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Summer of Riesling at the Knitting Factory
Photo: Elsassvines.com
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The Summer of Riesling is upon us—and it’s a lot more eventful than the Summer of George.
For those not in the know, Riesling is a type of grape originally from Germany. It is used to make various forms of white wines, including sparkling, sweet and dry, and pairs well with white fish and pork (hopefully not together). According to Wine Pros, “Riesling has a powerful and distinctive floral and apple-like aroma that frequently mixes in mineral elements from its vineyard source and is often described as ‘racy’.”
In 2008, Paul Grieco and Steven Solomon, the team behind Terroir Wine Bar and Hearth Restaurant, began pouring Riesling by the glass, and two years later, it’s one of the most popular wines in the world. Greico and Solomon are the minds behind “Summer of Riesling” at the Knitting Factory (361 Metropolitan Ave.) tonight, July 14. Beginning at 7 p.m., four bands, “chosen for their high acidity, elegant concentration of fruit and incredible sense of place,” will perform (with descriptions provided by the event’s website):
Himalaya: “Mosel Kabinett levels of subtle, pulsating rock that will sneak up on you melt away your resistance. Give in, baby!”
Nouvellas: “Tambourines, soul and harmonies like Dr. Frank’s dream of Finger Lakes Riesling reaching its full potential and groove.”
Black Hollies: “Paisley, power and pop. This is the Maximum Grunhauser Abtsberg of modern psychedelia. You will be hooked by the residual sugary reverb hooks but addicted by the acidic backbeat.”
Lights On: “Excited jangly guitars from San Diego. Like a Rheingau Auslese, balancing unctuousness and tropical fruit from warmer regions with firm structure.”
And, if you couldn’t already guess, there will be wine. Lots of wine. Seven different Rieslings will be poured throughout the night, and each $30 ticket includes four glasses of wine. You can also buy a $15 Music Only ticket, with each glass costing $5. The wines available are:
Merkelbach Riesling Kabinett Urziger Wurzgarten #11 (Germany)
Mittnacht Riesling 2009 (France)
Gobelsburger Riesling “Gobelsburger” 2009 (Austria)
Wiemer Riesling 2007 (New York State)
Cave Spring Riesling 2008 (Canada)
Pacific Rim Riesling 2008 (Washington State)
Glen Eldon Riesling 2006 (Australia)
Gotham Project Riesling in keg 2009 (New York State)
Tickets can be bought here, and any further information can be found here.