Mud House Wines, who own the Mud House and Waipara Hills brands, has put forward an interesting initiative to promote the oft-misunderstood Riesling. They chose 12 respected winemakers from around the country, gave them each four tonnes of Riesling fruit picked from the same vineyard in April this year, and asked them to hand-craft a wine using methods of their choice. The wines will be judged by Bob Campbell MW on December 19.
The 12 Rieslings made in this challenge pretty much straddle the dry to sweet spectrum, and what I like best about this whole thing is that the taste is indicated on the back of the label, using a Riesling Taste Profile. I know winemakers and wine writers often say you can’t indicate taste, as everyone’s palate is different, but c’mon, a little hint ain’t going to harm anyone and avoids the all-out gamble that buying a Riesling can be. Excellent idea.
