Hermann Wiemer - Riesling 2009

New York is a city of dirt and glam. In one evening you're easily bound to tackle a sidewalk of overturned trash cans only to walk into a glittering night club the next minute, or follow a heavy, taxi-filled traffic path and suddenly find yourself in the middle of Central Park. It's a fine balance between grit and grace, and they live in the same sphere.

In my visits to Eli's wine stores, I am ever surprised by the Old World flavors that Zack, the sales associate (and wine expert extraordinaire) shares with me. He knows I'm on a personal hunt for a deeper understanding of wine, and is eager to teach me and open my eyes to the different iterations of grapes I have yet to taste.

I thank my friend Neal for sparking and lighting a deeply rooted appreciation to wine, for giving me a reason to pursue more meaning in what I've always considered simply good taste in the spirits I down. There's a story to each sip, and the people who help you write this story are significant.

I bring Neal and Zack into this because they're both Riesling lovers...and yes, someday I'll have them meet...and because Zack was nice enough to break open two bottles of 2009 Hermann Wiemer Rieslings for me.

The first, a dry style, has a hint of earth to its scent and summons close up scenes of grass and greens in my mind's eye. I experience things visually--music, taste, drink, smell--and instantly form stories and vignettes as memories. If you ask me years from now what I thought of this dry 2009 Riesling, all I will remember is grass.

And the fact that Zack said it falls flat at the end.

The second, a late harvest release, is fuller in body and certainly sweeter. It's Zack's preference of the two, but interestingly enough, it pales in comparison to other Rieslings I've had and is surpassed by visions of grass and smells of soil.

As I walked back to my apartment only five blocks away, I found myself both staring at the dirt on the ground and looking up at the shine of the luxury buildings...and realized that my city is a dichotomous universe of beautiful extremes, like earthy dry Riesling and diva delicate late harvest.