Riesling Rules
I’m a big fan of riesling, one of the most food-friendly wines around.
So I naturally was intrigued to get a little booklet in the mail called Riesling Rules.
The booklet comes from Pacific Rim, oriiginally a side project of Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard. Now Pacific Rim makes sweet and dry rieslings from Columbia Valley. I reviewed these wines earlier and found them to be quiet enjoyable value wines. (Pacific Rim also makes some more expensive single-vineyard rieslings, but I haven’t tried them yet.)
The booklet is packed with information and fun stuff, too.
The info includes the history of riesling, and riesling acreage around the world. The U.S. has planted less than 3,000 acres of the grape, compared to about 46,000 acres in Germany. It also outlines the German categories of various sweet and dry rieslings.
The fun part is a collection of quotations called Famous Lovers of Riesling. These are doctored famous sayings in which the word “reason” has been replaced by “riesling.”
Here a couple of samples:
“A noble heart will always capitulate to Riesling.”—Johannes Friedrich von Schiller, German dramatist and poet of the late 18th century.
“The more Riesling, the less governnment.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson.
And, finally, my favorite:
“The true triumph of Riesling is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it.”—Voltaire.
By the way, you can download a free copy of the booklet at www.rieslingrules.com.
(Photo from Pacific Rim)
