Dry Riesling
Vintage image sourced on Pinterest
I feel that I should clarify upfront that I unabashedly love Rieslings. I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea (yet), but Rieslings are for sure amongst my desert island wines, the ones I’d absolutely need to include if I were ever forced to whittle down my wine selection to just the barest of minimums.
That said, my love for Riesling is not actually the reason why I’m creating two Riesling tastings back to back. This tasting is focused on dry Rieslings from around the world, while next week’s will focus on tasting through the styles in between dry and fully sweet, because there is quite the range on offer.
Rieslings are wines that I reach for again and again. I hope that after this tasting, you will too.
Stuff to know
One of my first wine tasting trips was to the Finger Lakes in New York with two of my good friends. We road tripped from Columbus, Ohio, where I was living at the time, and stayed in an old firehouse turned Airbnb in a ridiculously charming town called Canandaigua whose name I will probably continue to mispronounce, but whose Fall ambiance was second to none. I felt like I was living out my Practical Magic dreams…just with world-class Riesling instead of margaritas. Who could resist?
There’s an unfortunate perception in the United States that Rieslings are simple, refreshing, lightly sweet wines. While there’s nothing wrong with that style of wine per se, it’s a very limiting idea of what is a complex and endlessly interesting grape. A “noble” grape, even.
On the other hand, if you were to ask a Dane whether Rieslings are simple, sweet wines, I think you’d get a very different answer. Unsurprisingly, as Germany’s northern neighbor, Danish wine drinkers tend to have an entirely different perception of what Riesling is and can be.
Riesling is a lot more than those long, black cat-shaped bottles from Moselland or the Eroica Riesling from Château Ste. Michelle that I genuinely thought was called “erotica” when I saw it in grocery stores as a teen. It’s more than Charles Smith’s near-ubiquitous Kung-Fu Girl Riesling with the faceless girl that always reminds me of The Ring movie.
Rieslings can be dry, off-dry, fully sweet and plenty in between. They can age beautifully, astonishingly, even. They can showcase the place where their grapes were grown in distinctive, inimitable ways. They can be sold in long, green baseball bat-shaped bottles and in brown glass bottles with screw caps. Riesling wines were once some of the most sought-after wines in the world, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, they will be again.
Riesling, the grape, originated in Germany, where the world’s most prestigious Riesling wines continue to be made in regions like the Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Pfalz. It’s a grapevine that prefers cool climates, and can even thrive in some cold-ish climates where winter freezes and Spring frosts make viticulture difficult for most other vines.
Don’t let that hardiness fool you into thinking Riesling is an easy grape to grow though. In its best growing locations, Riesling’s long, slow ripening season continues well into late Fall, which means there are many more chances for something to go wrong before the grapes are ready to be harvested.
And in the cooler climates where Riesling likes to grow, there is usually a need for factors that help assist ripening, like south- or west-facing slopes that maximize sunshine or bodies of water that moderate temperatures. And in places where the slopes are steep, machines generally aren’t much help. Many Riesling wines are painstakingly made by hand, from start to finish.
Like Pinot Noir, Riesling is a grape that doesn’t play very well with others. Usually, if a wine says “Riesling” on the label, it’s 100% Riesling.
What to look for in this tasting
The first thing I think of when I think of how Riesling wines taste is something that’s pretty hard to describe. For me, it’s a steely, electric current that runs through the wines and lights up your senses. Others have described this experience as being linear, precise or filled with tension. I could second all of these descriptions.
Beyond the acidity, which gives a particular structure to Riesling wines, there are the flavors. And what a range we have here. Rieslings tend to be aromatic, so you usually won’t even need to get your nose all the way to the glass to smell what these wines have to offer. Some Rieslings are ethereal, with aromas of jasmine, lemon pith, honeycomb and wet slate. Other Rieslings are so grapefruit or lime-forward that they might as well be margaritas.
And yet other Rieslings have this unique quality that most wine people describe as petrol or kerosene. Since I’m American, I prefer to just call it gasoline. I’ve also heard this smell described as fresh tennis ball can, hot trash bag or, less unsavory, hot plastic, like a plastic hose left outside on a scorching summer day. I know, I know, I’m really selling Rieslings now, aren’t I?
