Everyone know what Marmite is? It’s this black spread that complete weirdo’s stick on toast and pretend to absolutely love. Well, that’s what I think anyway. They have a phenomenally successful marketing campaign based on the slogan “you either love it or you hate it”. And you do. There is no fence to sit on. I’m a hater I’m afraid, it’s right up there with people who stop suddenly when they’re walking infront of you as things I’d like to banish for eternity.
Funny thing is, it seems that Riesling has the same kind of effect on people in the UK. I have quite literally only met people who love it or hate it. Personally I don’t get how you can hate it. It’s amazing. But maybe we should have a quick thing about why you’d fall on one side or the other.
The lovers, who are clearly far superior and intellectually brilliant people, don’t know where to start when they’re asked what they like. It’s invariably got beautifully aromatic fruit smells, be it green fruits all the way to stone and tropical flavours depending on where it’s grown. Whatever the style, be it dry and light, or sweet and full bodied, it has amazing acidity to make it a phenomenally refreshing drink.
One of the biggest upsides for me is that you can pair German Riesling with a multitude of asian food. Anything like Chinese, Malay, Indonesian, Japanese, and Indian food. There’s a style Riesling to fit it. The high acidity, the fruit, the ability to add sweetness to combat any chilli heat. I love all those kinds of food, so Riesling is a complete must-have for me!
Haters, well, I’m going to have a go at being devil’s advocate for you here. I think chief suspect is the confusion when it comes to buying it. We spoke yesterday of a what a pain in the arse it can be to work out what style of wine you’re getting.
Another I guess might be the price. It’s produced in northern central Europe, so chance of getting much change from a tenner for an entry level bottle is maybe slim.
Maybe it’s that aged Rieslings develop a petrol like smell (which in fairness I don’t like myself). Or maybe it’s just those long memories still curling up from the experiences of Blue Nun and Liebfraumilch (which aren’t actually Rieslings) when you were younger.
Well haters, this week, time to suck it up and have another go.
Cheers
Other posts in #NWTW Week 28:
#NWTW Week 28: German Riesling
#NWTW Week 28: Confusing German Wine Labels
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