Riesling (Clare Valley)
Today, we are in Clare Valley, about 90 miles north of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Here, the winters are cool, but not cold, the summers warm but not hot. The winds blow often.
Clare Valley is rich in copper, although not like it was during the rush of the middle of the 19th century when it became what Americans would have thought of as a boom town in the wild west. It's what the small area around the town of Clare grew up on. It's also rich in Riesling, both bone dry and naturally sweet, depending on the winemaker's preferences. Today, we'll focus on the dry Rieslings of Clare Valley.
We asked an area sommelier to set up a tasting for us. Not knowing what to expect, we thought that we might see some of the well-known names in Aussie wine. But, there is none of that here. The large wine corporations have stayed away from Clare Valley. It leaves us in a quaint setting -- a throwback to days gone by.
We note that each of the wines has its own signature (this is not a page on which we are reviewing particular wineries, so we won't go there), but a large number of characteristics common to Clare Valley Rieslings. In each, note the backbone and structure of the wines marked by high minerality and acidity, and lots of body. These wines are intensely dry, very reminiscent of the Trocken in Germany and Austria.
The wine still has the stone fruits and orchard fruits so common in Riesling, but what truly characterizes Clare Valley Riesling is its lime. It seems almost as if each glass was injected with an infusion of both the zest and the pulp of ripe lime during the fermentation process.
Despite the origins in Australia, I am going to go a bit off the beaten path in suggesting pairings here. The refreshing acidity and citrus notes will calm down almost any level of spice. And, the characteristic low alcohol content of the wine, surrounded by full body, will not overwhelm. Pair with crawfish etouffee from Louisiana, or Vietnamese crab dishes popular in San Francisco and Seattle.
Clare Valley is rich in copper, although not like it was during the rush of the middle of the 19th century when it became what Americans would have thought of as a boom town in the wild west. It's what the small area around the town of Clare grew up on. It's also rich in Riesling, both bone dry and naturally sweet, depending on the winemaker's preferences. Today, we'll focus on the dry Rieslings of Clare Valley.
We asked an area sommelier to set up a tasting for us. Not knowing what to expect, we thought that we might see some of the well-known names in Aussie wine. But, there is none of that here. The large wine corporations have stayed away from Clare Valley. It leaves us in a quaint setting -- a throwback to days gone by.
We note that each of the wines has its own signature (this is not a page on which we are reviewing particular wineries, so we won't go there), but a large number of characteristics common to Clare Valley Rieslings. In each, note the backbone and structure of the wines marked by high minerality and acidity, and lots of body. These wines are intensely dry, very reminiscent of the Trocken in Germany and Austria.
The wine still has the stone fruits and orchard fruits so common in Riesling, but what truly characterizes Clare Valley Riesling is its lime. It seems almost as if each glass was injected with an infusion of both the zest and the pulp of ripe lime during the fermentation process.
Despite the origins in Australia, I am going to go a bit off the beaten path in suggesting pairings here. The refreshing acidity and citrus notes will calm down almost any level of spice. And, the characteristic low alcohol content of the wine, surrounded by full body, will not overwhelm. Pair with crawfish etouffee from Louisiana, or Vietnamese crab dishes popular in San Francisco and Seattle.
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