"Riesling wines are as unpopular today as Chardonnay is popular. Maybe that's because Riesling is the antithesis of Chardonnay. While Chardonnay is usually gussied up with oak, Riesling never is; while Chardonnay can be full bodied and rich, Riesling is more often light bodies and refreshing. Riesling's fresh vivid personality can make many Chardonnays taste clumsy in comparison. The common perception of Riesling wines is that they are sweet, and many of them are-but plenty of them aren't. Rieslings can be vinified either way, according to the style of wine a producer wants to make."
A great wine to taste the Riesling grape is in a bottle of Dr. Loosen Riesling from the Mosel Valley of Germany.
The second "R" grape is Rondinella. Sounds like it is something out of a Beach Boys song~ I explored this grape in a 2007 Fabiano Valipolicella. ( see the Corvina blog below). This Italian red grape is blended with the grapes Corvina and Molinara. This light bodied wine with a hint of tart cherries was a great pairing with rigatoni pasta tossed with roasted asparagus, cherry tomatoes, shallots and mushrooms.
The final "R" grape in my tastings is Roussanne,( roo-SAHN) a white grape grown mainly in France's northern part of the Rhone region. Sipping a bottle of 2008 La Vieille Ferme, a blend of Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc and Roussanne grapes was a great way to cross off 4 of my grapes.
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