wineshark: Grape Variety Series 04

There are several benchmark styles of Riesling:

Germany

, Eden and Clare Valley in

Australia

and Alsace. Its quality was never in doubt, but it was a luxury variety because of its low yield. Rieslings can exhibit a remarkable number of different flavors, from smoke to peach, from earthiness to petrol, from slate to dried apricot, reflecting the vineyard more transparent than many other varieties.

Rieslings can adapt to most soil types, providing they are well drained and offer the sheltered, sunny position it likes. To achieve the greatest balance, it also needs two things: long, slow ripening season and low yields. It is an early-ripening variety, in warm climate it ripens too early and quickly to develop the complexity. The hard wood makes it highly resistant to winter cold, and late budding also give some resistance to late frosts. The yield of Riesling in Mosel is around 120-150 hl/ha for low quality vines but most produce at 50-70 hl/ha.

In winemaking, stainless steel is favoured both for fermentation and ageing for a fresh, youthful briskness. When putting in large, old wooden barrels, the wine is softened and more complex. Riesling’s acidity and floral perfume didn’t go well with new oak. It is not blended as it is complete in themselves without requiring improvements from others.

Riesling is also one of the rare grapes that can make sweet wines as much as dry ones. It can be made off-dry or sweet by simply stopping fermentation or adding Sussreserve (sweet unfermented grape juice), with the former having the fructose taste still retained in the wine. Fine sweet Rieslings are made with the help of noble rot, with the cost of producing a bottle of TBA at EUR 255, higher than the selling price, with a picker spending one day to pick the grapes for half a bottle of TBA. It can also be made to Eiswein where the grapes are picked frozen solid, at night-time when temperature falls to -6 deg C or lower. When pressed the water is left behind in the form of ice, and intensely sweet juice comes out.

Rieslings can age well. The acidity of many German Rieslings may taste lean and ungenerous. It is important to know that Rieslings must have bottle age, 4-5 years for Kabinett, 5-7 years for Spatlese, 6-10 years for Auslese and 10+ years for BA, TBA or Eiswein. Dry (trocken) Rieslings have a slightly different ageing profile, and can be drinkable a little earlier. Similar for Alsace, 3-4 years for simple AC wines, 4-5 years for GC and ideally 10+ years for VT and SGN. In

Austria

it is drunk young, but the best Wachau can improve for 6-8 years. In

Australia

the top Clare or Eden Vallets will improve for about 8 years.

For the taste, slate soils give smoky tang, other soils it can taste minerally, steely, tarry, earthy, flowery or slightly spicy. Peaches and green apples are common, quince is also found, as is citrus peel. Riper wines may taste of apricot or even pineapple. Australian Rieslings often taste of ripe limes and toast. With bottle age it acquires a smell of kerosene or petrol, also with honey and marzipan and buttery bread. For botrytis it gives dried apricot, honey, almonds or even raisins. Also peaches, lemons, passion fruits, pineapple and baked apples can be found.

Good well-aged German Kabinett or Spatlese will be perfect with trout, or smoked fish pate. Rheingau haltrocken can pair with fish in creamy sauce. Auslese and upwards can only pair with desserts, but not over-sweet types. Alsace are more food-friendly, can pair with onion tart to spicy chicken dishes, like Chinese or Thai food. Dry Rieslings will be good for salad.