Exuberant American White Wine
No longer exclusively the provenance of the German speaking and closely related peoples from the cooler parts of central Europe, Riesling has found a new home. This fascinating white wine varietal has crossed the Atlantic to find a new residence in upstate New York. Although not universally recognized, the Finger Lakes have become one of the great Riesling wine regions in the world. The varietal has been produced in the region since the 1960’s, but its development has come on quietly, finally reaching a level and breadth of consistent quality. This regional product is consistently being recognized in national and international competitions and major wine journals and publications.
The Finger Lakes winemakers are taking a very different approach to the Riesling grape than those German speaking those closely related peoples. In true American fashion, the wines are generally bigger and more full flavored than their European cousins. They are much more floral, fruit expressive, and show a tendency to present less residual sugar. It is also uncommon for the Finger Lakes Riesling to display the characteristic petrol or diesel flavors and textures that are so prized in German Rieslings. The New York versions present markedly cleaner flavored, more steely, angular, and exuberant. They express a typical American confidence and boisterousness that is seldom present in Rieslings anywhere else in the world.
As such, preparing for this article has been a pleasure. When the wines are good they are breathtaking. The winemakers balance big flavors, acids, against fruit and sugars masters with a mastery that was rare at the turn of the millennium. Seldom do they resort to constrained palettes to balance the wines. Instead they more frequently try to balance maximized flavors, running the risk of spinning completely out of control, but more often than not pulling it off; very much in the American character. There is a lot of experimentation going on in the region so failures can sometimes be as spectacular as the successes. When they miss, generally they miss big with too much of something making the whole thing fall apart. This is very typical of an emerging region in that it displays an excess of effervescent joy and confidence in making wines well. It has made the process of tasting these wines exciting, never quite knowing what to expect or what style the winemaker deem appropriate for this expressive and versatile grape.
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