New Zealand Listener – June 08, 2019

40 LISTENER JUNE 8 2019

THIS LIFE

G
ET

TY

IM

AG

ES

8 tbsp (120ml) milk

2 large eggs, beaten

½ tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

4 tbsp (60g) butter

extra caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Peel, core and slice the pears. Sprinkle with

the lemon juice and zest, turning the slices over

to coat.

Grease a 25cm flan dish or shallow cake tin

with a little butter.

Mix the flour and sugar together, then add

the oil and stir well. Stir in the milk, eggs and

vanilla, then season with a pinch of salt.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin, then

arrange the pear slices on top. Dot with the

butter and sprinkle over a little extra sugar.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until golden

brown and risen. Eat warm with whipped

cream.

Serves 4-6.

Wine match: pear liqueur such as Poire

William. l

by Michael Cooper

WINE

W

hy do we drink so little

riesling? The favourite

white wine of many New

Zealand winemakers,

especially those in the South Island,

and the great German grape that is

chardonnay’s major rival in the qual-

ity stakes barely registers on the sales

charts of our supermarkets.

A key part of the problem is that

riesling is typically made in a gently

sweet style to balance its natural

high acidity, but some bottlings are

dry or off-dry, whereas others are

honey-sweet. To avoid this potential

confusion, many wine lovers simply

avoid riesling altogether.

But the best rieslings have terrific

intensity and vigour. If you prefer dry

white wines, here are several top-

flight rieslings that, if not bone-dry, at

least taste dry.

Felton Road Dry Riesling 2018

This rich, seamless wine was

estate-grown and hand-picked at Ban-

nockburn, Central Otago. Well worth

cellaring, it is full-bodied (13.5% alc/

vol) and youthful, with concentrated,

ripe flavours, dry but not austere, and

a finely balanced finish. $39

Maude Mt Maude Vineyard Wanaka Dry

Riesling 2018

Hand-picked from vines planted in

1994, this wine is full of personality,

with a minerally streak. Tightly struc-

tured, it is medium-bodied (11.5%

alc/vol), with intense, citrusy, appley

flavours showing impressive delicacy,

vibrancy and length, and obvious cel-

laring potential; best drinking 2021+.

$32

Mondillo Central Otago Riesling 2018

Estate-grown at Bendigo, this attrac-

tively scented, medium-bodied wine

(12% alc/vol) has lovely freshness,

drive and harmony. Light lemon/

green, it has concentrated, ripe,

citrusy flavours, hints of peaches and

spices, slightly minerally notes and a

long, basically dry finish. $28

Spy Valley Envoy Johnson Vineyard

Waihopai Valley Marlborough Dry

Riesling 2017

Fermented initially in old oak barrels,

then transferred to stainless-steel

tanks, this finely scented, intense,

medium-bodied wine (12.5% alc/vol)

is tightly structured, with youthful,

citrusy, slightly peachy and toasty

flavours that build across the palate

to a crisp, dry, harmonious finish. A

distinctive, classy wine, it’s already

enjoyable. $33 l

The dry facts

Surprisingly for

some, riesling isn’t

always sweet.

The number of overweight

and obese people has now

overtaken the number

of hungry, starving and

undernourished. A brilliant

new book, The Way We

Eat Now, by Bee Wilson

(4th Estate, $30), docu-

ments the history of the

way humans have eaten,

providing a well-researched, persuasive

description of the political, economic and

emotional issues around food.

Wilson’s arguments and insights are com-

pelling, and as she reveals the power of the

corporations and businesses that have shaped

and changed the modern diet, it is easy to get

depressed. Virtually no corner of the Earth is

untouched by what appears to come from

corporations’ desire to sell, sell, sell, regard-

less of the effect on traditional diets. Wilson

suggests the most healthy diets are found in

Africa, because some people there still eat only

traditional fare.

Almost every sentence is thought-provok-

ing. In our lifetime, we have seen the global

effects of thoughtless food production, and

witnessed the move away from the traditional

three meals a day, shared around the table, to

a diet of snacks on the run and a “no time to

cook” attitude.

However, in her epilogue, “New Food on

Old Plates”, Wilson gives strategies for eating

better. Highly recommended.

Culinary reading

Greystone Sea Star Waipara Valley

Riesling 2016

A top example of the dry style, this

estate-grown, hand-harvested

wine is fleshy and full-bodied (13%

alc/vol), with moderate acidity for

riesling. It has penetrating, peachy,

lemony, slightly limey flavours that

build to a finely balanced, dry, last-

ing finish. $25

WINE OF THE WEEK