THE GRAPE OF CONTENTION:
Can U.S. wine growing areas produce great Rieslings? Of course they can. And they do.
America (Country Appellation)
A Ranting Riesling Reaction
Requires a Response
To those who claim there are no good U.S. Rieslings, Editor-at-Large Dan Berger says you are wrong. Big time.
by
Dan Berger
May 23, 2007
Dan Berger’s November 8, 2006 article on Riesling Rebirth was – and remains – one of the singularly most popular stories APPELLATION AMERICA has ever published. But some readers were upset by what Dan Berger had to say. The particular feedback below pushed Dan’s Riesling button and he had to respond. And so here is the Riesling Rebirth Reaction.
I find your article Riesling Rebirth: a new beginning in North America for a noble grape insulting to the intelligence of a Riesling drinker. (US Riesling is underrated, $8-$10 US Riesling is really good, etc., etc.) Except in NY State, US Riesling is very mediocre and to suggest additional plantings in California is, well, idiotic. The climate in US wine-growing regions isn't cool enough ...and, er, dude, it's not going to be getting any cooler here. But if you feel so strongly, why not start your own Riesling winery? Seriously. You can do that other grape that the US so fails at, Gewurztraminer, too.
Name one great US Riesling. Yeah, exactly. And they've been doing it for how long? Yeah, exactly. Even the best ones are made in such small quantities that, well, forget about trying to find them by 99% of US wine consumers. We practically never see a NY State Riesling in Northern Cal, for example. Perhaps there are hundreds of other varietals they should try planting instead, like Ribolla Gialla or that Tocai grape they can't call Tocai in Friuli anymore? If you drink several domestic mediocre Rieslings, why would you ever explore the Zind Humbrechts, the Nigls or the Bründlmayers? Dan, what is the obsession with planting a grape that doesn't do well here? Why MUST you buy domestic? Why NOT buy the grape where it does really, really well -- Alsace, Germany, Austria? If you have to go outside the box, why not go to Italy with Kuenhof? And finally, why, why, why must we read another damn article on US Riesling?!
~Jack, Fork & Bottle, Santa Rosa, CA
The wine was utterly delicious, a
Riesling from Fallbrook in San Diego County, and it was startling on many levels.
To read the rest of this article (and much else besides), 
