A $12.99 Costco Wine Find Wins Over a Riesling Man

This Domestic’s a Worthy Buy

By James Brock // Sep 15, 2015

Yes, I am a Riesling man. I love the grape and the variety one finds in those beautiful bottles. When sweetness and acidity are balanced, and minerality is properly joining in, I am a happy man indeed. I long for fall days in Germany, driving from vineyard to vineyard and tasting. Until then, I pick up Rieslings as often as I can and am forever trying to get people to give them a chance.

This past weekend I opened a bottle from Jekel Vineyards, a 2013 Riesling made from grapes grown in Monterey. I had some lump crab meat and decided to make crab cakes, and we started the evening with some French radishes served simply with salt and butter. The wine was cooling, and we made the cakes. (Here’s a recipe I recommend, from one of my favorite women of all time, Edna Lewis, though I use it solely as a base point.)

In the glass, the wine is a pale straw color; my dinner companion had to taste it several times before she arrived at “Riesling,” mainly because the minerality to which she is accustomed was lacking. In addition, though the International Riesling Foundation has designated it as “medium-dry,” it was to my palate less than that. That said, this Riesling was a good companion for the crab cakes, and if one wants to buy domestic I would advise you try this bottle. I found it at Costco for $12.99.

Want more wines? Take a look at these bottles:

Don’t Shun Gamay!
A Great Costco Find (100 percent Merlot)
An Everyday Grüner
A Delightful Oregon Pinot Noir
Kung Fu Girl Riesling
A Crowd-Pleasing Pinot Noir