Riesling

Riesling is a white grape variety characterized by its fruity acidity: a slow-ripening grape that only reaches full maturity in northern growing regions under the late autumn sun.

Riesling is a white grape variety whose defining element is its fruity acidity: a slow-ripening grape that only reaches maturity in northern wine regions under the late autumn sun.

Riesling is the name of the grape, and Riesling is the name of the wine pressed from it. Its exact origin remains somewhat unclear. The Bavarian State Research Center for Viticulture and Horticulture considers it likely that it was selected from wild vines that grew in the floodplains of Central Europe, presumably along the Upper Rhine; another theory points to a natural cross between Gouais Blanc and Traminer. The word appears in writing for the first time on March 13, 1435, and that date is now considered the birthday of Riesling.

What is special about Rieslings?

The acidity, and what it makes possible. A Riesling does not shine through alcohol, but through a fine, racy, fruity character, which results from late ripening and late harvesting. And you can taste the terroir in a Riesling: depending on the soil and microclimate, the same variety produces very different wines. It is most at home on stony, steep slopes along river valleys that store warmth.

This is what it looks like on the Saar. In the Saarburger Rausch, the Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken estate cultivates 11 hectares on fine-leaved Devonian slate and diabase, a volcanic rock, where the vines take root up to 10 meters deep in the rock. The estate grows nothing but Riesling on its 13 hectares. On the "Red Slope" (Roter Hang) between Nackenheim and Nierstein, the Gunderloch estate's grapes grow on the "Rotliegend," an ancient clayey slate shot through with iron oxide. And in Westhofen, Philipp Wittmann ferments his must with its natural yeasts in wooden barrels.

A typical Riesling is pale yellow with a greenish shimmer, it smells of peach or apple, and its racy acidity makes it fresh. Rieslings from slate soils are often called mineral. Over the years, many Rieslings develop a note reminiscent of petroleum. In matured Rieslings, it is common and is part of the experience.

Is Riesling dry or sweet?

Both, and everything in between. Riesling exists in all flavor profiles, from fully fermented everyday wine to noble-sweet Beerenauslese. The maximum sweetness allowed for a wine is regulated by Regulation (EU) 2019/33 based on residual sugar. A wine is dry if it has a maximum of 4 grams of sugar per liter, or up to 9 grams if the total acidity is no more than 2 grams lower. Semi-dry (halbtrocken) goes up to 12 grams, or up to 18 grams if the acidity is no more than 10 grams below the sugar level. "Lieblich" (medium-sweet) ends at 45 grams, and from 45 grams upwards, a wine is sweet.

Especially with Riesling, this acidity rule is not a minor detail. The Riesling Tradition from Philipp Kuhn has 4.9 grams of residual sugar and 7.3 grams of acidity, making it dry. The Rausch Riesling Kabinett from Zilliken contains 60.6 grams of sugar, but also 7.7 grams of acidity, and the wine plays between the two. The German Wine Institute explains it this way: especially in northern wine regions, many Kabinett wines are balanced with a subtle sweetness because their acidity is so high. "Feinherb," a word on many labels, is incidentally not legally defined and is usually between semi-dry and slightly sweet.

Is a Riesling a dry wine?

Not by nature, but often. Half of all German quality and Prädikat wines, across all varieties, were marketed as dry in 2022. If you want to be sure when buying, read the label. A Prädikat like Kabinett, Spätlese, or Auslese says something about the grapes according to wine law: Kabinett may not be enriched, a Spätlese requires fully ripe grapes from a late harvest, and an Auslese requires fully ripe or noble-rot grapes. The Prädikat says nothing about the sugar in the wine.

The VDP (Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates) has created an order out of this. In their "Große Lagen" (Grand Cru sites), the dry wine is called "Großes Gewächs"; if you read Kabinett, Spätlese, or Auslese there, you have a fruit-sweet or noble-sweet wine in front of you. Philipp Kuhn in Laumersheim ferments all his wines dry; noble-sweet wines are only produced in exceptional years. If "Kabinett" is on the bottle of a VDP estate from a Große Lage, as with the Rausch from Zilliken, prepare for sweetness. If "Gutswein" and "trocken" are on it, as with the Riesling Estate from Wittmann with 4 grams of residual sugar, the case is clear.

When do you drink Riesling?

At the earliest one year after the harvest, advises the German Wine Institute, and many reach their peak only after a few years. The Kabinett from Zilliken shows its full potential after 5 to 10 years in the bottle, the Rausch Riesling Auslese after 10 to 20. The Wine Institute calls the shelf life of top wines almost unlimited.

Depending on the vintage and site, Riesling pairs well with light cuisine and fish; noble-sweet wines belong with dessert. Put the Riesling Tradition from Philipp Kuhn on the table at 9 to 11 degrees and serve it with light fish, poultry, or a salad. The Nierstein Riesling from Gunderloch can stand up to mussels. The fruit-sweet Kabinett from Zilliken, on the other hand, goes well with spicy Asian cuisine, sushi, or a scallop. And the Auslese stands beside a matured blue cheese or a dessert with dark chocolate.

Because the acidity is so lively, Riesling is also well-suited for Sekt. The Sekthaus Raumland lets each of its Sekts age on the lees for at least three years, including the Riesling Sekt Brut 2021 made from pure Riesling using traditional bottle fermentation, which pairs well with tempura or baked goat cheese. How the process works is explained in the entry on Sekt.

Riesling from the Saar to the Palatinate

All bottles are listed under white wine. From our assortment, we have the Rausch Riesling Kabinett 2020 and the Rausch Riesling Auslese 2021 from Zilliken (Saar), the Riesling Estate 2023 from Wittmann and the Nierstein Riesling 2019 from Gunderloch (Rheinhessen), the Riesling Tradition 2024 from Philipp Kuhn (Palatinate), and the Riesling Sekt Brut 2021 from Raumland (Flörsheim-Dalsheim).

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