2010年12月2日 星期四

Wine 101: Riesling

Wine 101: Riesling

First-time Riesling drinkers may find this wine a bit of a wild card. Your wine-drinking experience can vary greatly, depending on which bottle you pick off of the shelf.

The nose. The one thing you can be sure of is the signature Riesling perfume ─ all good Rieslings carry a strong floral bouquet.

The taste. Compared with its welcoming and upfront aroma, the way a Riesling tastes may be surprising. Rather than the big fruits and florals you were expecting, you'll find tastes that are harder to pinpoint. Think quirky metallic or flinty hints.

Sweet or dry. Rieslings can also range from bone dry to semisweet. The old-fashioned German Liebfraumilch, a heavy semisweet wine, gave sweet Rieslings a bad name, but these days there are refreshingly bright incarnations. Just make sure to read your label carefully, and confirm with wine store staff if you're unsure.

The acid. The grape grows in colder climates, and the acidity that results from that environment makes this wine a mouthwatering appetite opener, the perfect for cold starters such as salads and ceviches.

Amy Ma

葡萄酒入門:雷司令

次品嘗雷司令葡萄酒(Riesling)的人可能會覺得﹐這種酒有那麼一點兒難以捉摸。雷司令葡萄酒給人的感覺千變萬化﹐取決於你的具體選擇。

香味:惟一不會變化的是雷司令那種標志性的芬芳──所有的上乘雷司令都帶有一種濃鬱的百花香味。

味道:雷司令的香味濃鬱宜人﹐味道卻往往出人意表。你會發現﹐它的味道很難描述清楚﹐並沒有你預想中的那種濃烈的花果味道。大致形容起來﹐你不妨說它帶有怪異的金屬風味或是堅硬的燧石氣息。

甜度或乾度:雷司令的甜度可以在極乾(bone dry)與半甜(semisweet)之間變化。傳統的德國萊茵白葡萄酒(Liebfraumilch)是一種口味濃重的半甜酒﹐給雷司令帶來了不好的名 聲。不過﹐今天的雷司令已經有了不少清爽適口的新品種。買這種酒的時候﹐記得看清楚標簽就好﹐實在拿不準的話﹐也可以去找酒舖的店員咨詢。

酸性:釀造雷司令的葡萄產自寒冷的氣候之下﹐生長環境導致的酸性使雷司令成為了一種十分開胃的葡萄酒﹐非常適合用來搭配沙拉和酸橘汁腌魚之類的頭道冷盤。