Why wine experts love Riesling – and why you might still be underestimating it

Riesling is a character, a diva, a goddess, a jack-of-all-trades and the darling of many wine professionals, from winemakers to sommeliers. Its secret lies in its personality. Whether you make a dry or a sweet wine from it, Riesling remains Riesling. The flavour does vary depending on its origin, however, as Riesling, more than any other grape, is able to capture the terroir in the wine.
Text: Magda van der Rijst | Image: Pexels

Riesling may well be extremely popular amongst wine professionals, but that is not the case for every wine lover. Far too many people still associate Riesling with that old-fashioned, sweetish white wine and look down on it. There are certainly sweet Rieslings, but the vast majority are dry. When you taste all those dry Rieslings from different wine regions side by side, you really get a sense of the influence of the soil and the climate.

Cold frog

Riesling thrives in a cool climate. It ripens slowly and is usually harvested quite late. During its slow ripening, it develops its floral and fruity aromas and retains much of the acidity that makes the wine so special. Riesling is built on acidity, but that acidity does not feel the same in every Riesling by any means. 

Riesling is Germany’s national calling card

Business card

Riesling and Germany go hand in hand. The grape has been cultivated around the Moselle and the Rhine for centuries. Riesling is the most widely planted grape variety there and the country’s flagship wine. It is found in all thirteen Anbaugebiete, though in some to a lesser extent than in others. You can smell and taste the differences in the type of fruit, which ranges from apple and pear to apricot, peach, mango and papaya.

Those from the Mosel, the quintessentially classic Riesling region, are generally lower in alcohol, less intense but very refined on the palate, and display an intriguing interplay between acidity and sweetness.

As well as lime, green apple and white peach, many Mosel wines also have a slightly smoky quality. Those from Rheinhessen and the Palatinate are more robust, with notes of ripe pear, peach and zesty citrus acidity, and a chalky texture on the palate. With its elegance and medium body, the Nahe lies somewhere between the Mosel and Rheinhessen. Those from Württemberg and Franconia, on the other hand, come across as slightly spicier.

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