Home Winners > Winners 2019 > NEW WORLD: Riesling - Rest of the New World

Winner Details

RIESLING: REST OF THE NEW WORLD

2019 Gold 1       Silver 0                Bronze 3              Commended 3
2018 Gold 2       Silver 6                Bronze 1              Commended 1

There’s one key difference between the Australian Rieslings and those from across the Tasman Sea, in particular. While the Aussies have a definitive style, those from New Zealand are, frankly, all over the place: linear, fruity, restrained, flamboyant, bone dry, medium… take your pick.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it makes judging them hard, and our tasters found this an awkward flight of wines to judge. In fact, interestingly, the USA and Canada (which picked up the only Gold for Riesling outside Australia) did far better than New Zealand. Maybe the Kiwis should concentrate on Pinot Gris.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘It’s quite exciting to see other countries doing Riesling in a drier style. The acidity and dryness were generally in good balance here.’ Melody Wong, The Mandrake

‘The off-dry style here is slightly concerning because that’s not what people want in the European market. These lacked balance and precision.’ Christopher Delalonde MS, The Dorchester

‘The ones we liked here were the precise, pure ones. When they tried to introduce texture or sugar it didn’t work quite so well. Sometimes you felt that Riesling wasn’t their speciality, and it’s a tricky grape to get right. It’s almost Pinot-esque in its difficulty to capture.’ Hamish Anderson, team leader

‘New Zealand’s Riesling has the great halo effect of its Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, so it sells.’ Hamish Anderson, team leader

Award winners

Found 7 wines

New World: Riesling

Quails' Gate, Dry Riesling 2017, Okanagan Valley, Canada

Gold medal winner

Team leader Hamish Anderson admired the ‘restrained, cool nose of lime cordial and flowers’ in this Gold-Listed Canadian Riesling, adding: ‘It has really good lime acidity that cuts through a textured palate, plus this one will develop.’ ‘There’s a great delivery of fleshy yet zippy fruit that leads to a freshness throughout,’ said Christopher Delalonde MS of The Dorchester, adding: ‘The taut yet limpid palate leads to a long, lemony finish’. ‘There’s an elegant petrol note, too, and I think this would make a great aperitif,’ said Tobias Gorn of Boisdale Restaurants.

£14.50 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Chateau Ste Michelle, Columbia Valley, Riesling 2017, Washington State, USA

Bronze medal winner

Alonso Abed of Hide Above picked up ‘notes of citrus, lime, fresh apple and orange peel’ and thought that this ‘off-dry wine possesses a long finish with great acidity’.

£9.45 Enotria&Coe

Charles Smith, Kung Fu Girl, Riesling 2017, Washington State, USA

Bronze medal winner

Ieva Markaityte of Portuguese Concepts noticed the ‘dominant floral aromatics’ of this Bronze medal-winning wine, and described it as ‘balanced with citrus and lime notes, yet revealing a simple yet clean lingering freshness’.

£12.70 Bibendum

Dr Konstantin Frank, Dry Riesling 2015, Finger Lakes, New York State, USA

Bronze medal winner

‘Tight, steely and intense,’ began team leader Hamish Anderson, adding ‘kiwi, lime and apple’ into the mix and summing it up as ‘very pure, simple and very pleasurable’.

£15.41 Matthew Clark

Nathan Kendall, Riesling 2016, Finger Lakes, New York State, USA

Commended medal winner

£21.30 Top Selection

Hartenberg, Riesling 2017, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Commended medal winner

Peregrine Wines, Riesling 2016, Central Otago, New Zealand

Commended medal winner

£15.98 Enotria&Coe