Press

One of the most important aspects of a sommelier’s job is leading wine tastings. More than just opening bottles and describing flavor profiles and pairings, leading a tasting is about facilitating an experience that gets attendees excited about the artistry behind the wine they’re drinking.

Given its heritage and the level of acclaim it enjoys in the wine trade and among critics, it’s perhaps surprising that German wine doesn’t enjoy a higher profile on the secondary market – but that’s beginning to change.

The cashew’s uniqueness starts on the tree, where what we know as the cashew is actually the seed of the much larger cashew fruit. Even stranger is that the cashew is in the same plant family as mangoes and poison ivy. When snacking on cashews or using them as the centerpiece of a dish, pull out some of their subtle flavors with the right wine.

Growing up in the Bronx, I didn’t see traditional wine culture. There was no wine on the bodega shelves, no swirlin’ and sniffin’ going down a Friday night. But the respect level was always there.

The universe of wine is full of once-revered regions or styles that ceased to be celebrated. Certain wines are unfairly dismissed as one-dimensional archetypes: Rieslings are all sweet, Chardonnays are all oaky. Wine Spectator asked 11 wine professionals to share their favorite out-of-fashion wine and explain why it deserves to reclaim its rightful place at the cool kids’ table.

“Dry” describes what wine drinkers overwhelmingly profess to desire. And “trocken” can only appear on labels of German Rieslings with less than 10 grams of residual sugar.

Among natural wine’s growing audience, some have surely been attracted because they think it’s fashionable. Others are curious about wines made outside the norm, wines that combine a respect for nature with traditional methods of production and that both taste and feel really good.

There are few grape varieties more fervently worshipped yet sorely misunderstood than Riesling. The supreme shape shifter of the wine world, Riesling can be totally dry or lusciously sweet, still or sparkling. Its nose can be lavishly floral or stony and earthen. Its gloriously fruity, electric flavors can lend perceptions of sweetness despite zero residual sugar. Its extract can masquerade volume and texture far beyond its alcoholic footprint.