Jason and I attended a family party this past weekend and, at the request of the host, brought along a magnum of Yellow Tail Riesling ($6; South Eastern Australia). For our own needs (and for comparison) we also picked up a bottle of Bridgeview Blue Moon Riesling 2006 ($9; Cave Junction, Oregon)

The difference between these two wines is REMARKABLE! Bridgeview’s offering is a sweeter and more elegant wine that reminds me of German and Alsatian rieslings. The Yellow Tail Riesling was crisp had much stronger citrus flavors, reminding me of an Australian or New Zealand-style Pinot Grigio.

Here are my tasting notes for each wine

4 Stars

Bridgeview Blue Moon Riesling 2006
Blue Moon Riesling is not overly sweet, but still has a lovely thickness about it, like a riesling with a much higher sugar content.

A first taste, the wine was somewhat boring, but further sips fill your mouth more and more with warm honey and spiced apples. This is a great wine for the fall - perhaps paired with a platter of candied walnuts, blue cheese and ripe pears. 4 stars.

2 Stars

Yellow Tail Riesling
We had a glass of this wine at a party yesterday and my first response was that it tasted like Smarties, those pill-like childhood candies. Very sweet, citrusy and somewhat chalky all at the same time.