Chateau Ste. Michelle Features New Riesling Taste Profile on Wine Labels

Woodinville, Wash.

Chateau Ste. Michelle, North America’s premier Riesling producer, announced it will feature the new "Riesling Taste Profile" scale on the labels of two of its Rieslings releasing next month. The Chateau Ste. Michelle 2008 Winemaker's Cabinet Riesling and the Chateau Ste. Michelle 2008 Waussie Riesling will both include the Riesling Taste Profile scale on the back labels to help consumers better understand the style of Riesling and taste profile of each wine. Both Rieslings are limited release wines available to the winery's wine club as well as in the winery's retail shop and online store. The Washington state winery will put the Riesling Taste Profile on its other Riesling bottlings starting with the 2009 vintage, including its Columbia Valley Riesling, the number one selling Riesling in the United States, the Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Riesling and Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling. The 2009 Rieslings will release in the spring of 2010.

“Riesling’s greatest attribute is that it is made in a wide range of styles from dry to sweet, but that is also Riesling’s greatest challenge,” says Bob Bertheau, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s head winemaker. “We make nine different Rieslings at Chateau Ste. Michelle and this taste profile scale is a way to help our customers decide which one will appeal the most to them.”

The Riesling Taste Profile was recently developed by the International Riesling Foundation (IRF) and is designed to make it easier for consumers to predict the taste they can expect from a particular bottle of Riesling. It is a graphic design showing the four levels from Dry to Sweet, and a simple indication of where a particular wine falls. The system offers voluntary guidelines for wineries to use in describing their wines on a back label or point-of-sale materials.

“We hope this will be a helpful tool for our customers and ultimately make it easier for people to enjoy Riesling,” says Bertheau.

Chateau Ste. Michelle has championed Riesling for more than 40 years and was among the first to plant Riesling in the state of Washington. Ste. Michelle was thrust into the national spotlight when its 1972 Johannisberg Riesling won the now-famous blind tasting of Rieslings sponsored by the Los Angeles Times in 1974. Today, Chateau Ste. Michelle produces up to nine different Riesling styles designed to showcase the versatility of Riesling and the regional styles within Washington’s Columbia Valley, which produces more Riesling than any other American wine region.

For more information about the International Riesling Foundation’s Riesling Taste Profile, visit their web site at www.drinkriesling.com.

Founded in 1934, Chateau Ste. Michelle pioneered vinifera grape growing in Washington state and has been producing classic European varietal wines under the Ste. Michelle label since 1967. The winery combines an ongoing dedication to research with a commitment to classic winemaking traditions. The winery owns 3,500 acres of vineyards in the Columbia Valley of eastern Washington, including Canoe Ridge Estate and Cold Creek. Chateau Ste. Michelle enjoys winemaking partnerships with two of the world’s most distinguished vintners. Col Solare is an alliance with Tuscany’s Piero Antinori and Eroica Riesling is a partnership with the Mosel’s Ernst Loosen.

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For further information:
Lynda Eller
(425) 415-3364
lynda.eller@ste-michelle.com