Riesling and my shorts......

i agree!

the last good schloss vollrads it's the 1990 auslese

olateone, you must have been happy with the G-String tho ...

This is the type of wine I've been searching for!!!

I can't wait to serve this one to my fiance!

I gotta try this. I particularly liked the part where YOU drank the wine, and YOUR WIFE'S shorts went G-string. She didn't even have to take a sip? Know any bars that serve this by the glass?

As a note guys always, always, leave German riesling to age for at least five years. Otherwise the mighty sour lemon effect will occur all to readily. G-strings and all.

Jeremy,
I foresee lots of discussion on your 5-year statement, even though Kabinett Trocken seems to demand some care. I personally venture very rarely below Spatlese (nothing German here, only on trips), and I'd certainly demand a little bottle age there, but right now I should think the consequences, perhaps somewhat overstated , are more related to style and producer than bottle age.
A high-acid 1996 from a good producer drunk in 1998 might have been deemed prematurely drunk, true, but 2001 is not 1996? Also, I ignore olateone's acidity threshold, but sure we're all VERY different when it comes to acidity (some 99 Spatlesen were great already in 2001, though given the chance I might have waited).

The reason for leaving even the lesser tier rielsings for that amount of time is because the palate is often confused by the moderate acidity (which even then is still low). The sugars and alcohol (like all German wines) often take a behind the scenes approach as the palate is able to recognise acids easier over either of these other characters. The reason for age (and my best example which I regularly rave about is 1990 FWG Kabinett) is that as the sugars and acids develope the palate recognises the sweeter characters over the acids. This is due in part to the fact that they tend to bond (tartaric crystals formation often occurs) and thus become one and the same as the palate trys to define what it is tasting. If the wine is so acidic that it turns shorts into G-strings I would recommend longer. Even a good Kabinett will last twenty years, with wines like spatlese's and the like going even longer. Look at Ergon Muller's wine -fifty years and they still are fresh!!! German wines are made to age, they aren't really ready to drink young, although I have had some Franconian wine which does drink well from the start. Vino Me posted some notes on a not so good one but there are some reasonable styles about. Aged German rieslings are amazing wines, which often surprise with what are considered fresh and young characters. However the producer has a great deal (like any wine) over its ability.

Well, I was certainly wrong about the responses, but didn't mean I would not wait myself if given the chance. I understand the logic, no problem with that, it was just that it sounded a little too categoric to say "5+" for German in a context that's a little too wide and diverse (and we are glad it is so...). There's no market here for aged riesling, my oldest examples being 7-10 years old and indeed delicious; but the younger stuff can be pretty good too, only different. Ideally I'd love to get hold of a 6-pack and drink a bottle every two years, dumb phase included. Too often it is said that those that please young won't age, and too often, too, many of such comments are withdrawn after time.
I just meant there are too many riesling lovers here to let you "get away" with a fixed window-rule, even though I believe most would agree, perhaps more with the "+" than the "5"

Maybe you are correct with "+" but in truth the expirience of German Rieslings within NZ are often limited to top producers. NZ riesling Germanic style, Alsace or otherwise are very very good, so for Germanics to compete they must be of very high standard indeed. Hence FWG, Ergon Muller, Reichsgraf and similar are generally the standard of Germanics available. I will endevour to try an inferior style at some point. My point was that if a Germanic had acidity abounding ( perhaps I didn't make that to clear-sorry )then it should be left to age for a considerable time as this is a defining note for such wine. Kabinett or otherwise in my opinion with high acidity needs time. Vintage dependant yes, producer dependant more so.

Jeremy-- Are there any German rieslings that are approachable at under 5 years of age? I do like the few I have tasted so far, but I can only imagine how they must be with some age, based on your explanation.

I remember that GATC posted some thoughts in that he bought to drink kabinetts and I think spatlases while he bought to lay down for a good while ausleses (maybe I got spatlases and ausleses mixed up?). What are your thoughts on this?

TJ, I've posted on your other thread relating to this topic. I can't say I've expirienced any such wines. They tend to be very drawn, austere and extremely (as you have discovered ) acidic. Having said this I haven't really gone out of my way to try them. NZ riesling is very very good and drinks young, so when I want an easy drinking wine immediately I tend towards Kiwi riseling. Having said this, good producers such as FWG do release their wines later generally after a five to ten years. If you wish to try a reasonable German wine thats young I would stick with Qualitatswein from producers like Hohe Domkirche ( even their wines tend to have a few years on them, upon release.) or Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt although his wines tend to be a little more pricey. The vintages of 1997, 1996, 1993,1990 and 1989 are all well worth it and should still be quite available. By the sounds of it 2001 is also going to be a stunner. The best news is even the older wines of Kabinett and Spatlese quality are often still worth drinking if you find a good producer.

thanks for the tips, jeremy... you-da-man