Weingut Donnhoff Riesling QbA 2022 (1x75cl)

This is Donnhoff's Riesling QbA from the Nahe. QbA is the everyday German quality tier, the one that sits below the Pradikat levels, and it is worth reading it for what it is: an estate's entry point, the bottle you open on a Tuesday rather than save for an anniversary. Not a flaw, just a different job.

The practical reason to keep one around in Hong Kong is food. German Riesling of this style usually has enough acidity and a touch of fruit sweetness to sit beside chilli, numbing pepper and anything sweet-savoury, which is more than most whites can manage at a Sichuan table. Easy dinner-party bottle, easy thing to bring along to someone's place.

Tasting notes

Nahe Riesling usually leans citrus and stone fruit - lemon, green apple, a bit of peach - over a firm line of acidity, and this tier is often off-dry rather than bone dry. Serve it properly cold, straight from the fridge, with hotpot, mapo tofu or fried chicken.