Wine Review: 2009 Eco.Love Riesling

by Susannah Chen 1

As the weather warms up, it's natural to gravitate toward crisp, clean New Zealand whites, as they're both refreshing and easy to drink on their own, and perfect as a pick-me-up on a weekend excursion or a sunny Summer afternoon. One new label to look for that easily fits that bill — and then some — is Eco.Love Wines.

Eco.Love hails from the country's South Island. Rather impressively, it focuses exclusively on grapes that have been sustainably farmed and produced in the country's first-ever carboNZero winery. The founders even purchase carbon credits to offset the company's CO2 emissions. But I was equally taken by their Riesling's layers of fruit: peach skins and petrol on the nose to start, followed by a puckery citrus and green apple palate, then a gooseberry finish.

As I dusted off more than a glass or two, I couldn't help but conjure up the ideal food pairing: lemon and pepper shrimp skewers, hot off the grill. At $17, I think I can fulfill that dream sometime very soon. Do you have a favorite earth-friendly wine?