PETER’S PERFECT ANSWER TO A DRY ARGUMENT

WINNING fans amongst those who don’t like their Riesling too sweet.

Wc18Jun12

David Ellis

THE Clare Valley’s Jim Barry Wines has just released a 2012 Watervale Riesling that it’s made not for the masses, but for an admittedly small percentage of buffs who like their Riesling well below normal sweetness levels.

“We’ve made this one crisp and dry with just 3 grams of residual sugar per litre, that is well short of the normal sweetness threshold while still retaining juiciness and fruit sweetness rather than sugar sweetness,” said Manager Director, Peter Barry.

It’s not the first time Jim Barry Wines have made such a crisp and dry Riesling, and its obviously hitting a mark with its strategy: sales of its Watervale Riesling are growing by 15 per cent a year.

“I think less than 5 per cent of wines consumed in Australia would be as dry as our 2012 Watervale,” Peter says. “But it’s a style that’s certainly appealing to a section of the market, and this 2012 is a particularly nice drop, we think, to enjoy with a plate of fresh oysters.”

Certainly interesting and rewarding at $17.95 with those oysters.

GOOD OL’ steak and kidney pie the perfect match with this.

ONE FOR LUNCH: Blue Pyrenees’ 2008 Estate Red is a wine that its maker and company CEO, Andrew Koerner is not backward as trumpeting as “probably the boldest and most concentrated Estate Red we’ve ever made.”

The product of 69 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 per cent Merlot and a 1 per cent touch of Shiraz, it was made using similar blending philosophies to savoury Bordeaux reds. “The Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon came from both our original vines and our newer 1996 section – sort of like a radio format’s ‘hits and classics,'” Andrew said.

Pay $35 and team with this one with a hearty good ol’ steak and kidney pie.

(NEED A FOOD/DRINK IDEA? Check out  http://www.vintnews.com )