, can be found at www.myvinespot.com.Riesling: Diverse, Versatile, and Food-Friendly!DQ - Riesling is a white wine grape variety that prefers a relatively cool climate. It’s well known for its wonderful, tell-tale aromatic charm, diversity, and ability to improve with age; which is somewhat of a rarity for a white wine. Its naturally high acidity makes it easy to pair with a wide variety of foods year-round. And to debunk a myth; all Riesling wines are not sweet – they span the sweetness scale from bone-dry, to slightly-sweet, to “dessert” in the glass. Below are three recent Riesling sips, brief tasting notes, and a picture I snapped of each bottle. Variety, so they say, is the spice of life, so keep an open mind and an open palate and enjoy the experience.Cigar Pairing - The Panacea Green Pennsylvania BroadleafCV - Have you ever brushed your teeth then drank a glass of orange juice? The bitter flavor that you get is the conflict between the alkalinity of the toothpaste and the acidity of the orange juice. Because most cigar tobacco has an alkaline base pairing a cigar with acidic wines like a Riesling results in the same conflict. That is why the Panacea Green Pennsylvania Broadleaf is so unique. Pennsylvania Broadleaf is primarily used as chewing tobacco and has a slightly acidic base. The Flat Bed Cigar Company takes specially selected Pennsylvania Broadleaf tobacco to their factory in the Dominican Republic where it is aged and cured and used as the wrapper in the Green.It softens the acidity in the more acidic Rieslings and highlights the subtle fruit flavors.The Pennsylvania Broadleaf is available on the Cigarvolante web site. Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery 2011 RieslingDQ - Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery 2011 Columbia Valley Riesling (SRP $10): This is Washington State’s oldest winery and the area’s largest Riesling producer (I believe). The 2011 Columbia Valley Riesling is a pleasant yet uncomplicated wine with vibrant pear and stone fruit flavors, refreshing food-partnering [citrus] acidity and a faint hint of sweetness that lingers through to the crisp, clean finish. Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Columbia Valley Riesling is nationally available and for under $10 is a reliable entry-level Riesling to match with a wide variety of foods and also drinks nicely on its own. I enjoyed a few glasses with a [big] plate of Panda Express orange chicken, Beijing beef, and fried rice. The portions were so generous it was enough food for two people. Both the bottle of wine and a two entrée meal were just under $20, so try this out if you’re seeking a tasty combo for a cheap date night. CV - I have long been a fan of the Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay and their Riesling is equally tasty and was easy to find at my local Raley’s grocery store for about $11. The CSM Riesling proved to be a perfect match for the Green and a good example of how the acidity in the Broadleaf wrapper softens the flavor of the wine. Before lighting the cigar the acidity borders on being tart but sipping the wine after drawing on the cigar highlights a creaminess in the wine that is not noticeable when drinking it alone. Many of the Virginia white wines over the last couple of years have a “bright acidity” and, in some cases an over acidity that can be minimized and balanced when paired with this cigar.The other two Rieslings in Denzel’s list were less accessible but having similar characteristics, the Green would be the obvious selection for these as well. None of these are particularly sweet but, if it were on the sweet side I might also try the Panacea Azul, The Cameroon which has a touch of the Broadleaf as in the filler. The Cameroon wrapper imparts a slightly fruity sweet flavor that works nicely with a sweeter white wine while the muted acidity provides balance. Weingut Fred Loimer 2011 Riesling KamptalDQ - Weingut Fred Loimer 2011 Riesling Kamptal (SRP $25): This is a selection I had an opportunity to taste for a “Summer of Riesling” Twitter tasting that was put on by the good folks over at @AustrianwineUSA. A friend, who sampled the wines with me, was so pleased with this selection that he found several more bottles and I recently enjoyed another glass with dinner. Riesling is Austria’s second most important white wine grape variety behind its native Grüner Veltliner. The region’s gift to consumers like me are dry (as well as sweet), food-friendly wines that can accompany a wide range of foods. The moderately complex and refreshing 2011 Riesling Kamptal offers lemon-lime, tangerine, and green apple scents and flavors with a nice, but delicate, mineral presence that’s complemented by brisk, palate-cleansing acidity with a clean medium-length finish. Two glasses paired nicely with Thai cuisine – tempering the heat and prepping me for another bite! Peter Lehmann 2009 Eden Valley RieslingDQ - Peter Lehmann 2009 Eden Valley [South Australia] Riesling (SRP $15): Australia is a region that’s generally seen as warm-to-hot in climate and is largely looked to for inexpensive, riper-styled Shiraz. They also produce much pricier and complex examples that flirt with elegance and finesses. A region’s broad-scale climate doesn’t define the climate of the entire region – there are many other factors at play. The higher altitude of the Eden Valley provides a cooler macroclimate where varieties like Riesling can thrive. The Peter Lehmann 2009 Eden Valley Riesling offers appealing citrus, petrol (very pronounced), diesel, and mineral notes on a lean frame with good food partnering acidity. Besides being a good entry-level Aussie Riesling, doesn’t the artwork on the label remind you of the lead singer for the Go-Go’s? I believe I had a poster of Belinda Carlisle on my wall back in the day! CV - Ron Barker of Cigarvolante, Sponsor of The Virginia Wine and Cigar TrailDQ - Denzel Quillen, My Vine Spot
