Video about Riesling on my YouTube channel.
Riesling is one of the noble grape varieties growing worldwide. It was highly favored by wine lovers until the mid-20th century. Germany became a renowned wine-producing country largely because of Riesling, which is, in fact, native to Germany. Riesling accounts for the largest share of grape plantings in the country, making the classic Riesling unmistakably German.
In the mid-20th century, however, Riesling’s popularity declined for two main reasons. The first was a natural shift in consumer preferences, which often happens as people seek variety. Over the past few decades, among white wines, the top spot has passed from Riesling to Chardonnay, and then from Chardonnay to Sauvignon Blanc. The next trend is already on the horizon, and there’s a good chance Riesling could reclaim its former glory.
The second reason for Riesling’s decline was due to the greed of certain German merchants and confusion over naming. Some merchants labeled simpler, lesser-known varieties with the famous Riesling name. These wines often carried additional terms like Welschriesling, Laski Rizling, or Olasz Rizling, but consumers only noticed the word “Riesling” and drew the wrong conclusions. Many were disappointed in Riesling, even though they hadn’t actually tasted true Riesling. As a result, Germany—where Riesling has been cultivated since at least the 15th century—damaged the reputation of its flagship grape.
When buying a bottle of Riesling, always check the grape name carefully. It should be spelled exactly as “Riesling.” True Riesling may sometimes be labeled with the word “Rhine” (or “Rhein” or “Rhin,” depending on the language), but any additional words or alternate spellings indicate that the wine is not true Riesling.
Today, Riesling is regaining its reputation as a high-quality wine. In Germany, new winemakers are bringing fresh ideas, while regions like Australia and North America are also producing exciting and distinctive Riesling wines.
Riesling is one of the few grape varieties that can produce wines across a wide spectrum of styles. Its taste is highly influenced by terroir, it ages well, it can be made in any level of sweetness, and it’s even suitable for sparkling wine production. In short, Riesling offers plenty of variety.
The core characteristics of Riesling are its high acidity and a delicate yet pronounced floral and fruity aroma.
Riesling’s flavor is strongly shaped by terroir. Terroir is a favorite term among winemakers, referring to the combination of local climate, geography, and soil. It plays a key role in defining a wine’s character. Wines made from the same grape variety but grown in different terroirs can taste completely different. Different grape varieties vary in how sensitive they are to terroir.
Riesling is particularly sensitive. Its taste can change dramatically depending on where the grapes are grown. For example, Riesling from the cool Mosel region in Germany tends to have high acidity and green apple aromas, while Rieslings from warmer regions like Alsace in France or the Clare Valley in Australia show notes of citrus and peach.
Riesling thrives in cool climates. In hot regions, it tends to lose its vibrant acidity and fruity aroma, becoming flat and uninspiring. I’ve come across Rieslings like this from certain areas of California.
The key regions for Riesling production are Germany, Austria, France (Alsace), Australia (Clare Valley), the United States (notably New York and Washington), and Canada (Ontario and British Columbia). If you want to experience a quality Riesling, these are the regions to look for.
Rieslings are typically enjoyed young. In their youth, they display fresh floral and fruity aromas, with bright notes of apple, peach, citrus, gooseberry, rose, and fresh grass. The exact aroma profile depends, of course, on where the grapes were grown. What all Rieslings share is their refreshing, vibrant acidity.
At the same time, Riesling is one of the few white varieties that also benefits from aging.
It’s important to understand that not every grape variety produces wine that improves with age. I’m referring here to the general potential of a grape variety to improve over time, rather than whether a specific wine is suited for aging—those are two different things.
When it comes to white wines, Riesling, Chardonnay, Semillon, and Gewürztraminer are good examples of varieties that can evolve beautifully with age. Their flavors become more layered and complex. On the other hand, varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris are best enjoyed young. Over time, they lose their fresh, fruity aromas without developing new ones.
You can find more details about this subject in the article “Wine improves with age” – myth or reality?
Riesling, with its high acidity and complex aromatic profile, is ideal for aging. Young Riesling typically has a pale golden color with a greenish hue. As it ages, it deepens to an amber-yellow. This darkening over time is common for white wines, though the exact shades vary depending on the grape variety.
As Riesling matures, residual sugar diminishes, making the acidity more pronounced. Fruity aromas fade, giving way to mineral notes. The flavor becomes more layered and intriguing. A distinctive petrol or gasoline aroma is a hallmark of aged Riesling.
Sweet Rieslings—especially those with high sugar levels, like Germany’s Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese—are even better suited for long aging, as sugar acts as a natural preservative. Top-quality sweet Rieslings can age for over 100 years, improving in complexity over time. However, certain high-quality dry Rieslings can also age for a century without losing their charm.
