Riesling Riot
Town Hall
Sydney, Australia
February 7, 2018
A riot in realm of vino – The roots of what has become known as the Riot of the Riesling kind hark back to what was back then the “biennial Frankland Estate International Riesling Tasting” in the Western periphery of Australia.
The operation has grown organically ever since and this year’s Sydney incarnation saw seventy wineries from around this earthround proffering over five hundred Riesling grape related emissions.
Presented by Frankland Estate, Clare Valley’s Jim Barry and South Australia’s Pikes winery, the informal affair served as a great forum for both connoisseurs and yet-to-be-initiated to be inducted in the world of a grape variety that does not have a lot of competition when it comes to having its character informed by he context, soil and circumstances of the vineyard it comes from.
Personal favourites of this year’s Riesling Riot include A. Christmann’ Reiterpfad-Hofstück Grosses Gewächs 2015 as well as Dönnhoff’s Estate Riesling, both of which reminded me of my home turf in Germania; Bründlmayer’s Heiligenstein 2008 from Austria and Duke’s excellent Sparkling Riesling.
The shindig was framed with food offerings and a soundtrack courtesy of a dedicated DJ, who expertly set the mood for punters to ease into the proceedings and loosen up.
There is a lot to be discovered in Riesling land and a riot every now and then is the ideal occasion to go and explore flavours that you normally would not be exposed to, especially younger demographics.
If you are remotely into white wine, Riesling Riot 2019 should be marked in your calendar.
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Photos by KAVV
