Classier Than Beer, Cooler For Summer


Inexplicably, you've been pinned beneath a sweaty sumo wrestler. Or--wait a minute--maybe it's just August. Single-malt Scotch, anyone? I don't think so. The drink for this kind of smothering heat and humidity has to be refreshing and not too cerebral.

Which is why for a lot of people the stow-the-lawn-mower-and-fire-up-the-grill interlude is synonymous with time. (Fill in your mass-market beer brand of choice.) Sure, it's cold and goes down easy, and that's just fine--until the shrimp comes off the barbie. If you want flavor with your frankfurters, these brews fall flat.

My prescription? Riesling. Stay with me, liebchen--we're not talking about the sweet stuff with the cheerful woman of God on the label. This is the great German white that's light and lithe as a ballet dancer but capable of taking your synapses on a thrill ride. Okay, take a deep breath and say it: rees-ling (not rise-ling). Two syllables, no sweat.

Real German Rieslings are nothing like the American chardonnay you usually drink, which makes them great summer refreshers. For one, they are light and easy-drinking, with the best summer styles ranging from 8 to about 10.5 percent alcohol. (These days, most California chardonnays are pushing 13 percent or higher, which on a hot summer day makes you feel punch-drunk after just a few sips.) And they're not laden with the heavy oaky quality of the popular chardonnays, which comes from aging in oak barrels. They do offer pure, clean-as-a-whistle fruit flavors ranging from lime to tangerine to peach, and a tangy acidity that makes your mouth water and makes food taste better. Remember, it's August. Wouldn't you rather invite a ballet dancer to dinner?

If you cruise the German section in your wineshop, you'll see that several enlightened importers and wineries have abandoned the old-style labels, with their multisyllabic Gothic script and cryptic code, and gone for a kinder, gentler German wine label with legible block lettering, clutter-free backgrounds, and all the need-to-know info front and center, where you can find it. Here's what to look for:

RIESLING. If the grape is not listed, it's probably a blend of cheapo white grapes. You want the real thing.

VINTAGE. The 1997's and 1998's are on the market now, and both are worth buying. But don't feel you have to steer clear if you see 1996's or even 1995's. Most people don't realize that German Rieslings actually age beautifully in the bottle. So if you see an older one in a half-decent store (air-conditioned, with no wines kept in sunlit windows), snag it. You're in for a treat.

REGION NAME. You want Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen, Nahe, or Pfalz.

WINERY NAME. The best wineries are small, and I have a few favorites from each region. From Mosel: Selbach-Oster, J.-J. Christoffel, Willi Haag, J.-J. Prum, and Dr. Loosen. From Rheingau: Robert Weil and Georg Breuer. From Rheinhessen: Strub, Koch, Wittmann, and Gunderloch. From Nahe: Donnhoff. From Pfalz: Lingenfelder, Muller-Catoir, and Burklin-Wolf.

IMPORTER NAME. If you can't find a particular winery, look for the importer's label. Two of the best are Terry Theise Selections and Rudi Wiest's Cellars International. These names on the bottle are as good as a Wall Street insider's buy recommendation. Classical Wines, a smaller player in German wines, is also good.

THE STYLES. Estate Riesling is a great, fairly new category. For less than $20, you get a balanced, well-made Riesling without a lot of confusing label terminology. Kabinett and Spätlese refer to how ripe the grapes were at harvest, and they roughly equate to body in the wine, with Kabinett being the lighter. They sometimes have a hint of fruity sweetness that balances nicely with the tangy acidity. Halbtrocken means off-dry, and you may see it combined with either Kabinett or Spatlese, above. A Halbtrockenwine will be a little higher in alcohol and slightly drier. Trockenmeans completely dry and even fuller-bodied.


For information on wines, call Terry Theise Selections, 516-677-9300; Rudi Wiest's Cellars International, 670-753-4244; Classical Wines, 206-547-0255.

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