Tasting Side by Side

Jancis Robinson, in her book " How to Taste : A Guide to Enjoying Wine" suggests tasting a few similar wines at a time to properly note the differences between them. In this spirit I decided to spend some time this afternoon comparison tasting two Spatlese Mosel Rieslings from two different vineyards, years and producers to establish sylistic differences in the Mosel and contrast a basic example of Tempranillo against a basic example of Sangiovese to note the basic differences between these two grapes, which I often confuse in blind tastings.

The first Riesling was from Karl Erbe, a 2004 from the Wurzgarten vineyard in Urzig, and the second was from JJ Prüm, a 2003 from the Sonnenuhr vineyard in Zelting. Both Rieslings were yellow straw in color, although the Prum was more intensely colored, and while both Rieslings suggested Golden Delicious apples, pear and citrus in the nose and on the palate, the Erbes evoked peeled pear and lemon, while the Prum powerfully evoked Bartlett pear and lime. While the Erbes had a clementine-like acidity, the pineapple-like acidity of the Prum was far more racy. With even a years difference, the whiff of petrol on the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr 2003 was pronounced, while the Erbes showed pretty much none.

As for the reds, even in color, the garnet Sangiovese and the orange-ruby Tempranillo distinguished themselves in the glass. The Sangiovese, a 2006 from Terre di Sole in Sicily, smelled like red plums, Empire apples and smoke, while the Tempranillo, a 2005 from Solar de Roudez in Rioja, smelled like unripe strawberries, yellow plums, cranberries and fennil. On the palate, the Sangiovese tasted like soft red apples and bay leaf, while the Tempranillo tasted like yellow plums and Earl Grey tea, both in a distinct bergamot note, and in its tannic structure.