Wine with Gerard Richardson

YOU say ree-sling, I say rye-sling, but whichever way you pronounce it, you can’t help falling in love with it. I’d go as far as to say that Riesling wines are as good a friend to your palate as anything on the market and they are great as partners for a wide range of dishes.

Riesling styles vary from as dry as a dessert to deliciously sweet but my everyday preference is the medium style Kabinett wines typical of the Mosel. For an old style of wine, it’s almost the quintessential one for modern living with low alcohols and gorgeous soft fleshy fruit flavours – making them the ideal midweek wines to enjoy with minimal guilt.

The Old World has plenty of competition these days though with Australia and New Zealand leading the charge. The fruit in their wines tends to be more defined and the finish crisper and perhaps slightly more refreshing but the basic core peach and tropical fruit flavours are still there.

Now for the really good part: Riesling matches with more food types than any other wine I’ve tried from fish and shellfish dishes (especially crab salads) right through to chicken and pork. It’s also perfect for taking the sting off a really strong curry.

Madfish Riesling, Australia

Very ripe fruits on the palate with peach and lychee flavours abundant. Chill this to the bone and it rewards you with a zingy crisp finish. www.winedelivered.co.uk £11

Reverchon Riesling Kabinett, Germany

Wow. For the price, this is my current favourite with fresh sliced apple aromas on the nose and an abundance of crisp fruits and spice on the palate. Buy buy buy folks!