IN case you hadn't noticed, spring has come early this year, much to the chagrin of the rest of Canada, which continues to shovel itself out of six-foot snow drifts.
With spring, our thoughts turn once again to white wines and lighter fare, which means, if you'll pardon the phrase, Hock rocks.
I've always found the connection between England and Riesling to be quite fascinating. Until two world wars (and something called Liebfraumlich) somewhat put the kibosh on things, "Hock" as it was known, ruled. And, for a while was very much the white wine in vogue.
In fact, Winston Churchill was not above having a glass of Hock for lunch instead of his customary Pol Roger. But it was Queen Victoria who helped to elevate Hock to compete with Claret or Burgundy as it's never done before or since.
In 1854, the Queen and her beloved (German-born) Prince Albert travelled through the Rheingau. The occasion is commemorated by a substantial, seven-metre high monument at Hochheim.
Then, as now, when word of the Queen's interest (real or feigned) hit the British press, what the royals were drinking was all that mattered. And they were drinking some of the best dry Rieslings around. Not known for their inclination to tolerate foreign words (or even foreigners for that matter), the Brits decided that saying "Riesling" or "Hochheim" was just too much trouble: "Hock" it was.
All this by way of a nod to this month's theme at BC Liquor Stores, Perfect Pairings: Asian Flavours & German Wines, which not surprisingly focuses (though not exclusively) on quite a few "Hocks" that indeed absolutely fit the bill as good partners for Asian cuisine and much more.
Combine Riesling's food flexibility with its usually lower alcohol levels and you can see why this variety continues to grow in popularity.
Here's a few good drops (among many) to consider.
? Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 2010 (Rheingau)
If you're looking to step up from your regular Riesling drop, this single vineyard is a great place to start: mineral and petrol hints wrapped in an austere sleekness balanced by pear and apple before a lingering finish (BCLS $23.99, 91 pts.).
? Schloss Reinhartshausen Dry Riesling 2011 (Rheingau)
Up-front tropical notes followed by a fruit-forward palate of stone fruit and citrus with a crisp, clean end (BCLS $19.99, 89 pts.).
? St. Urbans-hof "Bockstein" Riesling 2010 (Mosel)
Juicy, fruit-forward style with a broad palate, apple, mineral and even some leesy hints that suggest it's still very much evolving ($19.99, 89 pts.).
? Blufeld Riesling QBA (Mosel) 2010
The flashy blue bottle sets it apart, and this off-dry style is definitely a crowd pleaser.
It strikes a nice balance with good mouth feel, assertive lemon zest and mineral notes plus developing "petrol" as it starts to show some age.
Drink it with something Thai and spicy that has lemon grass. Good value indeed ($14.99, 88 pts.).
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The BC Liquor Store at 39th and Cambie streets presents a free consumer tasting featuring 12 German wines of all styles offered with Indian pakoras and a free booklet on Asian pairings, Sunday, April 7, 2-5 p.m.
Tim Pawsey covers food and wine for numerous publications and online as the Hired Belly at hiredbelly.com. Contact: Twitter @hiredbelly or email [email protected].
