St. Urbans-Hof 2010 Bockstein Ockfen Riesling Kabinett

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE GRAPES PART 1 - RIESLING

Ahhh, Riesling!  Today we are setting out on a four episode tasting journey which will take 

us through my four favorite grape varieties.  It is only appropriate we should start with that 

most wonderfully elegant, captivating, adaptable grape.  Why, you ask?  A lovely Alsace 

Riesling was the first glass of wine I dipped my nose into that awoke me

to a realization that wine can be a truly otherworldly beverage.  It was en epiphany of sorts 

that opened my eyes to what still excites me about great wine.  Its undescribably ethereal  

and unique character entranced me then and continues to inform my standard of the ideal in white 

wine.  

I love the fact that I can open a good bottle of Riesling from Alsace, Germany, Austria, 

New Zealand, Australia, Washington State, California, New York, and now even South America, get 

wonderfully varied styles, flavor profiles, and unmatched expressions of terroir, but still be taken away 

by that unmistakable Rieslingness.  I love that at its best Riesling can be bone dry, off-dry, very sweet, sparkling, lithe or powerful, and do any and all of it with aplomb and refinement.  

Today I have chosen a wine from the Mosel region, Riesling's historical German home on the Rhein river 

and it's tributaries.  Wines here tend to be low in alcohol, quite acidic, delicate, tending towards sweet, 

and often remarkably age-worthy.  Many of today's producers in this region are extremely committed to 

traditional, natural, and environmentally sustainable vineyard and wine-making practices, convinced that

only these methods will produce wines truly expressive of their terroir.  

St. Urbans-Hof is one of these quality conscious producers, and I am excited to taste one of their

Rieslings and to have you along for the ride.  

As we explore my favorite varietals over the next four weeks, I would also love to know what your

favorite grape varieties are and why you love them.  So, feel free to fill up that comment box with your thoughts and experiences!