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Riesling, the aromatic white wine grape of German origin
Loved by wine critics but a stranger to broad commercial appeal, Riesling is a light-skinned, aromatic grape of German origin which is also responsible for some of Germany's greatest, and longest-lived, white wines. Riesling is made in a range of styles but generally produces crystalline, aromatic white wines with notes of citrus, wax and lanolin, with a light to medium body and plenty of fresh acidity.
Although widely associated with the wines of the Mosel and Alsace, Riesling is planted all over the world, and has established itself in the likes of Washington and Australia's Clare Valley.
It seems much of Riesling's reputation in the latter half of the 20th Century was tarnished by the sea of chaptalized, low-quality wine exported from Germany in the 1970s and 80s. In truth, very little of that infamous wine was Riesling at all, but instead higher-yielding grapes such as Müller-Thurgau and Silvaner, but the reputation has nonetheless stuck.
Riesling is regarded by many critics as being one of the world's finest white grapes (and wines). "Riesling, is the greatest white wine grape in the world," said UK wine critic Jancis Robinson MW in a 2020 piece for the Financial Times.
What does Riesling taste like?
Riesling has also been stereotyped as just a sweet grape, used only to make sticky wines. But while botrytized Rieslings are among the finest sweet wines in the world, the majority of global Riesling wines are either dry or off-dry.
Young dry Riesling wines tend to be very light in color, sometimes pushing into light gold hints, depending on the region and winemaking. Sweeter styles tend to be considerably more yellow/golden in hue.
Aroma
Most distinctive is Riesling's aroma, due mainly to its high levels of monoterpenes (as is the case with Muscat, for instance). Riesling on the nose can run the gamut from citrus (lemon and/or limes are frequently noted), candle wax, white blossom and sheep's wool/lanolin to honeyed, sometimes musky and spicy notes in botrytised or partially botrytised fruit.
Aged Rieslings – and younger Rieslings grown in warmer climates – can also show a petrol-like aroma, often described as kerosene. This is due to a compound known as TDN (1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene) that develops over time in aged Rieslings and is increasingly noted in younger, warm-climate, often New World wines.
Palate
On the palate, Riesling has a medium to light body with relatively low alcohol levels and high acidity. But it is in balancing these attributes that Riesling can become less straightforward.
In some cases, for instance, Rieslings are made dry, with their searing acidity providing a long and sometimes lightly textured, mouthwatering persistence on the palate. For other producers (or other labels from the same winery), the high acidity is balanced by a degree of residual sugar (either through halting the fermentation or the use of unfermented grape must, or juice – a "süssreserve", or "sweet reserve").
Either technique can reduce an already relatively low potential alcohol level to single digits – often a good sign a Riesling has some sweetness.
Riesling's trademark acidity also means it is a prime candidate for extended time on the vine and the production of high-sugar, often botrytised, late-harvest sweet wines. These come in all manner of sweetness levels, with the German Auslese and Spätlese monikers generally indicating such wines (with Spätlese the sweeter of the two).
Icewine
At its most extreme, eiswein (or icewine) can be produced in exceptional years by leaving the grapes out until winter and harvesting the freeze-concentrated berries for wine production. Icewine or "eiswein" on the label denotes such a wine and these are often limited in number, highly-prized and correspondingly pricey.
It should be pointed out, however, that the German label terms such as Kabinett (often denoting a dry wine), Spätlese and Auslese refer to the sugar levels in the berries at harvest, not in the final wine (for more information on this, please see our German wine label guide). Such vagaries and variations in style are sometimes given as a reason for Riesling's inability to break through into mainstream consumer appeal.
Alsatian Riesling
Furthermore, Alsatian Riesling can combine elements of botrytis, later harvest dates, and complete fermentation to produce golden, aromatic, relatively high-alcohol, dry and textural wines.
Riesling's acidity also means it is well suited to sparkling wine production although this is somewhat rare.
Riesling's winegrowing regions
Germany
Riesling's spiritual home is unquestionably the regions that trace the middle Rhine and the lower Mosel, two of Europe's great wine rivers. Here we find the key wine regions of Germany, most famously Mosel, Rheinhessen, Rheingau and Pfalz. Riesling vines cover the steep, slate-rich hillsides above these famous rivers, and are used to make crisp, refreshing wines with pronounced acidity.
France
On the other side of the Rhine lies Alsace, once German but now part of France. Here, Riesling is the most important wine grape variety in terms of both quantity and (arguably) quality. Alsace Riesling has its individual style, richer and more generous than those made in Germany. This is made possible by the region's sunny, dry mesoclimate and the shelter provided by the Vosges Mountains.
Austria
Austria also produces a large quantity of Riesling, most notably from its eastern Wachau and Kremstal regions. This is made mostly in drier styles, although Lake Neusiedl, just southeast of Vienna, creates a sufficiently humid climate for the production of sweet botrytized Riesling.
Riesling in the New World
Happily, Riesling has found several New World niches to which it is very well suited. High quality Rieslings produced in Australia's Clare Valley and Eden Valley regions have proved this with particular competence.
Most notably, Clare Valley Riesling has emerged as a style in its own right, with crisp, citrus-scented acidity and aromas of toast and honeysuckle.
Just across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand is also making high-quality Riesling wines produced in the South Island regions of Canterbury and Otago, while South Africa's Riesling is also showing promise. The famous ice wines of Canada are made mostly from Riesling or Vidal, and have further demonstrated the cold-resistant characteristics of this hard-wooded variety.
Clones and homonyms
There are various clones and sub-varieties of Riesling in existence, and the variety has multiple variations on its name (e.g. Johannisberg Riesling, Rhine Riesling). To complicate matters, there are several white grape varieties that bear the name Riesling, but are entirely unrelated.
The most notable of these are Welschriesling (Riesling Italico), Okanagan Riesling and Cape Riesling, which itself is also known as Crouchen, Paarl Riesling and Clare Riesling.
A rare, pink-skinned variant of Riesling – Roter Riesling – is grown in Germany and Austria. There is ongoing debate as to whether Roter Riesling is a mutated form of traditional Riesling, or vice-versa.
Food pairings for Riesling wines
Riesling is a fairly easy grape to conceptualize in terms of food and wine pairing. The first part of this is a "squeeze of lemon" analogy: any food that you could envisage squeezing a lemon over should be a good match.
The acidity implied is certainly delivered by Riesling. This allows the wine to cut through a creamy sauce and provide a pleasing contrast. In this way Riesling is a great match for a carbonara pasta sauce; all the more so since the lemony flavors work well with the pork or ham.
Sweetness is also a consideration, with spicier dishes being balanced by a little more sugar in the wine. Thus a dry Clare Valley Riesling is an excellent seafood wine, while a medium-dry to medium sweet Riesling can pair well with a wide array of Asian dishes, due to the sugar and the easy-to-grasp flavor profiles. A floral Gewürztraminer is tricky by comparison.
A Mosel Kabinett can be a great partner for grilled tandoori dishes, and many sauced curries too. A dish featuring lemon or lemongrass can work well too, including Thai beef dishes.
At the sweeter end of things, an ice wine can combine well with fruit-based desserts. The very best examples of these, and of Trockenbeerenauslese wines (from botrytized grapes) are so stupendous that one should consider drinking them after dessert, giving them the attention they deserve.
Synonyms
Weisser Riesling, Johannisberg Riesling, Johannisberger, Rhine Riesling, Riesling Renano.
