Weekly Wine Review - German Riesling - 2012 Weingut Eifel Pfeiffer Riesling Spätlese Estate

Wino4life wife made a special request for our Friday night dinner - Spaghetti Carbonara. I turned to Tyler Florence and his Ultimate Carbonara recipe because I have had excellent luck with any of his recipes that I've tried. This recipe called for straight up smoked bacon instead of pancetta, so my first choice would have been a syrah from France, which tend to have those smokey, meaty, even bacony characteristics.  Drat - I was stocked up on big fruity Syrahs from the US and Australia only, so my next choice was a Riesling.  Rieslings can pick up and accentuate a smokey flavor quite nicely.  I had both a Kabinett and a Spatlese, but opted for the sweeter Spatlese...sweet and smoky sounds good to me!

Wine: 2012 Weingut Eifel Pfeiffer Riesling Spätlese Estate Collection

Region: Mosel, Germany
Grape Varieties: Riesling

Obtained from: Purchased at Total Wine & More

Price: $16.00

Wino4Life Category: Everyday Wine

Aeration before tasting: Just a swirl or two, no special aeration.

Cork Condition: Screw Top - no defects or issues.

Appearance: The wine is clear, light yellow in the center with a water white rim.

Aroma: Logs of fruit - peaches and a bit of citrus, and maybe some green apple.

Taste: Lots of acidity, very refreshing and fruity. A nice long finish as well - pure fruit.

The Grade: I give this one a B. A solid wine, but not much there other than pure fruit, a little more like a US or Australian version rather than a German Riesling.  A nice wine for lighter food - but my pairing with the Carbonara was just OK. The smoky flavor was not really accentuated like I'd hoped, and although the crispness of the wine cut through the creamy/eggy sauce - the dish was just too heavy. I'm going to a heavier white or to a French Rhone wine next time - because the good news was the Carbonara absolutely rocked!