Riesling is to upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region what Pinot Noir is to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The Finger Lakes’ signature grape thrives in the region’s cool climate moderated by the deep glacial lakes, producing many of the finest Riesling wines made on this continent. Sadly, few of these stellar Rieslings make it to Minnesota. That’s why I was so excited when Empire Estate’s Dry Riesling showed up at Surdyk’s. The winery was started by superstar NYC sommelier Thomas Pastuszak, who fell in love with Finger Lakes wine while studying neurobiology and classical piano upstate at Cornell. (No slacker, he.) His 2018 Dry Riesling draws from a variety of vineyards planted in the appellation’s diverse shale-based soils. It glows a deep honey hue in the glass, offering up a fruit basket of fantastic aromas led by yellow apples and apricots. A pronounced minerality comes though on the palate, capped off by a bone-dry finish. This stunning white wine would pair perfectly with a curried chicken salad or grilled skewers of chicken satay. -David Mahoney, Surdyk's Staff