It's one of the oldest adages in the wine trade. We talk dry but drink sweet.
Millions of wine consumers "graduate" from white zins to Kendall Jackson Chardonnay or Santa Margherita Pinto Grigio, blissfully unaware that those wines contain more than a dollop of residual sugar.
Yet when presented with a riesling or moscato, they politely demur. "Oh, no, I don't drink sweet wines," they say, even though they basically do.
I come not to bury such consumers, but to encourage them to open their minds (and palates). There might be no better place to start than with Washington state, and no better time than this weekend's Twin Cities Food & Wine Experience, where that state's wines will be showcased.
The nation's northwest corner produces some massive red wines of note and some dandy inexpensive whites. Large wineries such as Columbia Crest, Hogue and Chateau Ste. Michelle are among the most reliable brands anywhere at various price points. But I'm especially excited by what they and others are doing with riesling.
This is a grape that has thrived in Europe's northernmost growing areas -- Germany, Austria and France's Alsace -- and now we're finding that this holds true on these shores, with Washington and New York's Finger Lakes region at the forefront.
Rieslings come in all levels of sweetness, and this year we'll see domestic bottles with a "Taste Profile" on the back label denoting the level. But the key with all of them is having enough minerality and acidity to create balance on the palate. They should taste clean and pure, no matter what the sugar level is.
The grape itself is so delicious that winemakers from Germany's Mosel region to Washington's Yakima Valley are best served by staying out of the way: We don't need no stinkin' oak in our rieslings.
