Country: Australia
Region: Clare Valley
Style: Liquid Catnip

Wanna watch a bunch cooky sommeliers lose their minds in hair ripping and watery-eyed delight?  Sure you do; it’s a sight to behold.  A sure-fire way to make that happen is to show up with a bottle of great Riesling.  This stuff is like catnip for sommeliers.  For years the reputation of Riesling has suffered from the cloyingly sweet swill that wineries like Blue Nun were pumping into the United States to quench the thirst of horny teenagers looking for a buzz. The fact of the matter is that Riesling is the lord of wine grapes due to its myriad styles and versatility when pairing with food. And not all Riesling comes from Germany. Clare Valley in southern Australia is one of the premier Riesling producing regions in the world and Jim Barry is widely credited with helping to shape the valley as a benchmark producer of this gorgeous grape.