But I have to say that I love this smell, which is rarely overpowering and can be addictive in the same way that sniffing markers before my mom caught me was as a kid. (Ok, fine, I still love that permanent marker smell.) This polarizing scent is the result of TDN, a flavor compound with a really long scientific name that forms in Riesling wines with certain climatic influences or with time in the bottle. It’s intentional, and there is nothing wrong with wines that have this scent.
There’s also a common misperception that Rieslings are always low alcohol, light-bodied wines. Some are, but others aren’t. The wines in this tasting are all dry, so most will reach around 11-12% alcohol, though some can go as high as 14%.
The wines
#1: Mosel Riesling
The Mosel is a wine region in northwestern Germany that runs along the Mosel river, which twists and turns around itself as it flows from France into Germany and eventually into the Rhine river. The vineyards along the Mosel are often crazy steep, with gradients as high as 70 percent. For context, a black diamond ski slope is usually between 40-60 percent. Producers managing the steepest vineyards can’t use standard machinery, since tractors don’t like that level of steepness either. This is extreme winemaking, where winches are frequently used to haul bins of grapes during harvest or soil and rocks when erosion inevitably affects the vineyards over time.
But the steep slopes are where the best - and Germany’s most expensive - vineyards are located. Sunshine bathes these south-facing slopes, warming dark slate soils that retain heat and keep the Riesling vines sufficiently warm at night so the grapes can have a long, slow ripening season.
Somehow, today’s Mosel wines haven’t reached the global prestige they once enjoyed. The upside is that their prices aren’t comparable with top French reds either. Yet.
Mosel wines are known for a lightness, purity of fruit and a delicate precision that is uniquely their own, almost like tiny dancers in the glass.
What to ask for: Ask by name, and look for the word “trocken” on the label, which tells you that the wine is dry. If it’s still unclear, a wine with low alcohol (below 11%) will likely be sweet, so try to avoid those for this tasting.
Alternative(s): Rieslings from the Saar or Ruwer, which are tributaries of the Mosel river, or Nahe.
#2: Rheingau Riesling
The Rheingau is home to some of the world’s oldest continually operating wineries, like Schloss Johannisberg and Kloster Eberbach, whose vineyards were first planted in the 12th century, more than 800 years ago. This is where I got to spend my first-ever European wine tasting trip, since my sister was living in Wiesbaden, Germany at the time, and it was just a short drive over to the heart of the beautiful Rheingau. Beautiful, even on a gloomy, grey February day.
If you’ve ever considered going on a river cruise, you’ve probably heard of the Rhine river that runs past the Rheingau wine region, since you’ll see more castles dotted along its banks than you could anywhere else in the world. The “Romantic Rhine” indeed.
The best vineyards in the Rheingau, much like those in the Mosel, are located on south-facing slopes that maximize sun exposure. When my sister and I sat in the dining room at Schloss Johannisberg after our tasting, we looked down upon vineyards steeply dropping down toward the river, where a train ran alongside the road before the riverbank. Winemaking isn’t easy here either, since much of the work still has to be done by hand.
Rheingau wines differ from Mosel wines in that they tend to be fuller-bodied with more ripeness than is typical in the Mosel, but they still have a distinctive shimmering energy and steely core. South of the Mosel, these vineyards get warmer, which comes through in flavors like honey and peach, with plenty of citrus-y backbone and floral aromas joining the party too.
What to ask for: Ask by name, and look for the word “trocken” on the label, which tells you that the wine is dry. If it’s still unclear, a wine with low alcohol (below 11%) will likely be sweet, so try to avoid those for this tasting.
Alternative(s): Riesling from the Rheinhessen or Pfalz
#3: Alsace Riesling
Beauty and the Beast was supposedly based on small towns in Alsace, in northeastern France, like Ribeauvillé, Eguisheim and Riquewihr. I firmly support this supposition, having visited Alsace in full bloom in June with a good friend, whom I continually mortified by loudly singing “there goes the baker with his tray like always…” as I danced through the streets in my gingham-print midi skirt and ballet flats. My friend is German and grew up around charming towns like these, so my American excitement just warranted side eyes and giggles. At least there were giggles.
