"WineOfTheWeek" news and stories

When you think of Riesling, is sweet the first thing to come to mind? If so, you've probably been drinking the German variety. Sample a Riesling from Washington state for a wine that's less sweet and more honeyed and balanced, with fresh tropical-fruit notes. These West Coast stunners are best drunk young, ideally within two years of their release.

Asian food makes the best match for a Washington Riesling -- sushi, Thai curries or pan-fried/baked fish dressed with a sweet and spicy sauce. For Italian food, stick to a creamy sauce ladled over pasta -- the Riesling's crispness plays well with the sauce's richness.

Here are five stellar Washington Rieslings we highly recommend.

2008 Z'Ivo Riesling, Columbia Valley ($20)
Among this group of five, the Z'lvo had the most texture, its complex layers of fruit and honey overlapping into a palate that's ripe with peach and nectarine, and bursting with floral aromas.

• The specialty at Koreatown's newest soondae restaurants? Soondae, of course. (That would be blood sausage.)
• A paradise bar is what you might want for your last dessert. (Hence the name?)
• The wine of the week is "lively and fresh and absolutely lovely at this moment." Go for it.
• At Xino, you'll want the salt-and-pepper prawns -- and an outdoor table.

• A delicious, summery fruit pie is as easy as, well, you know.
• Hybrid politics: When two species of fruit intermarry, what do you call the kids?
• The setting for the Inn of the Seventh Ray has always been fantastic. The food is finally catching up.
• Feeling hot and tired? The wine of the week will cool you off.

by Kristine Hansen

Generally, crisp and celebratory, wines like cava, brut, Champagne and American sparkling wines probably won't turn any heads if you bring them to an occasion that calls for bubbles. But Crémant, a French sparkling wine, can make a fashionable entrance. Although still a nouveau import to many areas of the U.S. it's tres affordable. Most Crémants are priced under $20 a bottle.

Crémant is produced in seven regions throughout France: Bordeaux, Alsace, Burgundy, Loire, Die, Jura and Limoux. Strict laws from the French government stipulate that the grapes must be harvested by hand and the bottles aged for at least a year. There are also rules for the composition of grapes. And they differ by region. In Burgundy, for instance, at least 30 percent of the wine must be Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris.

While traveling through the Burgundy region this summer, in between spreading cheeses on rustic baguettes and reveling in the deliciousness of mustards from this region, we sipped some very good bottles of Crémant de Bourgogne. Fortunately you can buy both of our top picks in the States.

2005 Domaine Olivier Hillaire Châteauneuf-Du-Pape. Photo: K. Todd Storch, Flickr

Gretchen Roberts writes the wine blog Vinobite, has passed the introductory course at the Court of Master Sommeliers and is studying for her sommelier certification this fall.

Like most 20- and 30-something Americans who didn't travel to Europe as high school or college students, I discovered wine by the varietal: Merlot. Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay. Eventually, I branched out into Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc.

Varietals, or wines made from one type of grape, were easy to understand. I could read up on the flavor profile of the grape -- Merlot is soft, fleshy and fruity, with hints of violets and sometimes a note of green pepper -- and find those notes in the glass.

Then I traveled (virtually) to Europe and discovered blends: Rioja. Bordeaux. Chianti. These wines are made from a blend of grapes -- and learning about them was like learning a new language. They're labeled by the place, not the varietal, mostly because Europeans are adamant about the importance of terroir. Well, that and the fact that it would be awkward for the maker of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to list all 13 grapes in its blend.

After the jump, five blends I adore.