WTN Italian Riesling

Alois Lageder Riesling 2005 $20 at Wine Styles (He offered me a deal of $11.00 because the menu was misprinted.)

I continue my enjoyable exploration of the chilly, minerally world of Northeastern Italian whites!

Pale gold in the glass-lovely to look a. Not a big nose, rather reitcent. Some pertol? On the palette, very very dry and crisp, with pronounced mineral, stone, almost metal notes. Not a lot of obvious fruitness, and no residual sugar. This reminds me a little bit of the Tocai Friulano I enjoyed last month. Solid ***, good QPR at either my price or the retail price.

I do enjoy some residual sugar and fruitiness in my whites, but I also really appreciate the austerity of these chilly Italian whites. Any further suggestiosn would be appreciated-I know that Alois is one of the big names in the region

Other names to look for include St. Michael Eppan/San Michele Appiano, a top-quality co-op run by Hans Terzer, named Gambero Rosso "winemaker of the year" in 2000; also Elena Walch, former architect turned winemaker; also Abbazia di Novacella, the most northerly-situated winery in Italy.

Thanks, Dave E.

Asheville...I lived for two years just over the mountains from you-Knoxville. Asheville is a lovely city.

I continue my enjoyable exploration of the chilly, minerally world of Northeastern Italian whites!

Hoo, boy! I'm with you there!

Also, I'll second Dave E.'s reccos, especially the St. Michael Eppan. Great stuff.

Don't be afraid to try Muller-Thurgau and Kerner from NoIT either; they can be lovely too.