Thanks - it also was an epic tasting! Anyway, there are different opinions with regards to petrol aromas in Riesling. Nik seemed to like the whole range of aromas from paraffin to cold tar soap (as do I), but he sees stronger petrol notes, especially in younger Riesling, as a fault. He did not specify this but it seemed to me he in particular referred to some new world Rieslings planted in fairly hot climates. For me it is, boring as it may sound, mostly a question of balance and the right seasoning. Either way it was interesting to learn something about the chemistry behind it.
In reply to Epic! by Alex
petrol aromas
Thanks - it also was an epic tasting! Anyway, there are different opinions with regards to petrol aromas in Riesling. Nik seemed to like the whole range of aromas from paraffin to cold tar soap (as do I), but he sees stronger petrol notes, especially in younger Riesling, as a fault. He did not specify this but it seemed to me he in particular referred to some new world Rieslings planted in fairly hot climates. For me it is, boring as it may sound, mostly a question of balance and the right seasoning. Either way it was interesting to learn something about the chemistry behind it.