Weingut Leiner Riesling 2021 1L

Region: Pfalz, Germany

The vibe: Riesling is one of those varietals that gets a lot of undeserved bad press. Like Lambrusco and Moscato, Riesling is generally synonymous with sweet wine. But these are all just grapes, and winemakers can do what they want with them. While we don’t bash sweet wines, fermenting the wine dry lends latitude to the palate and profile of the finished wine. Secondary flavors can rise to the surface and nuances you couldn’t detect before are suddenly exploding from the glass. This Riesling is a whole heckin’ liter of electricity. It’s got acid. It’s got minerality. It’s got that citrus fruit-sedimentary power combo that showcases the best of what Riesling can be. A cooler microclimate ensures a longer ripening period and concentrates the acid and terroir – which is calcium-rich loess deposited by ancient glaciers. It all shines through in this expression and it’s all the better for it. If you weren’t a fan of Riesling before, I’ll bet you are now!

The winemaker: Jurgen took over the winery from his father in 1974, cultivating vines biodynamically since 2005 and attaining Demeter certification in 2011. He personally collects and concocts herbal teas and compost additions for the health and vitality of the vines and places great value on maintaining harmony in the vineyards, aligning natural growing cycles with cosmic cycles and cultivating only when everything is in balance.

The geeky details: 100% Riesling. Biodynamically grown and hand-harvested. Fermented with native yeast in stainless steel. Bottled unfined and unfiltered at a bone-dry 4g/L of residual sugar. 

Serve: Chilled

Food pairing: Dry Riesling goes great with anything spicy or salty. Try Thai foods like curry or Khao Soi or Indian dishes like Biryani and Tandoori. Duck, chicken and pork are all good meat pairings as are seafoods like shrimp and crab.

Album pairing: Melodiesinfonie – Fragments