Perhaps no wine is in greater need of a good PR campaign than Riesling. In the minds of most Americans, Riesling is conceived as being just a shade drier than high-fructose corn syrup, and enjoyed only by little old ladies and diabetics in training.

The truth is that Riesling (traditionally grown in Germany, Austria and France) is one of the world’s most versatile grape varieties, producing wines that run the gamut from bone dry to syrupy sweet. And the irony is that it was America’s collective sweet tooth that compelled its importers to seek out only the most freakishly sweet Rieslings from the Old World and produce similar sugary ones in the New World. The best, off-dry Rieslings are bold, balanced and super food-friendly, often contrasting fruit-forward notes of peaches, apples or melon with a juicy acidity and/or a crisp minerality.

In an effort to redeem this exceptional grape of its undeserved reputation, we have put together Richmond’s First Ever Riesling Crawl. On Tuesday, April 19th, four of Carytown’s top wine haunts will each feature a different wine to showcase the variety’s versatility. Both Amour and Secco will be offering a special food pairing as well. Details below:

5:30 pm – Ellwood’s Cafe 10 South Thompson Street
NV Wegeler Riesling Brut, Mosel, Germany

6:15 pm – Amour Wine Bistro 3129 West Cary Street
2008 Trimbach Riesling, Alsace, France

7:00 pm – Can Can Brasserie 3120 West Cary Street
2008 Heimberger Riesling Reserve Particulaire, Alsace, France

7:45 pm – Secco Wine Bar 2933 West Cary St
(..and clocking in with the longest named wine name on the crawl…)
2008 Von Beulwitz Kaseler Nies’chen Riesling Spatlese Alte Reben, Mosel, Germany