Wine columnist Peter Ranscombe goes wild pairing wines to recipes by Ruaridh Emslie.
RIESLING is such an exciting yet under-rated grape variety.
It’s the darling of the wine trade – ask any wine merchant about their favourite white wines and riesling is bound to be near the top of the list.
Yet vague memories of medium-dry or even medium-sweet examples from the 1970s still linger in the wider public’s collective consciousness, making Germany’s flagship grape variety a tough sell.
This month, we explore the drier and sweeter sides of riesling to pair with wild cooking recipes by Ruaridh Emslie from the food feature in the printed and digital versions of Scottish Field magazine.
There’s a dry example from Germany and something much sweeter from Chile.
Plus, we’ve got three other grapes that have ventured outside their comfort zones, just like chefs into the wild.
A fresh cabernet franc from high up the mountainside in Argentina, Austrian darling gruner veltliner on holiday in New Zealand, and a sauvignon blanc in the South of France that’s just about as far away from the Kiwi style as it’s possible to get.
EMRICH SCHÖNLEBER LENZ RIESLING 2015
Justerini & Brooks
£12.17
The fresh side of riesling – a classic crisp yet ripe German riesling firing on all cylinders to accompany the artichokes and dukkah. There’s a necessary fresh acidity to balance against the earthy artichoke, but there’s also those classic petrol notes on the nose, and a delicious twist of peach in amongst the red apple flavours. This was originally up around the £17 or £18 mark, but it’s now a steal at just over £12.
CASAS DEL BOSQUE LATE HARVEST RIESLING 2018
Wine Reserve
£15.49 for 375ml
The sweet side of riesling – a well-balanced dessert wine from Chile’s Casablanca Valley that has the balance of sweetness and freshness to work with rhubarb and coconut. Germany isn’t the only game in town for riesling – check out examples from over the borders in Alsace and Austria, as well as some of its newer homes in the new world, including Australia’s Clare Valley and cooler sites in Chile. I was impressed with the balance here – floral, lemon rind, and spun sugar aromas lead into a sweeter, more concentrated palate, featuring honey, caramel, lemon curd, and apricot jam.
CATENA TINTO HISTORICO CABERNET FRANC 2019
Tesco
£10
Gorgeously fresh high-altitude cabernet franc from Argentina that combines venison-friendly red fruit flavours with a lick of sweet vanilla. As with the rieslings, balance is the byword here too – there’s lots of cabernet franc out there that can be too unripe, but this bottle captures the variety’s delicious fresh acidity, bright raspberry, and crunchy green pepper flavours. A great choice with venison and a good lamb contender too.
YEALANDS RESERVE GRUNER VELTLINER 2021
Waitrose
£12.99
A new vintage of an old favourite, with enough oomph to handle the garlic and lemon alongside those scallops. Gruner veltliner is most closely associated with Austria, and there are definitely the same red apple and peach notes here in this example from New Zealand, with the characteristic acidity and a touch of fleshy texture. Yet there’s also a pleasing tropical note too, slightly akin to the more famous New Zealand sauvignon blanc tones.
LA BELLE ANGÈLE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2020
Majestic Wine
£8.99
We want something refreshing to slice through the pumpkin soup and stand up to the fennel and this Southern French sauvignon blanc is ideal. Some sauvignon blancs from New Zealand can be just a little too tropical for effective food and wine matching, but this bottle focused more on lemon and grapefruit flavours to balance its crisp acidity. Keep an eye out for the bag-in-box version from Majestic too, which represents even better value – and would be portable if you’re eating outside as well as cooking these recipes by Ruaridh Emslie in the great outdoors.
In case you missed it, catch-up on last month’s dessert wines to match the recipes from the Bad Girl Bakery.
Plus, read more of Peter’s wine, beer, and spirits reviews on his blog, The Grape & The Grain
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