Howard Park 2009 Great Southern Riesling

Right. So, I'm doing a white wine this week.

I had to really, because I've seen altogether too many dirty little reds over the past few weeks. The run started badly with a Hardy's Oomoo Shiraz and (my old favourite) Wirra Wirra Church Block - both of which are sadly not what they used to be.

And then came the dirtiest little Red of them all, K.Rudd - and his simple little comrade, Swannie - taking the hammer and sickle to the "poor" mining magnates and goose-stepping their way towards full-blown communism.

So. White it is. And what a cracking little gem I've found here with the 2009 Howard Park Riesling.

Unhappily, my earliest memories of riesling come in a Coolabah cask and stolen sips from a plastic glass. But times have changed and getting into a good riesling is well worth your while.

Riesling, of course, originated in the Rhine Valley in Germany. This Howard Park version emanates from the coastal climes of WA and, like a lot of Germans on holiday, this lusty fellow enjoys the company of something Asian.

We paired it up with a spicy Thai takeaway and it was sublime.

It pours very pale, but don't let that fool you. Stick your nose in the glass and you cannot help but be drawn in by the beautiful collision of aromas. There's a heady pheromone of liminess that rouses the senses and girders the loin. There's sugar. There's spice. There's the minerality of stone roses and just a hint of Sally Cinnamon.

In the mouth, it gives a good kick of acidity to get you salivating, and then throws some nice mouth-filling thickness your way to help soothe the heat from your spicy squid. It's as deliciously limey as the lip of a bottle of Corona. And it just keeps getting better the longer it is out of the fridge.

By the end of the bottle, I was as happy as a dog blessed with two scrotums.

So, there you have it. A great little tipple to accompany a saucy Asian. But a drop which I think would go down equally well as an afternoon delight on a sunny, Brisbane winter's day.

You can drink it young, as I did. Or, as the good people at Howard Park suggest, the tight acidity should allow you to cellar it up to a generous 8 to 10 years.

At $25 a bottle, it would be well worth stashing a few bottles and taking it for a test drive every couple of years.

Rating: 8.5
Drink with: Sum yung gai
Price: $25

www.howardparkwines.com.au