German Riesling

Ah Germany... a country known for producing some of the most incredible Rieslings in the world. 

Take a look at the four most significant regions:

...and a little bit about the wine from each:

• where many of the FINEST Rieslings in the world are produced
• more mineral (wet stone) flavors with lemon, lime, citrus, apple, and apricot
• crisp wines with great acidity
• steepest vineyards in Germany with vines facing the south
• along the Mosel river (where Rieslings were said to have originated)
• less sunlight than other regions
• slate in the soil (creates the mineral flavor in the wine)
• traditionally green bottles

• more exotic fruit flavors of citrus, tropical fruit, honey, and ginger
• lush and tangy flavors with less acidity
• flatter land surrounded by mountains
• limestone and sand in the soil
• the most inventive and creative region

• riper rounder fruit flavors of peach, pear, citrus, honey, and some earth
• extremely rich and elegant
• serene region on a continuous slope
• known for their famous village Johannisberg  

• earthier flavors and juicy fruit flavors of peach, apple, and melon
• smallest production of riesling
• flat fertile farmland
• red sandstone and slate in soil
• very plain compared to other German regions

In Germany the quality of the wine relates to the ripeness of the grape. Here is how they classify their Rieslings in order of less ripe (dryer) to most ripe (sweeter) wines. These are usually printed on a German bottle of Riesling.

KABINETT * picked at normal harvest and usually dryer

SPATLESE * picked later, riper, and a bit sweeter (off-dry)

AUSLESE * very ripe, much sweeter, and a touch of noble rot

BEERENAUSLESE * extremely ripe, selected and hand picked grapes with noble rot

TROCKENBEERENAUSLESE * extremely ripe, smaller quantities that are individually picked with noble rot, some of sweetest wine in world

EISWEIN * grapes are picked when frozen, the sweetest of all

On Ohio Wine

Oh glorious Ohio. How we love it when you show us signs of spring!

What do people do in the spring?

They plant things!

This spring my husband and I will be planting some grapes. Wine grapes. His family has a bit of land and we figure that since we both share a great interest in wine, we ought to plant grapes and see what comes of it. 

When we made these plans I became more and more interested in Ohio wine. I started learning about the land, what grapes grow best, and how Ohio has come a long way in the wine world.

Here's a bit on what I found.

• In the 1800s settlers started exploring winemaking in Ohio
• In 1823 the first grapes were planted in the Cincinnati area (now known as The Ohio River Valley) by a man named Nicholas Longworth
• The grapes Nicholas planted were called Alexander and Isabella. They were soon followed by Catawba grapes (a grape Ohio is now known for)
• By 1845, Ohio was producing 300 gallons of wine annually (that is about 125 bottles of wine)
• Before the Civil War, Ohio was the largest wine producing state in the union
• Unfortunately, because of the war, grapes were neglected and eventually destroyed by disease
• Around this time, German immigrants gathered around the Lake Erie shoreline and brought their winemaking skills. These skills, paired with the climate by the lake, created some excellent wine
• This area became The Lake Erie Wine Belt

Now there are over 150 wineries and vineyards in Ohio. Some are family run and others are corporate businesses.

Ohio wines are cool weather wines and are made with grapes that thrive in cooler temperatures. The wines tend to be sweet or semi-sweet in general, although there are some dry and off-dry wines that are quite tasty! Some examples of Ohio grapes are Riesling, Pinot Gris, Vidal Blanc (this grape is used in Ice Wine as well), Traminette, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc...among others.  

We took an Ohio wine trip about a year ago and had a fantastic time. Over a long weekend we were able to visit about eight Ohio wineries. They all had a different vibe to them. Such a fun and insightful adventure.

The Ohio Wines website has some great information and lists all of the wineries and vineyards in Ohio.
Go HERE for a list of wineries close to you and start exploring them.

THEN... When you are as excited about Ohio Wine as we are, you can buy a map and pin all of the wineries you have traveled to!

Check this out!

Find the map HERE

Have a WINEderful weekend!