Schmitt Söhne, Riesling Qualitätswein, 2008
Imagine my surprise when I found myself looking at a German Riesling in a supermarket in the outskirts of Alexandria, Virginia. Actually, there were several wines claiming to be 'German' Riesling, but I skipped two that were not bottled in Germany. I also skipped a 'Claret' made by Francis Ford Coppola - yes, THAT Coppola, another celebrity who ventured into wine making -, but as I was drinking 'with' a pregnant woman it seemed best to focus on something light that I could finish by myself, if need be. Still a shame not to have tried the Coppola, but there may be other times.
The Schmitt Söhne comes in a blue bottle that gives the wine an ethereal quality. This is quite fitting as the colour is very very light. As are the smell and taste: a little lemony acidity, a tiny tiny hint of mineral and some grapefruit - so light that the wine seemed more like an echo of a Riesling than an actual wine. Luckily though, the echo got stronger over time as the wine opened up, eventually presenting an airy, fresh wine that combines elderflower and grapefruit with (still not very intense) mineral and fresh citrus fruit.
Pleasant on a hot summer's eve and easy to drink, this wine is more of a crowd pleaser that lacks real depth or character to impress the Riesling lover. But at $10 and bought for a hot summer's eve (and it is quite hot here) with chicken salad on a porch in Virginia...