Regions like Alsace and Clare Valley are known for their bold, dry, aged Rieslings.
Let’s return to the petrol note I mentioned earlier, often found in aged Riesling. Some fans of young Rieslings find it off-putting, but lovers of mature Rieslings greatly appreciate it. This aroma comes from a compound called 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene, or TDN. It forms in wine over time through hydrolysis of carotenoids.
Carotenoids are the pigments that give carrots, pumpkins, and red peppers their yellow, orange, and red colors. They are also precursors to important substances like vitamin A—and to TDN, which gives aged Riesling its signature gasoline note.
The development of this aroma depends on how many carotenoids are present in the grapes, which in turn is influenced by growing conditions.
Several factors contribute to carotenoid accumulation:
•High grape ripeness (which usually means lower yields and a later harvest)
•Strong sun exposure (due to climate and reducing the number of grape bunches per vine)
•Water stress (climate and limited irrigation)
•High acidity (linked to cooler climates)
Therefore, the gasoline note is more likely to develop in high-quality Rieslings grown under ideal conditions, and less likely in cheaper wines from high-yield vineyards in less suitable climates.
Riesling has two key qualities that make it ideal for a wide range of sweetness levels. First, its high acidity is essential for balancing sweetness. Without enough acidity, a sweet wine would taste syrupy and heavy. Second, although Riesling is a cool-climate grape, it benefits from a long, sunny autumn, which helps it accumulate enough sugar for producing naturally sweet wines.
Riesling can be found in styles ranging from dry and off-dry to semi-sweet, sweet, and even luscious dessert wines. And Riesling performs well at every level of sweetness. Only Gewürztraminer offers a similar versatility.
Alsace and Clare Valley focus exclusively on producing dry, full-bodied Rieslings, though with distinct regional differences. Austria is often considered home to some of the finest dry Rieslings, which combine the dryness and richness of Alsace Riesling with the aromatic intensity of German examples. The U.S. and New Zealand produce both dry and sweet Rieslings.
In line with modern preferences for drier wines, Germany has also increased its production of dry Rieslings, especially for export. However, even these German dry Rieslings often hover near the boundary of off-dry, and are typically characterized by low alcohol levels (around 9-11%). In contrast, Rieslings from Alsace generally have 12-13% alcohol. That said, younger German winemakers are starting to craft drier Rieslings with higher alcohol content.
Still, Germany’s specialty remains semi-sweet and sweet Rieslings, and their quality ranges from outstanding masterpieces to more basic, lower-grade options.
To better understand what to expect from sweet German Rieslings—and sweet Rieslings in general—it helps to know how naturally sweet wines are made. A detailed exploration of these methods, along with illustrative examples, is available in the article “Wines for the sweet tooth”, but here’s a brief overview.
There are some simple and inexpensive ways to produce sweet wine. One method is to stop fermentation before all the sugar is converted into alcohol, usually by chilling the wine and filtering out the yeast. This results in a wine with lower alcohol content. Another method is to add sugar to an already finished dry wine. This approach is common, easy, and cheap—at least when we’re talking about still wines; sparkling wines are a different story.
Many of the lower-priced semi-sweet and sweet German wines are made using these methods. Fortunately, these simpler styles are mostly intended for the domestic market and are less often exported.
High-quality naturally sweet wines, however, are made using grapes that accumulate so much sugar that fermentation stops naturally, leaving residual sugar in the wine. There are three main techniques used to produce such grapes. All of them involve concentrating the sugars by removing water from the berries, and each method brings its own unique set of flavors to the final wine. It’s worth noting that these techniques can only be applied to grape varieties capable of building up high sugar levels—and Riesling is one of the few that fits this description perfectly.
The first method is freezing the grapes on the vine. This process preserves the original taste of the grapes while intensifying it. Wines made this way are known as Icewine in Canada (notably in Ontario and British Columbia) and as Eiswein in Germany. Riesling is not the only grape variety used for Icewine, but it is one of the most popular choices.
The second method is drying the grapes on the vine. This technique gives the wine aromas of raisins and dried fruits. There are variations where grapes are dried after harvest as well. In the U.S., wines made this way are often labeled as “Late Harvest.”
Finally, there is the method of Noble Rot. The finest sweet wines are made from grapes affected by botrytis cinerea, also known as Noble Rot. In Germany and Austria, botrytized Rieslings are labeled as Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese. Australia also produces botrytized Rieslings.
As you can see, Riesling is incredibly versatile. When buying Riesling, it’s helpful to have at least a general idea of what to expect, starting with its sweetness level. Riesling is Germany’s flagship wine, but understanding German wine labels is not always straightforward. Let’s take a look at what key terms you should watch for when choosing a German Riesling, in addition to the name of the wine and its region of origin.
