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In New York, tastings for the wine trade and wine events of all kinds are offered practically every day and at any time of the year, with wines from the well-known regions as well as from unknown growing areas. At the peak of the season in spring and autumn, there can often be three events in one day. So it's easy for people in the wine trade here to be spoilt, blasé or just plain tired. But, who cares? Apparently, the wine producers of the world don't care, as New York is considered by many to be the largest and probably most competitive wine market in the world. I recently enjoyed lunch one day with a winemaker from California, then a tasting of wines from the Finger Lakes growing region in New York State, as well as a great tasting of Albariños from Rias Biaxas in Spain. One day the previous week, I first tasted wines from Spain, and then had to hurry to a nearby restaurant to attend a tasting of Brazilian wines for the trade.

Winemakers, importers and distributors want to put their names on restaurant wine lists in New York because it is said that this is where success begins throughout the country, although I am not aware that there is any traceable evidence for this claim.

In general, wine consumers in New York are thought to be more discerning than those in other parts of the country; they seem to be more knowledgeable about the range of grape varieties, styles and wine qualities, probably because almost every wine imaginable is available and offered in the city's shops, as well as in the wine bars and restaurants. This is probably due to the broad international influence in New York City.

Is it really possible to discover the trends in the wine world by looking through this prism? Judging from how wine producers around the world strive to succeed in the New York market, I think it's fair to say that they believe New York is a Spiegel of trends in the US wine market in general, a market that encompasses a growing population of more than 300 million people and has been growing steadily for 13 years. This brings me to the subject of Riesling, and to the nice little tasting organised by Wines of Germany in New York on 14 May 2007.

Riesling and Co. tasting on 14 May% 2007% Puck Building% New York

The German Wine Institute firmly believes that Americans are increasingly developing a taste for Riesling. I asked Ulrike Bahm, the head of export marketing at this association, "What about the US market worries you?" She said, "that they might not get enough Riesling. The market for German Riesling in the US grew by 21% in volume and as much as 29% in value in the first 5 months of 2007 compared to last year."

Germany is not the only country that produces Riesling and promotes its wines in New York. The Finger Lakes growing region in New York State, for example, held a blind tasting exclusively for Riesling on 17 April 2007 at the Cornell Club in New York City. Rieslings from the region were compared with German Rieslings. They called the event the Finger Lakes Wine Country Riesling Summit. Production is growing, quality is rising, and Riesling is increasingly seen as the region's flagship grape variety.

On the other side of the USA, on the West Coast, Randal Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyards is also betting on the positive trend in Riesling. Since 1992, Grahm has been buying Riesling grapes from Washington State, which he then uses, together with 20 per cent Riesling that he imports from Germany, to make the Riesling for his Pacific Rim Riesling brand. Grahm recently put all his eggs in one basket by founding Pacific Rim Winemakers, a winery in Washington State that will focus exclusively on Riesling. In the near future, 120,000 cases (12 bottles each) of Riesling will be produced annually, with plans to increase production to 300,000 cases annually by 2012. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that Grahm hopes his new winery will "satisfy Americans' thirst for this grape variety, which is so well suited as a food companion. After all, according to market research firm Nielsen Co, sales of Riesling are up more than 25 percent in the last year, so there's definitely good potential." The article also points out that even this rather large projected production "seems tiny compared to the production of Chateau Ste. Michelle in Washington state, which produces 868,000 cases of Riesling each year, all grown in Washington state."

If this growing interest in Riesling in the US is indicative of a reliable trend, then the trend certainly did not emerge overnight, nor was it found at the end of a rainbow. The Germans have influenced this trend. Carol Sullivan, formerly the representative of the German Wine Institute in the USA, organised the first "Wines of Germany" tasting in New York City in February 1985, at that time to present the 1983 vintage. Her goal at the time was to focus very specifically on Riesling, and not just talk generally, or generically, about German wine. It must have been a relatively modest event, held in the conference room of a public relations firm at 99 Park Avenue, only members of the press were invited, and no winemakers were present. This tasting event grew with each passing year, and by the 1990s it had reached the point where winemakers were given the opportunity to present their wines themselves. "At that time, German wines were not given much attention because the wines were only imported and distributed by small niche companies," she told me.

Carol Sullivan% formerly with of Wines of Germany% U.S.A.% now represents the St. Urbanshof winery.

How do German winemakers view the new interest American consumers are showing in German Riesling?

Winemaker Andrea Ebert of Schloss Saarstein said, "People in the U.S. are open to German wine; now is exactly the right time to be here. The market is so big - you could sell your entire production here in New York, and gradually the culture of enjoying a good wine with food is catching on." But she also adds, "People are also getting pickier, especially about prices - many now know that you can find a good wine even in QbA's, it's getting harder to sell a Auslese accordingly."

Andrea Ebert from Saarstein Castle

Rainer Lingenfelder of Weingut Lingenfelder in the Palatinate recently parted ways with his American importer, but he doesn't seem to be worried about that, as he has a number of prospective buyers already on hand, and will be choosing one shortly. "It's a fascinating growth market for us. Consumers are so interested, Americans are really approaching wine with an open mind - whether it's grape variety or growing region - they're willing to try anything once."

Bruce Schnieder (left) Director% Wines of Germany% U.S.A.% (right) Rainer Lingenfelder% of Leingenfelder Winery.

Joint projects with German participation are also on the rise. The company T&T Premium Brands, founded by the American Tom Lipton and his German partner Torben Weber, is already very far advanced in overcoming the far-reaching bureaucratic hurdles that have to be cleared before an import company can be set up to supply the US market with German wine via the port of entry New York.

Rudi Wiest, a well-known importer of German wines, was represented at the German tasting by Christine Warner. She reported that the demand for German wines among restaurants is increasing. "In some cases, the smaller markets in the New York City area are starting to get a little bolder. The outdated idea that German wine is just sugar water is starting to disappear," she said.

Christine Warner represents the American importer Rudi Weist

Bruce Schnieder, director of Wines of Germany U.S.A., believes, "American consumers are now discovering Riesling as a grape variety that is very good as a food companion, and Germany is the country where Riesling comes from. Riesling is growing in double digits and is now stronger than ever in the US market. Particularly important in this development has been the updating and modernisation of labels. In terms of style, Germany now has a lot of dry wines, in addition to the traditionally better known semi-dry and sweet wines." He pointed out that a major promotional event, Riesling Week, would be held from 10 to 17 June. This will see 60 top restaurants in 6 cities each offering at least three German Riesling wines by the glass.

(From left) Ulrike Bahm% of the DWI % Steve Miller% Lauber Imports% NY% Howard Goldberg% of the New York Times.

I asked Howard Goldberg, for many years the wine reporter for the New York Times, what he thought of the reports about an awakening of interest in Riesling. He said:, "the growing interest in German Riesling has been building slowly, just as a storm surge builds slowly - and after all, it's much more pleasant to be inundated by a storm surge of German Riesling than by a storm surge of salt water."

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