Gunther Steinmetz Riesling 2014

One of the most fun aspects of learning about wine is trying a varietal that you are familiar with and being surprised with a version that tastes nothing like you are used to.  This was the case recently at New York Vintners Sexy Cheese Pairing class.  We were asked to sip our second white wine and try to guess what we were drinking.  Everyone was shocked to discover it was a Riesling!  Most of the people I know either love this white wine varietal or dislike it saying that it’s too sweet for them.   I think some people have the misconception that all Rieslings are sweet.  This was certainly not the case.  We were absolutely blown away by Gunther Steinmetz Riesling 2014 from Mosel, Germany.  It was pale gold color in the glass and had an aroma that we described as popcorn butter.  It was definitely a dry Riesling with great acid and a very slight sweetness.  I found this wine to be extremely complex in flavor with crisp stone fruit, mineral, and a slight herbaceous quality on the finish. This was such a hit that we all purchased a bottle to take home and as you can see from the photo it has since disappeared!  The cheese pairing with this was a water buffalo cheese called Quadrello di Bufala from Italy.   I highly recommend this Riesling and it is reasonable priced for less than $30 for a 1 liter bottle.