It’s been a while since I last reviewed a Riesling, and I figured it’s about time I do one again, especially since the last one sucked.  I’ve had other bad Rieslings since then, but I’ve also tasted some top-notch ones, and I have to say, there are few things more delicious than a premium Riesling that gets the balance of sweetness and acidity just right.

This next one is a little value play from Washington, called Rock View Riesling.  It’s on the sweet side, and I’ve noticed a lot of people buy this on a regular basis.  Here’s what I thought:

Region: Columbia Valley, Washington

Price: $7.99 at Total Wine

Sight: very pale

Smell: peach, apple, pineapple, mellow

Taste: seashell, golden delicious apple, kiwi, pineapple finish

Overall:  Full disclosure: I think I had this too cold or something, because the bouquet seems a little too quiet.  I was trying so hard to get a good sniff of this wine, and it took accidentally touching my nose to the wine to realize how far into the glass I was.  The aromatics aren’t huge, but I do get some peach up front, appley aromas, and some tropical fruit.  Upon tasting this wine, I realized I had a HUGE announcement to make to all of you: THERE ARE A SQUILLION OF YOU WHO WOULD LOVE THIS WINE.  AND IT’S ONLY EIGHT DOLLARS.  It starts out crisp, like biting into a golden delicious apple, and it gains a momentum of sweetness as lively tropical fruit flavors emerge.  The sweetness never gets too sweet or gloopy—it’s capped by a seashelly mineral edge, followed by a flavorful pineapple finish.  The acidity follows and hits your glands, like candy.  This refreshing, medium-bodied Riesling is much better than I expected—probably because it’s such a flirt.  You’re going to want some this summer; write it down.  It’ll be one of the great less-than-$10 victories of the season.

I can’t say this wine was a huge letdown, because I only paid 5 dollars for it.  And I usually try to note what each wine I taste does well.  But this wine is definitely a pass.

Region: Germany

Price: $5.99 at World Market

Sight: Pale yellow, some bubbles clinging to the sides

Smell: Peaches and flowers, overshadowed by something vaguely stinky 

Taste: White grapefruit, honeydew melon, a little bit fritzy

Overall: This wine has bubbles clinging all over the glass and tastes like it has traces of carbonation.  The “vaguely stinky” smell I detected at first sniff, now that I’ve tasted it, is what I now recognize as the somewhat bitter, somewhat stale aroma of unflavored seltzer water.  Whether or not this is a fermentation error, whatever is going on in there is definitely cramping the flavor.  This Riesling is slightly more tart than sweet, but there is just enough sweetness to dull the tartness from being crisp.  The sweet melon and the sour grapefruit flavors with their powers combined create a new flavor that I like to call “disappointment.”  They unite too passively and lack dynamic.  There is nothing exciting about this wine—even the finish is short and one-dimensional (grapefruit).  I don’t think I’d buy this again, even at its price point.  It’s cheap, but it’s not like you’re winning anything by saving the few extra bucks, because the wine is just mediocre, and even with the “bonus bubbles” it’s flat, flat, flat.  As far as food pairings go, if you’re even interested, I could see this being an inoffensive match for Chinese takeout—I’m thinking shrimp fried rice and spring rolls.  But there are way better Rieslings out there.