Coming in at third place is a charming red that retails around $18 a bottle. This wine does fine on its own but would probably be best paired with food, perhaps a cheesy pasta dish. I ate about a pound of sharp cheddar and almost as much turkey salami while tasting this, bringing it into the top three: Sususmaniello Oltreme Tenute Rubino.
Second place this week goes to a white port ... yes, WHITE port ... but not as a stand-alone wine. If you like dessert wines or port in general, you'll probably go for this in a big way, but if you add some tonic water and a twist of lime (ala gin and tonic but replacing the gin with white port) -- HUZZAH! Delicious and tempting, Quinta de La Rosa White Port falls into the runner-up spot. However, at about $25 per bottle, and since I only liked it mixed (I'm raving about that drink), I'll save the $25 for a bottle of decent gin. That being said, though, for its unusual taste and unbelievable mixability, the white port beats out the red Tenute by a slice of lime.
(Drum roll) Coming in at the top spot this week, though, is a Riesling. I tasted some great Rieslings this weekend, from sweet to sweeter, fruity to slightly nutty. Two of them, both German, are Dr. Loosen Dr L Rieslings, but the winner of the two is the 2015 Dry Riesling. The dry, as opposed to the standard Dr L, has a long finish that isn't offensive or overbearing. The wine shop describes it as "penetrating and deliciously persistent" and packing "a surprising punch." So many Rieslings are overly sweet, almost syrupy, but this one is a welcome addition to the line-up. I try it first then go back at the end and try it last.
Yes. It's still as pleasant and interesting as I first thought. Therefore, this week's winner-winner-chicken-dinner goes to Dr. Loosen Dr L Dry Riesling, 2015 vintage, retailing around $10 per bottle (another wonderful surprise).
