Suppose most Riesling lovers on their way to becoming fanatics are those who have figured out the structured Alsatian from the finessed German and the fruit intense wines from Austria. Along the way they will also have tasted some Australian Riesling from the Clare and Eden Valley – you gotta love lime here – and lastly discover the ever improving New Zealand style.
So is there really a style? The offerings we have come across covered the dry-to-off dry but rarely the sweet; while all have intense fruit and slightly higher alcohol levels than usual, it must be the combination of intense sunshine, cool nights, and skillful winemaking that compact the exquisite mandarin aromas with texture and phenolic ripeness.
Looking at the fun this bunch at Tongue in Groove have together, we ought to envy the 6 passionate friends who seem to have the time of their lives creating what they love in the place they have spent considerable time in. A little worry might be when the next earthquake around Christchurch is going to take place.
But this surely won’t sway let Lynnette Hudson from her focus to make some of the most delicious wines in Northern Canterbury. The 2014 Riesling has “spicy aromas of black and white pepper abound with a heady perfume of orange blossom, mandarin skin essence, grapefruit and melon with hints of apricot kernels. The palate is rich and full yet with an elegance and purity at the same time.”