Today, being the first Wednesday of the month, is Wine Blogging Wednesday. This month's theme is Riesling, but only if it comes from Europe - no New Worlds allowed!

After a quick bit of head-scratching while at the warehouse earlier on in the day I decided on Germany, largely because the only other contender was our sole Alsace Riesling, and I wasn't really in the mood somehow. I think it was mood plus the burst of beautiful Summer-like weather (hottest day of the year so far here in Oxfordshire) that made me think of German Riesling. Summer and Riesling wines, and especially those light, beautifully poised, elegant German Rieslings seem to go togther.

So, the next decision was 'which German Riesling?' It wasn't until I got to the warehouse that I remembered we had quite a few. Steve, my warehouse manager, calls this Andrew's shelves as I'm the only one that seems to go there (not strictly true, but I see where he's coming from!)

In the end, I realised that there was an obvious plan forming in my Riesling-starved brain. (Haven't had any Riesling, and especially German Riesling, in quite a while as it happens). We had four Spätlese from four different regions staring at me from the shelves, all from the excellent and highly rated 2002 vintage. Why not a vertical tasting to celebrate Riesling and Wine Blogging Wednesday?

I get my Riesling fix AND get to see how this much acclaimed vintage is holding up. Oh, and before I left I spied a lone half bottle of Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese from Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff, so I decided 'in for a penny...'

Alison will be thrilled at the choice of wine tonight. She's a red wine drinker at heart and loves Riesling nearly as much as Andrew Barrow over at Spittoon in his Riesling blog post earlier today!

Anyway, onto to the mini-marathon German Riesling tasting...

Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberger Riesling Spätlese 2002. Mosel 8% alc
Beautiful bright, green-gold colour. Very classic Mosel-styled floral notes on the nose. Surprising weight on the palate for a wine at only 8% alcohol. Peristant length; poise; elegance. The merest whiff of that oft-quoted Riesling aromatic of petrol - not the most attractive aroma in the world, but classic for aged German Riesling. Definitely NOT petroly in an over the top way... just a kind of wee hint. Funnily enough, a lot of tasters over here in the UK quote Petrol/Kerosene as being classic for Riesling, whatever their age. A very good German wine merchant friend of mine is adamant that any idea of petrol aromatics in young German wine is considered a wine fault on his side of the Mosel.

Schloss Saarstein Riesling Spätlese 2002. Saar 8% alc
Paler than the Eitelsbacher. More muted aromatics. No petroly tones here; bright floral elements. Grapey (an odd word for a beverage made from grapes, but I hope you get what I mean - Muscaty. Almost). More weight than the Eitelsbacher so I'm guessing riper/higher must-weight . Alcohol is the same. But also a kind of steelyness and directness. Crisp, refreshing acidity. Clean, crisp finish with good weight. Quite foodie really.

Rudesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese 2002, Weingut Leitz. Rheingau 8.5% alc
Pale green-yellow. Floral and touches of spice on nose. Weighty and concentrated on palate. More noticeable sweetness than previous two wines. Very concentrated. Touches of apricot, Spring blossom, even exotic fruit. Lick of spice (ginger perhaps?) Nicely balanced weight, fruit and acidity - touch of crisp green apples on finish. Will continue to age well over next 1-3 years.

Monzinger Frühlingsplätzchen Riesling Spätlese 2002 , Emrich-Schönleber. Nahe 9.5% alc
Pale, pale yellow with hints of green. Stone-fruits, floral tones, some citrus (orange/grapefruit) and spice. Definite spice. But still very typical Riesling and not deviating into Gewurz-like territory. Rich palate, with spiciness following through. Weight, concentration. Immaculate balance of fruit, weight, concentration and complexity with a lick of refreshing acidity. My favourite wine of the four. I like the extra dimension the weight and concentration brings, while still retaining Germanic Riesling purity and elegance. It's warmer in the Nahe than some of the other classic wine regions of Germany. And the extra weight, ripeness and alcohol this gives the wine make it slightly fatter then the other three. Veering it ever so slightly towards the new world style of Riesling. Food friendly? Certainly. Drink by itself? Well, that too... I am now. And enjoying it massively!

All in all a fun exercise and a look at a classic vintage from some highly regarded producers. Thank you Wine Blogging Wednesday for giving me a chance to open these bottles and remind myself of the flavours and diversity of Riesling.

Oops, I almost forgot. What about that 1998 Auslese Riesling from one of Germany's star winemakers, Dönnhoff?

Niederhauser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese 1998, Weingut Hermann Dönnhoff. Nahe 8.5% alc. Nahe 8.5% alc
Pale gold. Nose of apricots, honey, peaches. Taste is apricoty, with hints of citrus, even marmalade. But not super rich. Still quite light. Lighter than I imagined it would be to be honest. Refreshing acidity. I think this is a bit disappointing to be honest. Some of the Spätlese above had more weight and concentration. Maybe I'm Riesling-ed out. But I don't think so. Maybe 10 years is a bit too long? Good, but not great.

All that acidity and primary Riesling fruit... I need chocolate now!

One of our favourite importers dropped by this week with a couple of wines tucked under her arm, begging to be tried.

Wild Earth is a Central Otago winery. At 45^o south, Central Otago is the world's southernmost winemaking region. It is mountainous, rising to over 2000 metres with the vines planted among spectacular alpine scenery. The vineyards are the highest in New Zealand, located between 200 and 400 metres above sea level.

Central Otago is rapidly developing an International reputation for top quality Pinot Noir. More than 70% of grapes grown in Central Otago are Pinot Noir, as this early ripening variety is suited to the short growing season that results from such a southerly location. The key factor in Central Otago is the position of the vineyards. They need to be sited to ensure that the grapes ripen fully during the short window available to them. One of the best areas is Bannockburn, which is where Wild Earth's main vineyard is situated.

The Wild Earth Pinot Noir 2006 is a lovely wine: Dark blackcurrant, bramble, spice smoky plum and wild gamey aromatics, a warm rich complex mouth feel showing elegance, dark brooding flavours and a long persistent finish.

Wild Earth Riesling 2006 sits, stylistically, somewhere between the Clare Valley in Australia and a German Riesling, perhaps from the Mosel. Limey with hints of grapefruit, there is residual sugar, making this a distinctly 'medium'style. Excellent balance and a lovely zingy, fresh acidity. Great as an aperitif, but probably great with fusion food too - something I shall test out in coming months and report back on.

But for now, I'll settle for finishing off the Pinot Noir. Not a 'monster wine' - see tonight's earlier post. But certainly one that would make any Pinot-lover very happy.