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If you were trying to interest someone who didn’t know much about wine in Australian Riesling, you might have trouble if you described it, quite accurately, as being bone dry and smelling of petrol. It’s one of those flavours, like coffee, olives and stinky French cheeses, that don’t immediately seem like an attractive idea. There can be very few people who smell Chaumes or Reblochon as their first soft French cheese and think “Now, that’s a nice smell” but for people who already like stinking French cheeses, that first smell of old insole, spread with yeast infection, is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
We generally think of Germany as only making sweeter Rieslings, but there are some high quality dry German Rieslings, which the Germans sensibly keep to themselves, because they are very, very good. Austria also makes a smashing dry Riesling.
We tasted eight wines and Leasingham’s Magus Riesling came in the first two positions, with the 2005 coming slightly ahead of the 2004.
The 2005 is available from Sainsbury’s at £7.49 or Thresher at £7.99 or £5.33 on multibuy. I would go to Sainsbury’s first, to be sure you like the style and then pop along to Thresher and buy 3, or 6, or even 9. It’s a great wine to have in the fridge door over the summer. I expect Somerfield will be moving onto the 2005 soon.
The 2005 actually smelt less strongly than the 2004, but it had a beautiful, fresh acidic taste, which was absolutely bone dry. Alex said she could easily manage another glass.
The 2004 is £6.99 from Somerfield and had a more honeyed smell, which is something that happens with Riesling as it gets older. However, the petrol was still there. The taste was very dry and typical and we felt it would make a great aperitif.
Palandri Boundary Road Dry Riesling 2004 is from Frankland River in Western Australia and is £5.99 from the Co-op. It has a green, phenolic smell, by which I mean that I smelt as if it had crushed green leaves in it. Although it was labelled “Dry” there was a little more fruit evident, which made it easier to drink. If you’re entertaining, this would be a better choice because searingly dry wine is a very personal choice.
McWilliams, Hanwood Estate 2005 is £5.99 from Somerfield. It didn’t smell of much, except a whiff of grapefruit pith. It tasted tartly of grapefruit juice and the taste lingered.
Pauletts, Polish Hill River 2004 is £9.99 from Majestic, reduced to £8.49 for the summer. Rhonwen was reminded of paraffin warmed greenhouses and in fact that’s a very good description of Australian Riesling. The taste was pretty typical and was like lime cordial without the sugar.
Wolf Blass Yellow Label 2005 is £7.99 from Morrisons and wasn’t really tangy enough for me and too commercially easy to drink. Arrowfield Estate from Oddbins smelt great but lacked zing. Our least favourite was Pewsey Vale, which is £9.19 from Oddbins. It smelt of sulphur and something sweet and had a much sweeter taste which left a saccharine aftertaste.