Germany has never been a champion of simplicity. Unlike many other countries, the classification of German wine is based on the sugar content in the grapes—not in the wine itself. Important to remember: we are talking about sugar in the grapes, before fermentation.
According to German wine law, quality wines made without added sugar fall into the following categories:
Kabinett These are the most delicate and light-bodied Rieslings. They offer high acidity and aromas of green apples and citrus fruits. Kabinett wines can be dry, off-dry, and occasionally semi-sweet. The dry versions typically have 11-12% alcohol by volume, while the sweeter ones have 8-9%.
Spätlese The name means “late harvest.” Spätlese is made from riper grapes than Kabinett, resulting in fuller-bodied wines with more intense aromas. Here, notes of citrus and even peach begin to replace green apple. Spätlese wines can be either dry or sweet, and the sweet ones are noticeably sweeter than Kabinett. They also tend to have higher alcohol content. Spätlese is also more suitable for aging—up to about 10 years—while Kabinett is best enjoyed young.
Auslese These wines are made from very ripe grapes, often with bunches hand-selected at harvest. Some Auslese wines include grapes affected by Noble Rot (botrytis). While you can occasionally find dry Auslese, most are sweet, with richer and more complex flavors than Spätlese. If botrytized grapes are present, the wine may be labeled with the word Goldkapsel.
Beerenauslese (BA) Rare and high-quality sweet wines made exclusively from botrytized grapes.
Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) These are the rarest, most prestigious, and most expensive German sweet wines. They are produced only from individually hand-selected, botrytized grapes that are heavily raisined. TBA wines can’t be made every year, as they require specific weather conditions. The alcohol content is usually quite low, rarely exceeding 8%.
Eiswein This is wine made from grapes that freeze naturally on the vine.
And here are two important terms you’ll can see on German labels: Trocken – dry Halbtrocken – semi-dry
If neither of these terms appears on the label, the wine is sweet.
Riesling’s high acidity and bright, yet delicate, aromatics also make it an excellent grape for sparkling wine production. Most sparkling Rieslings come from Germany and Austria.
Unfortunately, German winemaking faced a period of decline in the second half of the 20th century, and this especially affected sparkling wine producers. However, in recent years, German winemaking has experienced a renaissance, and it’s now possible to find high-quality sparkling Rieslings once again.
German and Austrian sparkling wines are generally referred to as Sekt, and when Riesling is used, the wine is labeled Rieslingsekt. Austrian Sekts tend to be of higher quality than German ones, though there are exceptions. You can find more about German and Austrian sparkling wine here.
Sparkling Rieslings are also produced in Canada (Ontario and British Columbia) and in the United States (notably in Washington and New York).
Let’s briefly summarize the key Riesling producers in the world today.
Germany is the largest producer of Riesling. The main regions are Mosel, Rheinhessen, Rheingau, and Pfalz. Germany produces all styles, from bone-dry to very sweet, but is historically known for its sweeter wines. Classic German Rieslings—whether dry or semi-sweet—are characterized by low alcohol content, delicate body, and aromatic intensity.
Australia is the second-largest Riesling producer after Germany. The Clare Valley and Eden Valley are particularly renowned. Clare Valley Rieslings are distinctive, known for their sharp citric acidity and notes of toast and honeysuckle. Interestingly, Australian Rieslings tend to age faster than their German counterparts; even a three-year-old bottle can show deep yellow hues and that characteristic petrol aroma.
France’s Alsace region has been cultivating Riesling since at least the 15th century, just like Germany. Alsace Rieslings are bone-dry, full-bodied, and rich. They are well-known for their aging potential and can easily develop complexity over 20 years or more.
Austria is another important Riesling country. The Wachau and Kremstal regions are famous for their dry, full-bodied Rieslings, while the Lake Neusiedl area focuses on luscious sweet Rieslings made from botrytized grapes.
New Zealand doesn’t produce large volumes of Riesling, but what it does produce is of high quality, ranging from dry to sweet. Compared to Australia, New Zealand’s Rieslings are typically lighter and more delicate.
Canada’s Ontario and British Columbia regions also contribute to the Riesling world. Ontario is especially known for its world-class ice wine, while British Columbia produces both ice wine and dry or sparkling Rieslings.
In the USA, Riesling is primarily produced in Washington, Oregon, and New York State. American Rieslings are generally soft and fruity, with more sweet than dry styles. Washington State also makes sparkling Riesling.
So, Riesling is undoubtedly a variety that deserves the attention of wine lovers and can easily win over many fans. The key is simply to choose the Riesling style that best fits your mood and occasion—and enjoy!
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