If you're like me, when you hear the words "Italian Riesling," something just doesn't sound right. Of course, the Alto Adige wine region of northern Italy is really more Germanic than Italian. It borders Austria and is known for its grapes that are more often associated with Germany and Austria. Gewurztraminer and Riesling are produced in this Alpine area in which the wine industry is comprised largely of small, family-owned wineries.
Some degree of difficulty usually greets me when I try to research small Italian wines. Such is the case with Tenuta St. Peter Riesling. All I know is what I remember seeing on the label at Il Buco in Beverly Hills, which sports one of my favorite wine lists in Southern California. Their collection of Italian wines has never let me down.
This Riesling is 13.5% abv and shows a pale golden-green color in the glass. There is a strong aroma of minerals or wet rocks on the nose, and a secondary smell of melon - like a canteloupe, but not just the fruit. I smell the rind and all.
The palate gives a very restrained sense of pears and honeydew, with an overriding minerality. The acidity stops just short of being bracing. It's a very smooth quaff which paired quite well with the salad featuring tuna and lentils.
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