Well, the end of summer isn’t that far away, so when I was recently sent a mixed case of summer white wines, it seemed a shame to sit on them and try to go through them each individually as I would have quickly run out of summer by the time I was able to get to them all. With that in mind I invited some friends over, opened up all the wines, and tasted them all at once, because let’s be honest, that’s what summer’s really all about. Here’s what I thought.

The first one I tasted was the 2010 La Fiera Pinot Grigio (SRP $8). I got mostly apples on both the nose and the palate with a nice lingering finish with just the right amount of acid. There was a slight hint of sweetness to my palate, but for being the first one I tried, it was a good start and it’s a good value for these kinds of parties.

Next up were two from Tiamo. First was the Tiamo Prosecco (SRP $15) which had a hint of citrus on the nose with medium sized bubbles and a slight bit of yeast on the palate and a mix of crisp fruit. This was definitely not a super-dry Prosecco and it was quickly consumed by my friends.

The other was the 2010 Tiamo Pinot Grigio (SRP $12) which I found to have some citrus on the nose and apple and lime in the mouth. It was nice and crisp with just a hint of effervescence to me, a trait I find I enjoy this time of year.

From Argentina I had some Santa Julia wines, starting with the 2010 Santa Julia Pinot Grigio (SRP $10), which had notes of tropical fruit and banana, which I think added a hint of sweetness on the finish of the wine.

Next was the 2010 Santa Julia Innovacion Torrontes Pinot Grigio (SRP $11). This was actually a 1L bottle and is a Whole Foods Exclusive “Summer Top 10 Wine” and was certainly one I was interested to try given my growing enjoyment of Torrontes. I got notes of orange peel on the nose and floral notes in the mouth with a slight almost petrol note. For the price this is a good value and an interesting combination (90% Torrontes/10% Pinot Grigio) that I think I’d like to see more of.

Finally from Santa Julia was the 2011 Santa Julia Organica Chardonnay (SRP $11), which is made from 100% organically grown Chardonnay grapes. On the nose I got green apple and pineapple, with the pineapple carrying through to the palate. There was a nice finish to it that was at once both crisp and long tasting. This is a stainless steel wine for those that have an aversion to oaked Chardonnay (you know who you are).

The first of three Rieslings that I had was the 2009 Dr. H. Thanisch Riesling Classic (SRP $18) which had a nice minerality with peaches, grapefruit, and a nice crisp, dry finish. There was a subtle sweetness to this one, which at least to my palate was the driest of the three and one I’d be interested to pair with some spicy Thai food.

Next was the 2009 Heinz Eifel “Shine” Riesling (SRP $10) which was slightly sweeter than the previous Riesling and had flavors of green apple. I could still probably drink this one with the right meal, but again I’d want some kind of spicy Asian cuisine to go with it and cut through the sweetness.

The final Riesling was the 2010 Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Noble House Riesling (SRP $12). With an aroma of apple and honeysuckle, petrol, and some minerality in the mouth it was also the sweetest of the Rieslings and featured a lemon/sour note that wasn’t off-putting, but neither was it great.

Up next was the 2010 Biohof Pratsch Gruner Veltliner (SRP $14). This was probably my favorite wine of the night and is a great value considering the bottle was 1L. Made from organic grapes, there was apple on the nose and a fresh, tangy dry minerality in the mouth with just a touch of white pepper. I kept going back to this one all night and was sad to see it gone.

The 2010 Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc (SRP $12) was one I had actually seen in stores a few times but never picked up. Might have to now. Aromas of gooseberry an herbal note were nice, but on the palate I was really intrigued with this wine that was nice a dry with flavors of stone fruit and what was debated as being either nettles, tomato vines, or just “green”. Either way, I really liked this one.

The final wine of the night was the 2010 Saint Clair Vicar’s Choice Sauvignon Blanc (SRP $16). Like the Fire Road, it was from New Zealand, and like the previous bottle it featured similar aromas with some grapefruit coming into the mix and some of the nettle/tomato vine/green. A touch of a mineral note on the palate was welcome as well.

All in all this was a great selection of wines. The Rieslings weren’t terrible, even though when I first received the wines I’ll admit I cringed at the sight of three German Rieslings – my memories of growing up in Germany tasting sickly sweet German Rieslings are hard to get over.

I really enjoyed the Gruner Veltliner, this being my first real experience with it, and the two New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs had intriguing aromas and flavors that make me want to see if this is something about that particular vintage in the region or just something those winemakers were doing.

