Rosemount Traminer Riesling blend, 2004 vintage
price: $10-$12
suggested food pairings: fish or fowl with fruit accompaniments, spicy Asian foods, sharp cheeses

I found myself in a pickle. I selected a wine for this column from the liquor store shelf that I’d heard good things about but never tasted. Once home I deliberately cleared my mind of slanted, friend-related “facts” about this label, pulled the cork, swirled, sniffed and sipped. Uh-oh. It sucked. Bad. This was not what I had in mind several hours after my deadline.

Down to the grocery I sped. An unintentional cruise by the fish counter led me into an impromptu purchase of jiggly-fresh shark steaks for dinner. A dash back to produce provisioned me with the makings of a Cuban fruit relish… why did I come to the store… oh yeah, wine for the column. A zip to the vino aisle and there it was, something that would allow me to drape a curried coconut batter on that meaty shark.

What a great blend of grapes. Both are honest to the earth, yet express themselves in a floral manner—sort of like people who write about wine. The nobler of the two grapes in this wine—the Riesling—may walk quietly, but carries a big stick. The fruit-forward acid is the stick, and it carries this wine. The pale yellow color and simple grape nose belie the burst of flavor in the first taste. Minerals up front, fruit in the middle, and a citrus acid on the finish that ends up white-grapefruit-rind-chalky dry. I’m in love.

Craig Pierce can be reached at craig_l_pierce[at]hotmail[dot]com.