Quick Sip: Chateau Ste. Michelle 2011 Dry Riesling

Hello Friends,

Riesling is a white wine grape variety well known for its wonderful, tell-tale aromatic charm, diversity, and ability to improve with age; which is somewhat of a rarity for many white wines. Its naturally high acidity makes it a wonderful food wine choice year-round. Riesling spans the sweetness scale from bone-dry, to slightly-sweet, to “dessert” sweet. So, if you think that all Riesling wines are sweet, think/drink again. There is a Riesling style for every palate preference. In the US, Riesling, at least for my taste, performs best in cooler climates such as the Finger Lakes (NY), Oregon, and Columbia Valley (WA). Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, which is situated in Woodinville, Washington, does a nice job in my opinion, with their Columbia Valley portfolio. For the most part, these are pocket-friendly (under $15), everyday drinking wines that are well-made and available nationally.

Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery 2011 Dry Riesling

Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery produces several different styles of Riesling under the Columbia Valley label ranging from dry to a honey sweet late harvest example. I recently enjoyed a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery 2011 Dry Riesling with a nice assortment of sushi. This particular wine is widely available, affordable (SRP $11), and is well-made. It’s a pleasing wine that offers tangy citrus flavors and green pear with palate-refreshing acidity that begs for a bite of food. This wine would have just as easily partnered nicely with seafood, Asian/Indian cuisine, a wide variety of cheeses, or as an aperitif. For spicy ethnic food, I recommend their 2011 Riesling (off-dry) or 2011 Harvest Select Sweet Riesling (slightly sweeter style). The sweetness will temper the spice while the palate-cleansing acidity gets you ready for another bite. If you have trouble finding this wine in your neck of the woods, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery store has it listed for $9 per bottle. In closing, if you don’t want to break the bank and want to try a nice selection of entry-level Riesling wines that span the sweetness scale, pick up a few bottles of Chateau Ste. Michelle the next time you’re out shopping. Cheers!

Click here to visit Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery website.

Have a question about this post, friends? Feel free to leave a comment or send me an e-mail at myvinespot@yahoo.com, and as always, Happy Sipping! Stay tuned ...more to come. Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample. Thoughts are my own.

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