There’s not a single one of these wines that I would tell somebody to avoid like the plague, but if I had to pick one to buy it would be the Gruner Veltliner with the two Sauvignon Blancs closely following.

Related posts:

1. Whole Foods Market Offering Summer Wine Deals
2. Graffigna Centenario Pinot Grigio Reserve 2010
3. Robert Mondavi Private Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Varietal: 100% Riesling
Region: Germany – Landwein Rhein
Cost: $24 (SRP of Octavin Home Wine Bar)

Winemaker’s Notes: Light in the glass with aromas of peaches and pear that follow through to the palate and finish with a nice crispness. A perfect match for firm cheeses, pastas with cream sauce, lighter seafood dishes, and Asian cuisine.

My Review: I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not a huge Riesling drinker.Now, before I get comments and emails from devout Riesling lovers, let me qualify that. I grew up in Germany, and my first experiences with wine were mostly German. Now, I know that not all German Rieslings are incredibly sweet, but some of them are, and those are what I was first exposed to, and now my palate tends more towards robust reds than sweet whites, so I don’t drink a lot of the grape – it is what it is. Because of that, I was a bit…apprehensive when offered a sample of the 2009 Rudolf Muller Riesling in an Octavin Home Wine Bar, because not only was this a grape that I don’t typically drink, it was a high volume of it.

A lot of times when doing these reviews I’ll try and fix something along the lines of what the winemaker recommends pairing the wine with, though I’ll be the first to admit that just as often I don’t. With this wine, having so much of it and in a container that made it easy to pour some out for tastings and for dining, I decided to try a couple of different things with it to give my opinions on it.

The first dish that I paired with the Rudolf Muller was some sausage ravioli in a cream sauce. The crispness and light sweetness of the wine were a nice counter to the richness of both the pasta and the sauce, and were a nice change of pace from the usual Sauvignon Blanc or steel Chardonnay that I would have usually paired the dish with.

The second dish I paired with the wine was some Yukon Gold potatoes in curry over some jasmine rice. Again, the crispness and light sweetness of the wine helped counter the heat of the curry and the overall starchiness of the dish, and again provided a nice alternative to the usual light wines I probably would have turned to had I not had the Rudolf Muller.

By itself the wine is still fairly enjoyable, and one I wouldn’t be opposed to having around when summer really gets into swing. While there’s an undeniable sweetness to the wine, it comes across as candied fruit as much as anything, the aromas and flavors of pear and peach are nice and crisp, and the finish is clean without a lingering sweetness in the mouth that I’ve experience with some sweeter wines.

This is by no means a dessert wine and should not be treated as such. While it’s sometimes nice to pair sweet with sweet, this wine serves much better as a counter note to savory and is one that I would definitely say give a try to if you’re a Riesling fan, and even if you’re not. It’s good to see Octavin Home Wine Bars adding another varietal to their selection, and they continue to impress me with their commitment to quality boxed wine. Fortunately I still have quite a bit of this wine and look forward to trying it with other dishes in the near future.

Related posts:

1. Woelfelin Riesling 2008
2. Clos du Bois Riesling
3. Finger Lakes Riesling

Varietal: Gluhwein
Region: Germany
Cost: $7.99

A mulled wine still produced according to old-world tradition.  A combination of red wine, sugar, and spices served warm or chilled over ice.

Recommendations: If you’re only the East coast like me you’re still digging yourself out of close to two feet of snow.  While watching snow fall on Friday, my wife and I finally opened up a bottle of Gluhwein that we’ve had since mid July.

For those unfamiliar with Gluhwein, it’s a mulled wine typically served in Germany around the Christmas season, especially at street vendors in Nuremburg at their Christmas market.

Heated up to about 170 degrees (though not letting it boil), this wine is great on a cold day.  My wife and I added some extra mulling spices and a cinnamon stick to add extra flavor and settled in while the snow fell outside.

Flavors of spice and clove are prevalent in Gluhwein, but by adding some of your own spices you can adjust it to your own taste.  I prefer to enjoy Gluhwein in an Irish Coffee Mug since I enjoy it hot and don’t want to burn my hand on hot glass.

While finding Gluhwein isn’t the easiest thing to do, I did find it available here:   http://www.internetwines.com/rws28454.html .  With the cold season upon us, I definitely recommend that everybody give it a try.

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