Tonight’s wine selection: Hermann J. Wiemer Johannesburg Riesling, Semi-Dry, 2003.

This wine is a very faint yellow color when poured, with a sweet grapefruit and pear aroma. It’s reminiscent of many other rieslings I’ve tasted. A mouthful of this wine rolls around the tongue with just a hint of viscosity, probably from the relatively high sugar content. There is a noticeable tingle, but no actual bubbles. There is a sweet, fruity taste that reminds me of Red Delicious apples and grapes (oddly enough), with hints of honeysuckle and nectar as the wine grows warmer in the glass. A surprisingly tart and non-sweet grapefruit finish rounds out the experience. The grapefruit nuances fade away ever so slowly, leaving behind a tantalizing balance of sweet and sour on the tongue.

This is an excellent, excellent white wine with enough body to stand up to bold food flavors. I can see enjoying a glass of this stuff with any sort of spicy, savory dish, or perhaps choosing a milder flavor to focus more on the essence of the wine itself. It should be noted, however, that fans of German rieslings should be prepared for a very different taste. The grape variety may be the same, but I’ve noticed that most American rieslings feature a very fruity taste while the Germans introduce more of a mineral nuance to theirs. One is not necessarily better than the other.

During my senior year at Cornell, I spent a couple of afternoons visiting wineries up and down the Finger Lakes. I’m therefore sentimentally biased towards New York wines, but objectively speaking I’ve not always found them to be so great. Not in this case; I would put this wine right at the top of anyone’s list. I’m not even a big fan of sweet wines, but this one has won me over. Speaking of sweetness, be aware that this is a Semi-Dry, but not a late-harvest. You should expect this wine to be sweet, but not cloyingly so. Wine Spectator apparently liked this $15 bottle enough to give it one of their highest ratings, proving that I’m not so crazy after all.

There’s a high likelihood that we will be moving within a year, which means that it’s always a good idea to cast off dead weight and prevent the accumulation of junk. It occurred to me that our small wine collection has mostly been gathering dust since Kim got pregnant; ever the good samaritan, I have volunteered to take care of that problem over the next few months. And since I’ve always liked wine, but have never been good about remembering what I’ve drunk, perhaps it would be a good idea to share my tasting notes here.

So here we go: Wolf Blass Presidents Selection Shiraz, 2001. Here’s what the winery has to say about it:

“At the completion of each vintage particularly high quality fruit is set aside by the Wolf Blass winemakers for blending into the Presidents Selection wines. These wines aim to be the truest expression of the philosophy of our founding president Wolf Blass who has always been passionate about three principles in winemaking - quality, character and consistency.”

This is a dark garnet and purple wine with a faint aroma of sweet, prune- or date-like fruit. Overall the nose is pleasant but unremarkable. I also notice a fair amount of oak in the nose. Based on the color of the wine, this could hold up to a few years of aging without problems. The palate is rich, reminiscent again of sweet fruit and a hint of pepper/spice; the oaky aroma gives way to a much mellower sweetness that is well balanced by the tannins in this wine. There is a smooth, slightly peppery finish.

Overall, this is an enjoyable wine that should stand up well to a hearty dinner with friends. My parents brought this bottle to us some time ago, so I don’t know how much it costs; I would estimate it to be in the range of $15-20, rising a good cut above the usual table wine fare but falling somewhat short of excellent. While this wine fulfills its expectations quite well, it lacks the depth, complexity, and elegance of some of the shiraz I’ve been privileged to taste. A good value nonetheless, if my guess is accurate.