ONLINE TASTING: Riesling of the World Comparison Tasting

PLEASE NOTE: TASTING KITS WILL BE POSTED OUT NEXT WORKING DAY FROM FEB 10th. If you book after this date, we will do our best to get your kit to you as soon as possible. As a reminder, anyone registered for this tasting will also have access to the tasting recording so if you are worried about not receiving your kit in time, rest assured you will be able to watch the recording and taste along at any time that is convenient for you.

Join us on a really special evening unearthing the delights of the most regal of white grape varieties, Riesling.

Wine school founder, Jimmy Smith has hand selected a world-class line up of mouth-watering and complex Rieslings from its spiritual homelands of Germany, Austria and Alsace and further afield in countries such as Australia, South Africa and the USA with states such as New York and Washington. Producers include JJ Prum, Trimbach, Domaine Wachau and the largest producer of Riesling in the world, Chateau Ste. Michelle. The wines range from the 2002 vintage to 2020 with many of the examples showing exquisite bottle age. Do not miss this amazing tasting!

Riesling

Wine made from Riesling is quite unlike any other. It is generally light in alcohol, refreshingly high in fruity natural acidity and has the ability to transmit the character of a place through its extract and unique aroma and, unlike Chardonnay, is capable of ageing for decades in bottle. Like top quality Chenin Blanc, but unlike Chardonnay, it performs best if fermented cool and bottled early without any malolactic fermentation or wood influence. Riesling is a star and, as you may discern, one of my great wine heroes.

To us Riesling is great not just because it, like Pinot Noir for example, is so exceptionally good at expressing terroir, but also because it makes white wines that are so good at ageing. A fine Riesling almost demands time in bottle. They can be quite austere in youth (which may be why so many wine drinkers are wary of them). The prospect of a 50-year-old Riesling can be an appetising one while the number of white burgundies worth ageing past their 15th birthday is extremely small.

It spent much of the 1990s and 2000s on the sidelines, particularly in the UK, due to the quantity of cheap Liebfraumilch and array of wannabe Rieslings (Olasz, Welsch, Laski, Riesling Italico) on the market – all of which tarnished Riesling’s reputation in the eye of the consumer.

Nowadays things are back on track and the Riesling revival is well underway. Great examples are produced all around the world, from the Eden Valley in Australia to South America – and not forgetting the classic Rieslings from the Rheingau in Germany, Wachau in Austria and Alsace in France.

Tasting Date: Thursday 17th February 2022 at 7:30pm (the tasting will last approximately 1.5 - 2 hours)

TASTING FEE STRUCTURE:

For this special two-hour tasting, a wine tasting kit is included in the listed price which includes a 50ml tasting sample of each wine. Note: Tasting kits will be despatched to attendees within the week leading up to the tasting. 

DON'T WANT TO RECEIVE A TASTING KIT? We understand that not everyone will want to receive the wine samples, and would rather just register to participate in the online evening without the wines. That is absolutely fine! The fee to just register for this evening without receiving a tasting kit is £10. Just enter the promotional code: 50REGONLY when checking out to ensure you just pay the registration cost. 

TASTING FORMAT:

Jimmy Smith will host this exclusive tasting live at 7:30pm on Thursday 17th February 2022. This single-evening tasting will be approximately 1.5 - 2 hours in length. 

Unable to commit on the evening? No problem! Anyone registered for this tasting will gain access to the video recording of the live event, so you can always revisit any of these at anytime in the future - whether its because you missed participating in the live evening or if you want to revisit the presentation at a later date.

Wines Included in Tasting Kit (8 wines):

• JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese Riesling, Germany, 2007
• Trimbach, Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile, Alsace, France, 2012
• Rheingau Dry Riesling, Germany TBC
• O’Leary Polish Hill Riesling, Australia, 2016
• Hosmer Dry Riesling, New York Finger Lakes, 2019
• Domäne Wachau Ried Loibenberg Reserve Riesling, Wachau, Austria, 2002
• Chateau Ste. Michelle, Dry Riesling, Washington State, 2018
• Paul Cluver, Riesling, Elgin, South Africa, 2020

RATHER ATTEND THIS TASTING IN-PERSON? We are hosting this same tasting again at our flagship venue in West London on Friday 22nd April 2022 at 7:00pm.