Summer of Riesling 2012

THE SUMMER OF RIESLING AT SECCO WINE BAR
daily flights // “Acid Hour” every weekday // secret stash Rieslings galore

In case you didn’t notice when half your family melted, Summer has arrived. For us at Secco, that means two things: pants-optional Fridays and the Summer of Riesling. Masterminded by our friends at Terroir in New York City, the Summer of Riesling is a three-month long pep-rally in support of the world’s most versatile grape.

But let’s start by addressing the 800lb gorilla that follows Riesling everywhere it goes (which I can only assume is Grape Ape).

THE PROBLEM:

Here’s the frustrating irony about Riesling in our country: The reason so many American’s have the skewed impression that “all Rieslings are sweet” is because, well, that’s what we’ve been demanding. For decades, savvy importers made it their M.O. to hunt down the most freakishly sweet incarnations of the grape to sell to an American populace eager to get drunk on something that tasted like Mellow Yellow. Blame Pepsi-co, blame your parents, just don’t blame Riesling.

Because that would be akin to a German complaining that all American music sounds like David Hasselhoff. You’d be like “Excuse me Günther, but America is home to THE BEST MUSICIANS IN THE WORLD! It’s not our fault you chose to champion one embarrassing footnote of our cultural output as the be-all-end-all!” And then Günther would be like “Calm down, mein freund! Let’s just chill out with a refreshing glass of Riesling.” To which you’d respond, “No, thanks, I don’t like sweet wine,” and then World War III would start.  Ignorance kills, people.

Meanwhile, many enlightened wine drinkers herald Riesling as the single most versatile grape on the planet, yielding wines that range from shivers-up-the-spine dry to liquid dessert. Most of the best Rieslings fall between these extremes, contrasting fruit-forward notes of peaches, apples or melon with a juicy acidity and/or a crisp minerality.

THE SOLUTION:

All Summer long, Secco will celebrate this grape among grapes with daily flight specials and a rotating array of “secret stash” items. We’ll also roll out a special “Acid Hour,” with $2 off all by-the-glass Rieslings from 4-6PM, every Monday – Friday, starting July 16. Finally, all customers to openly dismiss Riesling as “sweet wine” will enjoy a complimentary 20-minute lecture!

For a complete list of Summer of Riesling participants throughout VA and the other 49 states, go HERE. We also urge you to the check out THIS DROOL-WORTHY NPR PIECE featuring sommelier and S.O.R. ringleader Paul Grieco.