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Wine of the Week, October 13, 2013

TRIMBACH RIESLING 2011 ALSACE, FRANCE  $19.99


I enjoy all good wine, both red and white, from a full-bodied, dense, complex Marina Cvetic Montepulciano D'Abruzzo (last week's Wine of the Week) to a light, elegant, subtle Pinot Blanc. It is not true that all Riesling (pronounced REESLING) wines are sweet. They can be bone-dry (no residual sugar), semi-sweet, or sweet. The best example of all three styles is produced by Pacific Rim Vineyard: the same grape produces all three. A side by side tasting of all three would immediately show the difference. Recall the fermentation process: yeast + fruit juice (sugar) = alcohol. In general, the lower the sugar, the higher the alcohol. The Trimbach 2011 Riesling is bone-dry. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the driest, 10 being the sweetest, this Riesling is a 2. It is highly aromatic (floral), fruity (peach, grapefruit, lemon), has a mineral note (slate), with a high acidity that assures a clean, crisp finish. A perfect accompaniment to Asian dishes; a must as a Thanksgiving wine.