As you might have guessed from the somewhat German-sounding names of the towns, Alsace is a part of France that wasn’t always French. The borders here shifted many times over the years, creating a culture and dialect that is uniquely Alsatian, instead of either French or German. In my experience, places where cultures blend and create something new tend to have some of the best things to eat and drink, and that is entirely true in Alsace.
The best vineyards here are planted on the sloping foothills of the Vosges mountains, which provide shelter from weather that would otherwise prevent Alsace from getting as much sunshine, warmth and dryness as it happily enjoys. Riesling grapes here aren’t usually at risk of wet weather in the Fall, so they can enjoy their long, slow ripening seasons without too much concern. This abundant warmth and sunshine creates Rieslings that feel broad on the palate, with fuller bodies and more richness than any other Rieslings I’ve ever tasted. Flavors like peach, honey and grapefruit with a wet slate-like mineral-y flavor. You can taste Alsace’s abundant sunshine, and you’ll also notice that the alcohol levels in these wines tend to be higher than they are in German Rieslings too.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Most of these wines are dry, though there are often scales on the back labels that can confirm the sweetness level. On the scale, you’re looking for “Sec,” which means dry.
Alternative(s): Stick with an Alsatian Riesling
#4: Austrian Riesling
I road tripped my way down to Austria a few summers ago for a wine excursion with a good friend and study buddy. And yes, as an American, I am well aware of how lucky I am to be able to casually take a summer road trip to Austria, stopping in Prague along the way. We visited several Austrian wine regions, most of which offered Rieslings amongst their top wines. Austria tends to be best-known for its Grüner Veltliner, and Riesling accounts for less than 5 percent of all plantings, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the Rieslings were consistently amongst my favorite wines on the trip. Like in Germany, the best sites for Rieslings tend to be south-facing, many of which are planted on hand-built stone terraces on steep slopes along the Danube river.
I’ve heard the word “baroque” used to describe Austrian Rieslings, especially those from the Wachau. As a former art history student, I love a good art analogy, but I have to admit that only a few of the Rieslings tasted baroque to me. Austrian Rieslings are usually dry, and they’re generally riper than German Rieslings, as you’d imagine with a more southerly climate. But they’re not quite as full-bodied as Alsace Rieslings, and I found myself using the word “creamy” to describe their texture more often than words like waxy or oily that I would associate with baroque wines. Some of the Rieslings had concentrated flavors of peach, ripe Meyer lemons, apricots and smoky steel. Others were so austere, clear and mineral-driven that it was almost like tasting a magically delicious type of rain water. Across all the different styles though, that signature steely core of acidity never wavered.
What to ask for: Ask by name.
Alternative(s): Stick with an Austrian Riesling, but pay attention to some of the words on the label:
Trocken on the bottle means the wine is dry.
Kabinett on the bottle means that the wine is likely to be dry. I say likely because this category is based on the must weight, or amount of sugar in the grapes before fermentation, so there is some variation in the final wines based on how winemakers chose to allow their wines to ferment.
Klassik on the bottle means that the wine will be light, without significant complexity or concentration.
Reserve on the bottle means that the wine’s grapes were hand-harvested, and typically indicates a higher level of complexity and concentration than Klassik.
Steinfeder on the bottle means that the wine is from the Wachau region, and is a lighter style with an alcohol level at or below 11.5% abv.
Federspiel on the bottle means that the wine is from the Wachau region, and has more complexity and concentration than Steinfeder wines, as well as an abv between 11.5-12.5%.
Smaragd on the bottle means that the wine is from the Wachau region, and that it’s a rich, concentrated wine with more than 12.5% abv.
#5: Washington State Riesling
Wine has been made in Washington State since the 1820s, where more than 1,000 wineries now make more than 17 million cases of wine annually. Washington State is second only to California in terms of volume, but it’s so far in second that it can somehow be forgotten when shopping for American wines.
There are a few styles that are better known from Washington than from California though, and Riesling is one of them. This is, in large part, thanks to Chateau Ste. Michelle. Amongst their many different wines is Eroica, the wine whose name I thought was spelled entirely differently as a teen. Eroica is a joint venture with Germany’s Dr. Loosen, a prestigious producer from the Mosel Valley.
