A quick effort to reboot my Riesling taste buds failed last night when I popped the screw cap on a not-too-pricey Mosel Spätlese from Fritz Zimmer. Not to my liking, but more important, I'm pretty sure it was flawed. Pickle juice? Volatile acidity out of hand, or other bacterial goings-on? Add a whiff of bubble gum, and we dumped most of the bottle. (I'm more looking forward to a J & H Selbach 2014 Saar Riesling Spätlese, though ...
Fritz Zimmer 2013 Mosel Riesling Spätlese Pradikätswein ($13.99)
Pale straw color. Odd pickle-juice aroma surrounds something floral at first, a hint of bubble gum. Not my cup of tea or wine. The pickle character does fade a bit with time in the glass, giving way to something like honeysuckle and lemons; a distinct touch of sweetness is over-balanced by sharp acidity that retains just a hint of sweet-sour pickle. Perceptibly sweet, yet so sharply acidic that it's really out of balance. Sorry, I'm not inclined to finish this glass. 7.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: Winesellers Ltd., Niles, Ill. (Feb. 16, 2016)
, wines cheaper than $14 are often manufactured in vast Central Valley tank farms using random tanker cars of juice!