I tried a new Riesling this week, the 2006 Cellarmaster's Riesling from Columbia Winery. Overall, it was decent, though a bit on the sweet side even for me. The bottle says that it "offers fragrant honey, pear and apricot aromas" and this certainly seemed to be true. From a flavor perspective, I believe the honey came through more than anything else. Having not had this wine before, I didn't have a good feel for pairing. I tried it along with a citrus-mayonnaise-parmesan emulsion over salmon on the grill and it was not a very good match. The bottle suggests drinking with "spicy foods, fresh fruit desserts" or to use for relaxed sipping. I think this last suggestion is likely the best of the three.
On a scale from 0-4 with 0 being "ugh" and 4 being "empty bottle" this one is solidly in there at a 2.5-3. With a better pairing I think that it would have been more drinkable, or simply without biasing my palate one way or another. Would I bring it to a party? Probably not. However, it could make a nice sipping wine for company assuming that it's been paired with the right snacks (perhaps the fruit, as mentioned).
