Riesling is an unusual, possibly singular, case I think. It seems like a lot of people have preconceived notions about classes of wine that can be dispelled by tasting what is in the glass. Drinkers who think Greek reds with weird names like Xinomavro and Agiorgitiko can’t possibly be any good, and who imagine that Greek whites like Assyrtiko must be spiked with resin, can be brought around once they taste what’s in the bottle. Not so much when it comes to ripe Riesling.
For me, nothing works with Thai and Szechuan (and vindaloo, etc.) as well as Spatlese Riesling. Baked ham and Auslese is an all-time favorite pairing for me. But even in those instances when the wine and food play off each other and both are better for it, most of my friends and family who have a Riesling in front of them tell me the wine is too sweet. Some of them put ketchup on just about everything. They embrace the sweetness in food. Same people—no matter how energetic a wine’s acidity is, if it has 30 g/l of RS they jump straight to a default judgment: sweet wine bad.
I would enjoy Riesling more if they enjoyed it more. But realistically I just don’t think that is going to happen.
Riesling is such an amazing wine to pair with food! It’s my go-to for so many cuisines, especially spicy Asian foods like Thai and Szechuan.
I JUST published something adjacent... dangerous wines!!
Riesling is an unusual, possibly singular, case I think. It seems like a lot of people have preconceived notions about classes of wine that can be dispelled by tasting what is in the glass. Drinkers who think Greek reds with weird names like Xinomavro and Agiorgitiko can’t possibly be any good, and who imagine that Greek whites like Assyrtiko must be spiked with resin, can be brought around once they taste what’s in the bottle. Not so much when it comes to ripe Riesling.
For me, nothing works with Thai and Szechuan (and vindaloo, etc.) as well as Spatlese Riesling. Baked ham and Auslese is an all-time favorite pairing for me. But even in those instances when the wine and food play off each other and both are better for it, most of my friends and family who have a Riesling in front of them tell me the wine is too sweet. Some of them put ketchup on just about everything. They embrace the sweetness in food. Same people—no matter how energetic a wine’s acidity is, if it has 30 g/l of RS they jump straight to a default judgment: sweet wine bad.
I would enjoy Riesling more if they enjoyed it more. But realistically I just don’t think that is going to happen.