Château Tanunda's Dry Riesling: Australia's Well-Kept Secret

Quick! I say Australian wine, you say... Shiraz, right? (ok, or maybe Yellow Tail, but after that you'd say Shiraz, I bet).

In my experience, most people associate the wines from down under with fruity, boldly flavored red wines.

So what if I told you that in a pocket of the generally hot, drought-ridden Australian continent there are a few cool areas that can grow a grape that no one would ever expect to see here?

What if that grape was Riesling and what if the style was the complete opposite of the sweet stuff you may eschew?

If you think you know what Riesling tastes like and you've never had a dry Riesling, you're going to need to re-evaluate...and get yourself an Australian Riesling to see a dimension of this grape that you won't believe until you try it.

And...if you think I'm crazy, I'll admit that there's a little cognitive dissonance regarding Riesling, which is associated with cool places like Germany and Austria, growing in burning hot Australia, but it actually makes sense when you consider that immigrants from all over the world always bring their traditions and stuff with them to the place they settle. So it shouldn't be a surprise that when, in 1842, German settlers arrived in the Barossa Valley, fleeing religious persecution in their homeland, they brought with them the grape they knew best: Riesling.

Now, mind you, early versions sucked ass and were made into brandy because the grapes were planted in areas more suited for vines that like heat -- like Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon -- but the Germans and their Australian ancestors kept growing Riesling despite these nasty results (Germans are stubborn -- M.C. Ice is part German, so I speak from a place of knowledge). They persisted over the years even though Riesling is a very demanding vine that's easily rotted and needs to grow in cool climates where it can ripen slowly to build flavor and acid -- quite the opposite of the land available in the much of the warm Barossa Valley.

This attempt at growing Riesling rather unsuccessfully went on for a long, long time. But, after lots of experimentation and a refusal to give up on this aromatic, high acid, distinctive grape, the German-Aussie descendants, finally did it in the 80s and 90s when they planted the grape in cool micro-climates in the area. And they followed up the success with a stupendous decision to let the grape speak for itself by allowing it to get ripe and develop fruit flavors but NOT to leave sugar in the wine. The style that results is a dry, flavorful, citrusy wine with pure, crisp flavors, acidity, minerality, and massive aromas like lemon, lime, apricot, peach, and nectarine.

In cool pockets of the Barossa Valley, and especially in the nearby, high elevation Clare and Eden Valleys with long, cool autumns, Riesling is delicate yet bold, flavorful, and aromatic yet subtle, and one of the best matches with lighter or spicy food that I've had the pleasure of tasting.

I had the honor of presenting to the Southeast Regional Conference of the American Culinary Federation a little over a week ago, and the folks at Château Tanunda from the Barossa Valley were kind enough to donate their Riesling for the event (I had requested a dry Riesling as an example of a new trend in wine -- Riesling is the fastest growing white according to Nielsen, a ratings group). I also had discussed the grape in podcast #7 and when I tried this particular wine, I thought so highly of it, that I wanted to review this one to give a solid example of what I was talking about when I described a bone dry Riesling.

This is a wonderful wine made with 40% estate grown, old-vines Riesling, but I have to admit that I haven't yet experienced a bad Australian Riesling, so if you can't find this in your wine shop go for another brand and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Wine: Château Tanunda Grand Barossa Riesling
Where It's From: Barossa Valley, South Australia
The Grapes: 100% Riesling
Vintage: 2009
Price: $15

Color: An unoaked, no-sugar wine with lots of acid, grown in a cool climate is usually a super pale yellow color with a touch of green. Yup.

Smell: This could be a super-turn off to you or could be really great, but the first smell wafting out of this glass was gasoline/petrol. It's a characteristic that is typical in Riesling, but that you only get if it's grown in a cool enough climate. I love it and was so happy to smell it on this wine, especially since it was backed up with unbelievable fruit, flower, and nut aromas too. The wine smelled like fresh squeezed lime, dried peaches and apricots, gardenias, and like the almond paste they put inside an almond-filled croissant! It smelled a little like honey too. There was this excellent, very distinct steel/metal smell -- the wine was so aromatic and complex. I could sniff it all day long.

Taste: There were a few surprises offered up in the taste. Yeah, it tasted like the lime I smelled, but there was almost a sensation of green apple Jolly Rancher, and, strangely, the taste of raspberries (not really common in a white, I gotta say). Once inside my mouth and closer to my olfactory bulb (remember, your tongue doesn't "taste" things like fruit or flowers, it's your sense of smell that picks up on that once the stuff is inside your mouth, warmed, and closer to the bulb) it was a bit like pine or an evergreen forest. There was a great nectar-like essence to the wine even though it was BONE dry and had ridiculously high acid that had my mouth watering for ages after I swallowed it. It was such a fresh, light wine -- nothing like the cloying, sweeter versions of Riesling that I think most people associate with the grape.

Food Pairings: Ok, here's a strange one. We had it with farro, an Italian grain that is nutty and starchy and pretty delicious. The texture and taste of the grain and with the herbed goat cheese that we had on top combined so well with the citrusy acid of the Château Tanunda and everything tasted fruity, creamy, and herbal. I know it's an odd pairing because farro is a weird grain, but I would recommend pairing with something nut-encrusted (white fish) or with a grain or side that's a bit nutty to experience the yumminess of this combo. M.C. Ice could not get over how great this pairing was and it did my heart good to see his skinny butt going in for seconds just so he could have the farro/Aussie Riesling match.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Drink...all day long. I know Australian wine isn't winning any popularity contests these days, but you've got to buck the trend and try Château Tanunda or another Riesling from the Clare Valley or Eden Valley to experience this grape and wine in all its refinement, dryness, and perfection in pairing with food! Yum!

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!!