Wine and herb is almost always a win, if done properly (to avoid the danger of the cross-fade). The magic is in finding complementary characteristics to create balance and highlight the best in each component.
Tannins
The word “riesling” may evoke memories of sweet summer sips on sun-dappled verandas, often from domestic producers such as Chateau Ste. Michelle and Charles Smith, with sweet hints of stone fruit and unchallenging characteristics. A true German riesling, like the Domdechant Werner Riesling Trocken, is a different beast entirely. Racy rubber and potent petrol aromatics with highlights of lemon peel give way to bracing acidity and elegant minerality in this dry wine. The lack of residual sugar in this puckering riesling may surprise the casual fan of the style, but this traditional trocken (or “dry”) expression of the varietal is a serious sipper, and it would complement a wide variety of bright, light fare.
Terpenes
The crew at GreenDawg Cultivators built a reputation on breeding bulletproof genetics and cranking out banger batches in its indoor facility in Sacramento, the City of Trees. Anytime they lay a new batch of cultivars on the table, we pay close attention. This go-round, GreenDawg launched a new winner, Starkiller. A bright green cross between Zkittlez and GSC, this loud dankness features a potpourri of earth, lemon peel, fuel, tropical fruit and floral aromatics. Co-founder Drew Coggio described it as “super mouth-coating candy gas terps,” and he’s not wrong. It leans a little heavier on the earth and gas on combustion, keeping its character all the way through a greasy doink, making it a stellar choice for this pairing.
Pairing
Matching the Domdechant Werner Riesling Trocken with the GreenDawg Starkiller highlights the zesty fruit and the powerful petrol in the wine, and it brings out the best components of the flower. The mouthwatering acidity of the wine also keeps the cotton mouth at bay, begging for another sip and another toke. Try this combination before the waning warmth of summer gives way to cooler fall flavors.
This article was originally published in the September 2025 issue of California Leaf.
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