Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Did You Know?... About "Petrol" Flavors in Riesling

When talking about Riesling, people often talk about "petrol" aromas. Yes, that means gasoline in many parts of the world. Maybe with a hint of rubber. You may ask yourself, why in the world is drinking something that smells and maybe even tastes like gasoline a good thing?

It's important to understand that it's not a flaw in the wine, but it can be a bit of an acquired taste.

Is it just tradition? Many of the classic German Rieslings include these strange flavors, and people have been drinking them that way for centuries.

It may be more that in the sweet Rieslings, these different flavors add some complexity to the wine, and cut through the syrupy sweet flavors.

Try not to be turned off if you do get the strange petrol bouquet on the nose the next time you take a big sniff of your favorite Riesling. But, we also recognize it's not for everyone.

No comments:

Post a Comment