Wine Reviews

Wine Review: 2019 Kung Fu Girl Riesling

I remember the first time I saw this bottle in a liquor store. I had a little chuckle and was tempted to buy it because I used to be heavily involved in martial arts (did you know teaching karate was my first full time job??). I passed it up though, assuming it was too gimicky to be good.

Man, was I wrong. This is why you never judge a wine by it’s label! (Ok, I love the label. But it was so cute that I didn’t think it was a “serious” wine.)

My mind was changed when I saw it recommended by a few fellow “wine influencers” on Instagram, and I figured if they liked it, maybe it was worth a shot.

And honestly, it’s now one of my favourite Rieslings. Every time I take that first sip I go “wow, that’s good!” as if I’m tasting it again for the first time.

It’s especially great for the “wine babies” who are just dipping their toes in with sweeter wines. You’ll like this one for sure! So snag a bottle for yourself and taste along with me!

A little bit of background info first: This is a Washington State wine, specifically from Columbia Valley. It was vinted and bottled by Charles Smith Wines.

THE LOOK

This wine is a very pale straw. It’s only got the faintest hint of colour to it.

It’s deceptive for how flavourful it’s about to be.

THE AROMAS

Tropical fruits are what pop up for me first. Bananas and pineapple that ripe, juicy and sweet. I used to prefer banana flavoured medicine as a kid and this is very reminiscent of that.

We’ve also got some ripe orchard and stone fruits in here – peaches, pears, and mandarin oranges in particular.

A splash of lemon is counterbalanced with some perfumed floral notes as well. It almost makes me think of a gewürztraminer.

This is an impressively complex wine. I just keep getting more aromas every time I stick my nose back in that glass.

THE PALATE

All of those flavours are even more prominent on the palate. It’s just so juicy and delicious! I actually didn’t even want to swallow it because I wanted to savour it as long as possible. That didn’t actually matter though because the finish is so strong that the flavours lingered in my mouth for ages after I swallowed.

After the flavours, the “sweetness” is what stands out the most to me on the palate. But that sweetness is just a trick of the brain from all those sweet flavours, because this wine is actually dry.

It threw me for a loop for a bit there, I even googled it and found reviews claiming it was everywhere from dry to semi-sweet. But according to the Charles Smith Wines website, it’s dry. When you’re confused, just go straight to the source.

The high acidity this wine has is an excellent partner to that perceived sweetness and keeps it feeling fresh and zippy.

The balance between the two leaves me wanting to say this wine is medium bodied for a white. It’s just got way too much going on for me to call it light bodied, but it doesn’t have the tangible weight that an oaked chardonnay would have in comparison.

The alcohol sits at 12.5% but is barely noticeable under all that flavour.

CONCLUSIONS

This wine is an all-around winner in my books. The balance between the acid, sweet flavours, body and alcohol hits such a “sweet spot”, so to speak. It makes for a very enjoyable experience on the palate.

The aromas and flavours are incredibly complex and very complimentary. And boy are they intense!

And then it lingers on the palate for ages and ages after each sip.

I honestly couldn’t ask for more in a wine, especially one to share with friends. I’ve got a few friends of my own in mind that need to come over for a sushi night and try this baby out!

Have you tried Kung Fu Girl? Let me know in the comments!