Behind the Cork™ - Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling

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2017 Ravines Dry Riesling ($17.95)

Ravines Wine Cellars is an artisanal winery in the flourishing, world-class wine region of the Finger Lakes, located in upstate New York. It is the passion of Morten & Lisa Hallgren, a European Winemaker/Oenologist and his Chef wife. Together, they have created a small, distinctive winery, crafting elegant and expressive wines using Old World winemaking practices.

This Ravines Dry Riesling is estate grown, 100% Riesling from the Finger Lakes AVA. Its grapes come from the White Springs Vineyard (52%), and the 16 Falls Vineyard (48%), with the vineyard on each side of Seneca Lake.

The hand-harvested grapes from both vineyards were whole cluster pressed. The machine harvested fraction from the White Springs vineyard were given substantial skin contact prior to fermentation. All were fermented at low temps (54-60 F) in stainless steel tanks to preserve the bright fruit flavors. After racking, this wine was aged on lighter lees throughout the winter until April and was bottled in June 2018.

While Rieslings may be pale straw in color, this Ravines Dry Riesling is golden - likely due to the extended skin contact. On the nose, it has lime and green apple along with apricot, melon and tropical fruits. On the palate, the bright fruit fools you into believing that it has sweet tendencies, but at 3 g/l residual sugar it is indeed a dry Riesling. The mouthfeel is soft and slightly oily. It has medium acidity and finishes light and refreshing.

This Ravines Wine Cellars Dry Riesling has received 90-point ratings from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate. And, at this price, it perfect as a Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week.

Learn more about Ravines Wine Cellars at https://ravineswine.com

Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Ravines Wine Cellars


Wine Fun Fact: Blanc de Blanc versus Blanc de Noir

Having just wrapped up the holiday season when a lot of Champagne and sparkling wines are enjoyed, I came across a Blanc de Blanc Champagne. At first it seems that ‘Blanc de Blanc” is just a fancy name for a French Champagne. But, this is just another example of something in the wine world that is seemly complex or confusing that is really rather simple.

If you took high school French, which I didn’t, you’d know that ‘Blanc de Blanc’ literately translates as ‘White from White.” Okay, you might ask, but what does that have to do with Champagne? The answer to that question requires a very quick review of how Champagne is produced. French Champagne is traditionally produced from three grapes - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (Pee-noh Mehr-n'yay). The Chardonnay is a white grape, while the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are black.

So, you may have already gotten ahead of me. A ‘Blanc de Blanc’ or ‘White from White’ means that this type of Champagne is made solely from white grapes, namely Chardonnay.

Conversely, a ‘Blanc de Noir’ simple translates as ‘White from Black.’ Thus, it is a Champagne made from black grapes - Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. And, as we’ve learned, the juice from all grapes is clear - it’s the grape skins that give it the red color. So, in a ‘Blanc de Noir’ the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are pressed but the juice is not given any time in contact with the dark grape skins and therefore remain ‘white.’

So, in summary, you can have Champagne in three different styles:

  • Traditional Champagne - Produced with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

  • Blanc de Blanc Champagne - Produced with Chardonnay

  • Blanc de Noir Champagne - Produced with Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier

Wine Fun Fact: The Difference Between Aroma and Bouquet

Recently, I posted a piece discussing how fermentation and aging affect a wine’s aroma. But, it was brought to my attention that the terms aroma and bouquet are different when it comes to wines. So, here’s a quick summary of each:

  • Aroma - Each grape variety (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, etc.) has its own set of aromas. These aromas are fruit, herbal and floral scents that are just from the grape. These are also referred to as primary aromas.

  • Bouquet - The bouquet of a wine comes from the fermentation and aging processes. During the fermentation process, yeast turns the grapes’ natural sugars to alcohol. But, the yeast can also impart scents associated with bread, butter, cheese and earthiness, such as mushrooms. Aging a wine in oak barrels can impart scents of vanilla, caramel, chocolate, smoke and tobacco. These scents of a wine’s bouquet are also referred to as secondary aromas.