Comfort Wine

Well, you know what I mean

What to drink for my first glass of wine in almost three weeks! I decided to go with something a little lighter and not a ton of alcohol, because I’d probably be a bit of a lightweight. I rummaged around in the living room fridge and found 2017 Boundary Breaks Vineyard Dry Riesling No. 239.

One of my favorite grapes from one of my favorite regions? Sold! I was saving it to serve for entertaining, but I decided I was having my own Open That Bottle Night in April.

#239 refers to the specific clone of this varietal. When I spoke with the co-owner on one visit, she said because all of their vineyards are pretty much at the same spot (as in you can’t differentiate by grapes planted in one spot versus maybe another higher elevation), they get their variety by using different clones. Clones sound like science fiction, but it’s more like identifying vines with certain characteristics and letting those characteristics become dominant.

“If I’m talking about what clones someone might plant, my first question is, ‘Where is the wine going?’ ” says Nick Hoskins, director of viticulture at Riversun, a plant and grapevine nursery in Gisborne, New Zealand. “A $20 or a $50 bottle makes a big difference. I would also have a mix of clones because they perform differently in different years. You want to give yourself the best chance you can to make a good wine each year.”

Rieslings also vary in style from bone-dry to German Spätlese/late harvest. This more tends to a late harvest style:

For our Dry Riesling #239, we seek to achieve maximum ripeness in the vineyard. This allows us to create a bright, crackling Dry Riesling that also has intense tropical fruit characteristics.

The color is bright and pale straw and not showing any age. There’s a richness on the nose. I get a lot of roundness on the palate, almost tending toward mango but not that ripe. The acidity has gotten a bit muffled over the years, but it’s still very delicious. The roundness and creaminess makes this a better pairing with spicy Thai and Indian food.

Nice to be back in the saddle again (and not swallowing football-sized pills twice a day). Have a great weekend!