Many American wineries that exist outside the primary wine growing areas, tend to grow many American varietals.  Ferrante already proved that they can do American varietals as an Ohio winery with Catawba.  There’s nothing wrong with that, but on the world scale, vinis vinifera (the big grapes most people are used to seeing on wine lists) are much more common.  Can Ohio compete in riesling with the 2010 Ferrante Riesling, or is it just too short a growing season in the buckeye state? 

Sight:  Very pale straw, almost watery.

Smell:  Green apples, pears, under ripe peaches, slight wet stone.  Not overly complex, but reminiscent of granny smith apples and their puckery smell.

Sip:  There’s that bite into an apple feeling, where it’s almost a bit on the tannin side.  There’s the smallest amount of sweetness, like the first apples of the season.  It’s got a lot of apple skin, a bit of citrus, a dollop of floral, and some white grape / apricot.  [A.B.V. 12%]

Savor:  There’s a sort of pineapple, apricot burst, with some lemon.  It disappears relatively quickly, and with a bit of a mouth drying feel.

Overall, it’s a medium body riesling that seems oddly comfortable sucking the moisture out of the imbiber’s palette.  This is a sort of odd characteristic for a Riesling, since tannins are more often associated with red wine.  That being said, it’s a lot like eating an early harvest apple.  People who enjoy first of the season apples should definitely consider this wine.

Verdict:  Granny Smith
Price: 9.99
Ohio [Ohio Only]
http://www.ferrantewinery.com/