New World: Riesling
2017 Gold: 4 Silver: 5 Bronze: 3 Commended: 7
2016 Gold: 2 Silver: 7 Bronze: 4 Commended: 7
‘Swooning Somms in Love With Riesling Shock’. OK, so maybe it isn’t a news story to match the shenanigans coming out of the White House, but it is, at least, true, which makes a change.
Our tasters were generally very encouraged by what they saw here, giving out the highest number of Golds for four years. Moreover, it wasn’t All About Australia either. The Aussies managed their usual pair, but this year the Gold List was also backed up with examples from New Zealand and a predictably cheaper offering from Chile.
In general, our tasters were more favourably disposed towards the drier, zingier wines than the off-drys, which was an issue for New Zealand, in particular, but the plethora of prices, styles and countries here was good news for a category that doesn’t always generate as much positive feedback (or as many Golds) as you might think.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘I love Australian Riesling! There are some great examples coming out of Clare Valley, Eden Valley and Tasmania. They can offer so much – just being fresh, bright and vibrant isn’t enough – and some of these wines showed that brilliantly.’ Kelvin McCabe, Yauatcha
‘I love Riesling when it’s mineral and sharp. Most of these were too sweet.’ Yohann Pinol, Wiltons
‘New Zealand is a good place to look for Riesling that’s clean and refreshing with varietal character, but not too overwhelming.’ Gabriel Liotta, Hakkasan Hanway Place
‘I was hoping for wines that were mineral and agile, like the best European Rieslings, but I found many of these too heavy, with none of the ethereal lightness I was looking for.’ Xabier Alvarez, Trangallán
‘Riesling as a category excites me a lot; it’s so food-friendly. I look for wines with great balance and bright, happy fruit.’ Jade Koch, team leader
‘I loved this [Australian] flight. There was consistency across the board. There were clearly some older bottles here, too – and great prices compared to other parts of the world.’ Simon Woods, team leader
‘I prefer styles that are more on the dry side; vibrant with high acidity.’ Maurizio Palomba, Sushi Samba