Dry Reisling rec's?

[budnball]

I have been reading the Wine Bible and decided to step out of my Santa Cruz/ Southbay box and learn about some European wines. I decided to start with Reislings since it is a wine I know nothing about. I have had some dessert versions but have not had a dry one. Can a good bottle be found for $20 or so? I am in San Jose and have access to many shops. Also should I stick with German or are there options? Thanx

[MyNameIsTerry]

Don't go American or even New World IMO. While they're good, they don't have the substance that Old World Rieslings have IMO. Go Germany or Austria. (France as well, but tougher to find in your price range) Trimbach is good, and you may be able to find some in your price range. Trocken JJ Prum is probably out of your price range, but they're my favorite producer of this varietel. Rheingau is probably a region in Germany you can find a Trocken in your price range as the MSR wines tend to be a bit pricier.

[jpc8015]

I may be a bit biased here but I would put Washington state reislings up against any in the world.

[Joltingjoey]

Any specifics for dry versions? Especially those that are distributed nationally.

[jpc8015]

Chateau Ste. Michelle is pretty much the standard barer of Washington rieslings. They make a very, very good dry riesling that shouldn't be too difficult to find in most well stocked grocery store wine sections. It is a fantastic everyday wine during the summer months.

[Joltingjoey]

Tried it and liked it. On a par with Pacific Rim. At $10-$12, these are good values. Thanks.

[Berheenia]

Kim Crawford produces a respectable dry Reisling selling for under 8 bucks in Costco in Dedham MA..

[Mike B]

Trefethen from Napa makes an amazing Dry Riesling. It's not widely available, but it should be available to you in the Bay Area. I'd suspect it costs around $17.

[ChefJune]

That's a delicious wine, Mike! I also like Eroica, the joint venture of Chateau Ste Michelle and Dr. Loosen.

[budnball]

Just got a bottle of the 08 from K&L. really tasty stuff! Thanx for all suggestions

[budnball]

Reminds me of my starter wines in the mid 1970s. We drank Mosels and Liebfraumilch from bota bags, while camping in the Florida pines and smoking bad pot. Tho Trefethen is much more dry, the flavour sent me back to my youth.

[Joltingjoey]

There's a good thread on this very topic at: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/766780

The Bonny Doon Pacific Rim is a very nice buy at about $10

[budnball]

Thanx for the thread. I asked for reisling and got a different one. This search engine is too precise for me. Lots of good responses there!

[jaba]

You're also spelling it wrong. It's "riesling". easy mistake to make.

[budnball]

too true

[SteveTimko]

Non-dry Austria rieslings are the exception, so Austria is a good place to start.
For German, you want rieslings that are marked trocken or feinherb.
Alsace is more of a crapshoot since they let the wines ferment naturally. A lot of them end up off dry. Trimbach is recognized as having some of the great dry rieslings in the world.
K&L Wines would be a great source. I'd also suggest Age of Riesling, based in Berkeley. Owner Bill Mayer is a great guy.

[BigWoodenSpoon]

Yeah, Bill is awesome and could really hook you up. Ask if he has the 2008 Mosel Riesling Blauschiefer Trocken (Selection Age of Riesling). I think it's around $15 and yummy.
Dee Vine in SF has a few choices as well.
Another thing to do is check out your local wine bars/events and test drive different styles before you buy. Different people like different regions and it's really fun to explore all the possibilities.

Austrian Rieslings to me are very mineral-driven as are some German Mosel wines.
The Rheingau wines I've had taste rounder with a bit more fruit and the Nahe is just plain interesting and delicious.

BTW, it's "The Summer of Riesling 2011" :http://summerofriesling.com/
and here's who's participating:
1833, Monterey
Ame, San Francisco
Ana Mandara, San Francisco
Bar Bambino, San Francisco
Camino Restaurant, Oakland
Farallon, San Francisco
Fifth Floor Restaurant & Lounge, San Francisco
Frances, San Francisco
Heart, San Francisco
Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco
RN74, San Francisco
Saison, San Francisco
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
Sons & Daughters, San Francisco
The French Laundry, Yountville
The Moss Room, San Francisco
William Cross Wine Merchants, San Francisco
(Sorry, nothing in San Jose
)I want the button that says: "Piercing Acidity" and the "Riesling" temporary tattoo could be fun.
Here's to the Noble Grape! : )

[wattacetti]

Ah! my favorite white varietal.

Dry styles: Alsace, Germany, Austria, Australia, Canada and the US (e.g. Finger Lakes), with Dr. Konstantin Frank being a good place to start for domestic (to you). German and Austrian trocken bottles are hard to come by in Canada but you will likely have better luck since you're in the US. Alsace can be expensive, though pretty much anything that's not vendange tardive is dry. Wittmann from the Rheingau one of the better trockens you can come across.

[ChefJune]

watta, I don't fnd Alsatian Rieslings expensive here except for the tete de cuvees. And they are my favorites among my beloved Rieslings!

JJPrum is a tasty and affordable German one.

[wattacetti]

Ah. I live in the land of the SAQ, so we get to pay what the monopoly tells us is good for us. Our cheapest bottle is $16 or so for Dopff & Irion, most bottles are in the $30-50 range, and we have a relative dearth of higher-end bottlings.

JJPrüm is my favorite Mosel producer, but I haven't come across a feinherb from them.

[cambridgedoctpr]

JJ Prum is one of the best makers of white wine period, but their wines never really dry; they require cellar time to show their potential. There are dry Rieslings from Germany, but in general, I prefer Alsatians