59. The Versatility of Riesling in Restaurants with Andres Blanco & Dale Ellington

Sommeliers around the world love to pair food with Riesling. In this two-part episode, Chris sits down with various wine professionals in Houston to discuss different styles of Riesling. In the first half, Chris chats with Andres Blanco and Dale Ellington about their experiences serving both dry and sweet Riesling in their respective restaurants.

 

Andres Blanco passed the Advanced Sommelier exam in 2019 and won the TexSom competition for Best Sommelier in Texas in 2017. Born in Mexico, Andres spent years working for James Beard Award-winner Chef Hugo Ortega at the coastal Mexican restaurant Caracol. Dale Ellington has poured wine at Houston's top two Japanese restaurants -- after tending bar at Uchi, he oversaw the wine program for sushi mecca Kata Robata. Chris, Andres, and Dale discuss getting guests out of their comfort zones, upending people's expectations with dry Riesling, and pairing oysters and unagi with wine.

 

Wines tasted during this episode:

• 2017 Josef Spreitzer Oestricher Doosberg Alte Reben Trocken
• 2019 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Kabinett
• 2019 J.J. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese

 

Thanks to our sponsor for today's episode, Wines of Germany. To learn more about German wine, visit www.germanwineusa.com.