Laughing Cat Riesling

I love Colorado. And I hate to say this… I generally hate Colorado wines. They are awful. They are just not something we generally do well.

Beer? Oh yeah we’ve got it down to a science. We have a huge microbrewery scene going on here. Actually not long ago I went to a pretty cool craft beer and food pairing. The variety of the high quality beer was astounding!

But wine, not so much in Colorado. The wines that you can find here tend to be subpar at best. I’m not sure why this is. Presumably our climate, while too cold in winer for some grape breeds, should otherwise be good for grape growing if the correct area is selected. After all Washington state produces some very nice wines and the climate there can get quite chilly as well. 

I picked up a bottle of Laughing Cat Riesling on impulse. It’s a Colorado wine, if you haven’t guessed. I honestly wasn’t expecting much but, sometimes you have to take a risk and venture out there.

I’ll be honest, at first I didn’t love it. It wasn’t at all what I generally look for in a Riesling. Not as sweet as I would prefer. A little too acidic. Not enough mineral. I had a glass and put it away. I came back to it the next day. I don’t know what changed but, strangely it had grown on me overnight. The sweetness level was just right. The acidity worked for me. I still missed the mineral feel I associate with some of my favorite Rieslings but, I came to the conclusion that it was a fairly respectable wine after all. I have no idea why I reacted so differently too the wine one night later. Maybe I paired it with food it just didn’t fit with the first night? I have to admit I have no idea what I ate anymore… Regardless of what changed I was pleased to discover there is at least one respectable wine from Colorado I can tell people about! 

So now I’m curious. Has anyone else tried the Laughing Cat Riesling? Or any other wines from Carlson vineyards? What did you think? Are there any wines from your home state you enjoy? I’d love to hear from you!