Great Wine: Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spatlese

By Johannes Marlena

Nothing lights up a Christmas season like a German Riesling.

Other than the fact that Nuremberg, Berlin, Cologne and Dresden are some of the best places on earth to celebrate the Christmas holiday and will get you singing “O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum! Du kannst mir sehr gefallen! Wie oft hat nicht zur Weihnachtszeit / Ein Baum von dir mich hoch erfreut!” for weeks, at this time of year you want to be drinking wine from a country where the traditions of Christmas are taken very seriously. And Riesling has German DNA all over it. 

Before your eyes gloss over simply looking at the intimidating name of this beautiful German Riesling, let’s set the mood and, if you sing the following roughly to the the tune of “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…,” then it’s not so bad: SCHLOSS LIESER Niederberg Helden Riesling Spatlese. 

The 2016 wine is bright, cheery and sweet yet crisp. It’s marvelously balanced and exudes warmth and comfort. Its nose of beeswax, flint, jasmine, honeysuckle and golden delicious apple tells you you’re in for a cozy sleigh ride. You can just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing, ring-ting and tingle-ing. 

A note of cold-pressed orange on the palate hits just the spot. The wine’s medium body is like nectar but with just the right balance of citrus acidity. The joy with which you’re infused on every sip is not unlike the feeling of walking down a boulevard with white lights in the trees lined up on both sidewalks on a crisp winter’s night. Think Chicago’s Miracle Mile… so beautiful in December. Your senses are lit up. 

Just look at the green “flute” bottle of the Schloss Lieser and the red on the labeling, and it’s just too, too perfect. There’s just no Blue Christmas without you. With Riesling in the glass, may your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white.  –J.M.

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December 16, 2018