Riesling Essentials
Riesling [reese-ling] is the Queen of Grapes and the world’s most versatile white grape variety! Germany is the most important producer of Riesling, but excellent versions are made around the world.
The wines made from this aromatic grape come in a range of styles from refreshingly bone-dry to lusciously sweet. High in fruity natural acidity, typically low in alcohol, and able to age for decades in bottle - Riesling has it all.
Flavors
Typical flavors found in Riesling wines include stone fruit like apricot, and peach; citrus fruit like nectarine, lemon, lime, orange, and tangerine; pomaceous fruit like apple, quince, and pear; and mineral notes. High in fruity natural acidity, typically low in alcohol, and able to age for decades in bottle.
Viticulture & Winemaking
Riesling shares one parent with Chardonnay – the little-known grape, Gouais Blanc (known as Weisser Heunisch in Germany); Riesling’s other parent is itself a cross between Traminer and a wild vine. Riesling ripens fairly early in relation to other prominent grape varieties, so hot climates that bake out interesting nuances are less preferred. Riesling performs best if grown in a relatively cool climate, fermented cool to retain aromatic nuance, and bottled early without any malolactic fermentation or new wood influence. Germany is the historical and spiritual home for Riesling, but Austria, France, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and other locales, also make excellent examples.
Food + Wine
Winemakers can choose to make Riesling with any range of sweetness, they aim to leave the right amount of sweetness to balance the high levels of fruity natural acidity. There is a Riesling style to satisfy even the trickiest food and wine pairing challenges.
Acidic foods, like those incorporating vinaigrette or lemon, need drier high-acid wines like Trocken Rieslings.
Spicy foods, like Thai or Indian food, need the sweet-n’-sour intensity of off-dry wines, like Halbtrocken, Feinherb, and Kabinett Rieslings.
Sweet foods, like fruit desserts and pastries, need even sweeter wines, like fruity Spätlese and Auslese Rieslings.
German Wine Label Key Terms
If you're struggling with interpreting a German wine label, don't fret! The simplest way to tell if a Riesling is going to be sweet or dry it to take a look at the alcohol level. If the alcohol is around 8% plus or minus a touch, it's going to be sweeter. If its up around 12%, it's going to be dry!
An ‘er’ suffix indicates the wine is from a given place/village (Wehlener = a wine from the village of Wehlen)
Trocken = ‘dry’ – crisp, bone-dry but fruity
Halbtrocken = ‘half-dry’ or ‘off-dry’
Feinherb = unregulated term, also ‘off-dry’
Kabinett = ‘cabinet’ – fully ripe, racy, vibrant, low alcohol, lightly sweet
Spatlese = ‘late harvest’
Auslese = ‘select harvest’
