Christmas Day is approaching! Santa is buffing his sleigh, scalpers are hawking Nutcracker tickets…and we are almost to the last bottle in the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar.
A light German Riesling is tonight’s designated wine. But does Meadow Moon Landwein Rhein deserve a stocking full of presents, or a visit from Krampus? Let’s gather ’round the old Weihnachtsbaum and pour it up!
The Label
From the producer: “This German Riesling features a refined bouquet with hints of minerals and fresh citrus scents. It has an elegant structure on the palate, offering a well-balanced mix of bright acidity and gentle sweetness.”
The Tasting
A direct and fresh Riesling with feather-light flavors of green apple, lemon zest, and some unripe Bartlett pear. There’s apple blossoms on the nose and a hint of nectarine. But these orchard aromas blow away quickly, leaving a sour-apple taste with little depth and even less staying power.
Meadow Moon is off-dry–but with very high acidity, so it doesn’t seem sweet. Its 8.5% alcohol is among the lowest in the advent calendar box, undercut only by the El Campeón White Sangria at 7%.
Low-alcohol white wine can be ideal for occasional wine drinkers and people looking to cut back on their consumption. I would personally love to pound some Meadow Moon on a hot summer day. But in December, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Port and eggnog and spiced Old Fashioneds, it feels wan and wimpy–like Riesling-flavored water.
Riesling labels can be extra tricky! Fortunately, the packaging gives us a few more clues to the style of this wine:
Landwein is Germany’s legal term for country wine. It’s held in higher esteem than the most basic table wines, but has a lower quality designation than the Qualitätswein and Prädikatswein categories produced for the international market. It may be from less-developed grapes and less-favored sites, and cannot list a village or vineyard on the label.
Most Landwein is made for early/local drinking, and it’s not usually exported. (It’s very rare to see Landwein on store shelves in the United States.) “Rhein” tells us that at least 85% of the grapes come from the Rhine valley region, where coaxing Riesling to optimum ripeness can sometimes be a challenge.
In other words, this wine is more or less as expected: A light-bodied Riesling with clean and simple flavors. It’s not much–but it’s enough to keep Meadow Moon off the naughty list.
Bottle: Meadow Moon Landwein Rhein Riesling – Germany
Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar Number: 20
Grade: B-
Finish the bottle? Sure, why not?
I’m tasting all 24 wines in the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure calendar! See previous reviews here.
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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