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates is an exception in Washington, since most of the state’s wineries are small and family-run. Micro-wineries and urban wineries, especially in and around Seattle, have also gained steam as more young people, often self-taught, choose to try their hands at winemaking. Keep an eye out for fresh new producers’ Rieslings to try if you can get your hands on their wines where you live.
What to ask for: Ask by name
Alternative(s): New York Finger Lakes Riesling
#6: Australian Riesling
One of the most memorable Australian Rieslings I’ve ever tasted was a Pikes “Hills and Valleys” 2014 Clare Valley Riesling. I will never forget it, because it was in a brown bottle with screw cap and a fish on the label in profile, looking for all the world like a trophy catch in a Midwestern lake house. I was not excited to drink that wine. Never, ever would I have picked that bottle by its label, which just goes to show you.
Because it was delicious. And so completely different from Rieslings I’d tasted from Europe or the United States. It was bursting with lime zest and blossom and had this subtle hot plastic aroma that in combination with all that lime just made me think of margaritas. In the best kind of way. I was living in Dijon, France at the time, where there were still several months to go before the dreary, grey days were over, but I still felt like I should be sitting outside eating fish tacos while drinking this wine. I’ve since tasted plenty of other Australian Rieslings, and I can happily say that there are many more appealing labels (unless fishing is your thing, of course), but fair warning: most will have screw caps. Please, please don’t let this deter you. Australian Rieslings are crazy cool.
What to ask for: Ask by name. Most Australian Rieslings are dry.
Alternative(s): Look for Rieslings from the Clare Valley or Eden Valley, Great Southern, Canberra, Tasmania or New Zealand
Tasting tips
The eats
The most traditional regions for Riesling wines include Western Germany, Eastern Austria and Alsace, France. If you prefer to go with the “what grows together, goes together” approach to pairing wine with food, check out fish, chicken, duck or pork-focused dishes from these regions, especially the ones that are served with a sweet element, like apples, chutney or lingonberry jam.
Seasonal vegetable-based dishes are also a huge part of these countries’ cuisines, and dry Rieslings are a perfect companion for these too, especially dishes with herbal and acidity-driven flavors. Rieslings can also handle strong vinaigrettes, making them ideal salad companions.
For an entirely different approach, try Thai and Vietnamese dishes. In my opinion, dry Riesling wines practically beg for these flavors. Anything with fresh ginger, warm spices, coconut milk, shrimp, crab, sweet potatoes, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, lemongrass. Other Asian and fusion dishes can work too, especially if there is prominent acidity and sweetness, like there is in Orange Chicken. From yet another part of the world, I personally love fish tacos with Riesling wines.
Rieslings have high acidity that can handle wild flavor rides, sweetness and equally high acidity in the food. For this tasting, I’d either go with a snack-y approach and lean hard into vegetables with a solid crudité platter, a kale salad and a roasted sweet potato-based dish that works at room temperature, or I’d make this Coconut Milk Braised Chicken curry to serve with rice. It’s a fusion-style dish, and in my experience, it always takes way more than 30 minutes to make, but we love it and it’s the kind of thing that can be prepared in advance and to keep warm on the stove, which is always ideal for me hosting-wise.
The prep
Some of these wines may take time for your guests to find, depending on where you live. In Copenhagen, wines like the Washington State and Australian Rieslings will probably be easiest to find online. In the United States, availability really depends on the city and state, so I’d advise giving your guests at least 2 weeks to find their assigned wines.
There is a wide range of prices for all of these wines, so it’s up to you as the host to decide if you want to set a price range or let your guests determine what they’re each comfortable spending.
Please encourage your guests to give their wines some pre-tasting fridge time, or have an ice bucket ready for a quick dunk to sufficiently chill the wines before tasting.
A note on the tasting order: The wines are listed in the order of which should be included first, so that even if there are just 4 wines in the tasting, you’ve got a well-rounded experience ahead. However, I’d suggest switching up the order in which you taste the wines, regardless of how many wines make it in the final cut, as follows:
Mosel Riesling
Rheingau Riesling
Austrian Riesling
Alsace Riesling
Washington State Riesling
Australian Riesling
Sources
“Riesling” in the Oxford Companion to Wine | JancisRobinson.com
Riesling plantings in Austria | Austrian Wine
Washington State wine production statistics | Washington Wine
