After 3 blissfully self-indulgent years studying Old and Middle English Lit. at Oxford University, I set off into the real world in search of excitement and adventure.
A number of uneventful years passed until I found myself by chance one sunny afternoon wandering through the enchanting German village of Rüdesheim in the Rheingau.
Never shy to join in with the local festivities and attractions, it didn’t take me long to navigate my way to the tasting rooms of many of the local vintners. And so my love affair with Riesling began.
So here I am now, on a mission to scour the land far and wide in search of diverse, innovative and exciting examples of this noblest of grapes to help raise its profile back in the UK.
For too long has Riesling (and German Riesling in particular) been scowled at by the masses, playing the role of stable boy on menus and in cellars alike to its lord and master, Chardonnay.
It is my hope that this blog can stimulate interest and provide a platform for discussion and debate among those who have already pledged their allegiance to the king of white grapes. Who knows, we may even win over a few non-believers in the process!
Finally, thanks must go to the lovely Katha for suggesting that I write this blog and whose stoic patience I must have worn out many a vintage back with my incessant talk of sugar levels and soil types.
The Riesling Revolution starts here!
When I am not kicking back quaffing Riesling, you can find me doing my thing at the Michelin starred Sir Charles Napier restaurant in Oxfordshire, where I am the Sommelier.
Alex Down
alex@rieslingrevolutionary.com
