sweet, not sugar

PACIFIC RIM DRY RIESLING ($10) WASHINGTON >

Rieslings are among the world’s great wines, sharing many of the qualities that great wines from other regions of the world have: high prices, long aging and sublime taste. So why do rieslings have such a poor reputation with U.S. wine drinkers? Which is pretty poor, considering that Nielsen reports that we drink three times more white zinfandel than we do riesling.

There are two main reasons for riesling’s neglect. Until the past couple of years, most of the riesling for sale in the U.S. was German, and much of that was of indifferent quality. But the quality of riesling that’s available these days has improved dramatically. We’re not only getting better German wines, butU.S. riesling can be stunningly good. In fact, riesling from places like New York, Michigan and Washington is one of the best-kept secrets of the wine world.

The other reason? Many rieslings are sweet, and Americans have long been taught that sweet wine means bad wine. Which is our loss, since sweet is not a bad thing with riesling. The sweetness occurs naturally, and not as a bag of sugar. In this, the sweetness is part of the wine, something that is balanced by the fruitiness and acidity. And not all rieslings are sweet — they come in varying degrees of dryness, and some are as dry as chardonnay. The leading producers, knowing the challenge they face, have started to label riesling by sweetness, so that it’s easy to tell a dry wine from a sweet one.

In this, riesling is summertime wine — low in alcohol, fruity and relaxing. It’s almost always food friendly, and especially with grilled and boiled seafood, spicy cuisine like Tex-Mex and Thai, and even pork. These rieslings will get you started:

This Washington state wine has a hint of sweetness, apricot fruit, some minerality and pleasant acidity, It’s not complicated, but is a good example of what dry riesling can be.

This is what corporate wine should aspire to: It’s varietally correct, and though it’s sweet, it’s supposed to be. The sweetness isn’t there to cover up a flaw.

The Alsatian Hugel is a top riesling producer, and this dry wine shows why. Look for green apples, peaches and a bit of what is always described as petrol. —JEFF

SIEGEL