Crisp, refreshing, off-dry, and relatively acidic with flavors of green apple, citrus, and even a hint of peach, RELAX Riesling makes for the perfect end to a stressful day. And the best part? It retails for only about $8.00.
The Riesling grapes used in RELAX are grown in Germany’s Mosel-Saar-Ruhr region. Cool temperatures and porous slate-based soil characterize the northerly continental climate of the Mosel wine region, with the slate contributing a transparent, mineralic aspect to the Riesling produced in the area. Given the steep slopes of the region’s vineyards, grapevines are often individually staked to the ground, allowing them to be tended horizontally rather than vertically. When grown in cool climates, Riesling grapes tend to produce wines exhibiting notes of apple and other tree fruit, with residual sugar occasionally used to balance high levels of acidity. A similar effect can be achieved via the German practice of Süssreserve (translation: “sweet reserve”), which entails adding unfermented grape juice to a wine as a means of providing sweetness and softening acidity.
Very rarely is German Riesling exposed to oak flavor, and during fermentation, it is typically cooled in stainless steel tanks, foregoing malolactic fermentation in order to best preserve the Riesling’s tart, acidic character. Finally, the wine is bottled in the tall, tapered, and green hock bottles traditional to the Mosel region.
Pick up a bottle of RELAX Riesling at Spec’s, HEB, Randalls, Kroger, or Target!