Chateau Ste. Michelle Debuts Harvest Select Riesling!

Woodinville, Wash.

The premier New World Riesling producer Chateau Ste. Michelle will add its new Harvest Select Riesling to its extensive line up of highly acclaimed Rieslings. Shipping this week, the Harvest Select Riesling was produced to fill a niche with a consumer looking for a slightly sweeter style of Riesling. The wine will feature the new ‘Riesling Taste Profile” scale on the back label to help consumers better understand the wine’s ripe fruit style.

“The Harvest Select Riesling is made in a slightly sweeter style than our “Columbia Valley Riesling” but still shows the elements of classic Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling,” says winemaker Bob Bertheau. “It offers beautiful crisp Washington Riesling character with rich flavors of ripe pears and peaches. The fresh fruit and decadent character is balanced with crisp acidity to keep the wine in harmony. This is a perfect patio sipping wine or would be a great match with Thai food.”

The winery will also feature the Riesling Taste Profile scale on back labels of its 2009 Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling, Dry Riesling and its limited release wines the Winemaker's Cabinet Riesling and Waussie Riesling.

“Riesling’s greatest attribute is that it’s made in a wide range of styles from dry to sweet, but that is also Riesling’s greatest challenge,” says Bertheau. “With up to nine different Rieslings, 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. Details about the Riesling Taste Profile are available at www.drinkriesling.com.

Chateau Ste. Michelle has been a champion of Riesling for more than 40 years and was among the first to plant Riesling in the state of Washington. Ste. Michelle was catapulted into the national spotlight when its 1972 Johannisberg Riesling won the now-famous Riesling blind tasting sponsored by the Los Angeles Times. Today, Chateau Ste. Michelle offers up to nine different Rieslings 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.

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
lynda.eller@ste-michelle.com