Riesling Review

Generally I prefer my Rieslings to be slightly sweet with peach/apricot flavors but rieslings can vary broadly. Last week the Husband and I were priviledged to have a date night (unlike some couples, we do NOT do this on a weekly basis and some years we’ve struggled to have one annually!) and after dinner I convinced him to wander the World Market with me. Sometimes I find interesting wines in there that I’m not likely to find in the grocery (my usual up-scale source of wines! 😛 ). This week I picked up a Bridgeview Blue Moon Oregon Riesling 2005, from the Bridgeview Vineyards of Cave Junction, Oregon (www.bridgeviewwine.com — call me old-fashioned, but I wish wineries did not put a URL on the label). Why did I pick it up? Well, it’s in a blue bottle which is attractive (a cut out moon in the label gives it the ‘blue moon’ — I just think blue bottles are pretty) and it’s from Oregon and I don’t think I’ve had a wine from Oregon yet and on the label it says, “This elegant riesling, from selected grapes grown in the cool Oregon climate, presents an intense aroma of ripe apples and a fresh honey-spice bouquet. Drink by the light of the silvery moon.” I don’t know that I’ve had a riesling that tasted of apple, so why not?

It does have an apple aroma and a taste of spice — like ginger or cloves, with that ‘bite’ to it. It isn’t particularly sweet, but it was a perfect pairing with a garlic/herb goat cheese and crackers. I’d certainly buy it again for that purpose but not as an after-dinner drink. It would probably also be a good accompaniment for salmon or crab.