Rothmans Steak House on 54th Street is one of the best steak houses in New York. It’s both old-school (clubby atmosphere and career waiters who always remember you) and modern (sharp wine list and superfresh food). While steak and red wine go hand in hand, I love the fact that you can get a glass of this Riesling—it’s one of the house pours.
Riesling sets the palate perfectly for a big steak dinner as the acidity really gets your mouth watering for a porterhouse or filet mignon. This wine, from one of the top producers in New York’s Finger Lakes region, now has a touch of age on it, so it shows brioche and lemon zest notes along with its ripe pear and fig fruit flavors. It’s long and minerally on the finish—a textbook Riesling. I rated 88 points officially, and non-blind, it remains at this level.
A New York Riesling in a New York steak house: It fits the “buy local” trend and seems like such a good idea. I hope more places around town will serve Finger Lakes Riesling by the glass.
WineSpectator.com members: Read the original blind-tasting review for Hermann J. Wiemer • Plus, get scores and tasting notes for more recently rated Finger Lake Rieslings
The Summer Solstice at Hermann J. Wiemer
There’s a running joke in the Finger Lakes: we get six months of winter, three months of something that might be spring, two months of fall, and one month of summer. While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, it’s all the more reason we’re excited to celebrate the...