A Wine Lover's Near Weekly Review Of $15 Wines - A Riesling From Tasmania, Australia

We have recently reviewed some Australian wines, however this is our first wine from Tasmania, a small island south of the mainland that is one of the coolest climate wine producing areas in the world. Tasmania is considered Australia's youngest winemaking state but its winemaking history is somewhat complicated. The first vines were planted in 1823 and then some fifty years later winemaking virtually stopped until the 1950s. Many people feel that Tasmania may become an excellent area for producing sparkling wine.

Tamar Ridge winery planted its first vines in 1994. Its chief winemaker is also its CEO, Dr. Andrew Pirie. He holds Australia's first Ph. D. in viticulture. Devil's Corner has been a sailor's refuge for centuries from the nearby wild waters of Whirlpool Reach.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed

Tamar Ridge Devil's Corner Riesling 2008 12.0% alcohol about $15

Let's look at the marketing materials. Tasting Note : A lifted, exotic bouquet with lime and tropical fruit; the palate is generous and rich with an abundance of sweet fruit coming through on the finish. Drink [until] 2014. Score - 91. (James Halliday, on the Australian wine companion website, March 2009) And now for my review. At the first sips the wine had a touch of sweetness, tasting of lime, and presenting refreshing acidity. The initial pairing was with a cheeseless lasagna based on a somewhat spicy salsa. This Riesling was palate cleansing with forceful acidity, good length, and some sweetness. There was lime in the finish. The accompaniment was spinach pancakes with potatoes, oat bran, and garlic. And now the wine was sweeter but too acidic.

The next meal started with a roasted vegetable souffle. The wine was sweet and feathery with lime and orange. But it was short. With a barbecued chicken breast the Riesling presented honey and lime with soft acidity. Dessert was fruit juice candy. Now the wine was somewhat ethereal and its acidity was rounded.

My final meal was composed of an omelet laced with ground chilies. The wine presented powerful acidity and grapefruit with good sweetness. In the presence of the accompanying avocado it was slightly oily. The humus (ground chickpeas plus) effectively removed the wine's sweetness.

I ended the tastings with two local cheeses. A yellow cheddar gave one fine wine pairing; the wine was mouth filling providing excellent balance between sweetness and acidity. The Swiss cheese was too strong for this wine but it did retain some taste. I popped the remaining Riesling into my mouth with a fresh (admittedly off season) strawberry and tasted a little bit of honey.

Final verdict. I would certainly buy this wine again. Most pairings were fine, but the biggest surprise was with a relatively tasteless cheddar cheese. As you may know, I'm often quite partial to German Rieslings. To my mind they have a real advantage, they often carry a low level of alcohol. Of course today, 12% is considered fairly low. I can't find another wine by this producer in my area but am definitely considering buying an upscale, award-winning Tasmanian Chardonnay. You'll be the first to know.