What I’m Drinking Now: Longshadow Wineries Makes a Terrific $20 Riesling You Should Know About

Ask any wine professional to name their favorite grape varietal and chances are the answer will be Riesling.

Riesling’s produce wines with flair and style. They can be bone dry or syrupy sweet, popping with luscious honey and apricot or the tartness of freshly squeezed lime juice. Rieslings are fun to drink on their own, but their real appeal is how food-friendly they are (which is why t they’re ideal with spicy Asian cuisine).

A few days ago at the restaurant Grace, in Fort Worth, it was a Riesling from Washington State’s Columbia Valley that reminded me why Rieslings rule. What do you pair with chorizo-stuffed dates and crab cakes, I wondered. Then I found a bottle of the 2008 Long Shadows Poet’s Leap Riesling on Grace’s lovely wine list.  The Long Shadows Poet’s Leap is produced by one of Germany’s most highly acclaimed Riesling producers, Armin Diel, owner of Schlossgut Diel.

Why did it work?

A touch of fresh lime, tart grapefruit, and bold minerality made each bite of chorizo dance, each knob of crab sing. No surprise, though. After all, this Riesling–indeed, any Riesling–should be a go-to bottle when you’re stumped with foods that seem hard to pair with wine.   You can pick up a bottle of a good Riesling at any good retailer for less than $20;  you’ll find the ’08 Long Shadows Poet’s Leap at Cork Wines in Dallas.

Grab a bottle and let me know what you think.

Cork Wines, 3636 McKinney Ave, Suite 170 Dallas, TX 75204

Jason Hisaw is certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers as an Advanced Level Sommelier. He is a member of the wine team at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse in Dallas and writes for EscapeHatchDallas.com.