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Riesling is a white Grape variety and varietal '' Appellation '' of Wine s grown historically in Alsace ( France ), Austria , Germany (see German Wine ), and northern Italy . It is a very old grape, first documented in 1435 , in which year the storage inventory of the Counts of Katzenelnbogen (a small principality on the Rhine ) lists the purchase of six barrels of Riesling from a Rüsselsheim Vintner . Rieslings are sometimes considered a good “introductory wine” for novice wine enthusiasts though wine lovers of all experience can certainly enjoy the elegant complexity of this grape. The most expensive wines made from Riesling are Late Harvest Dessert Wines , produced by letting the grapes hang on the vines well past normal picking time. Through evaporation caused by the fungus '' Botrytis Cinerea '' ("noble rot") or by freezing, as in the case of Ice Wine (in German, Eiswein ), water is removed and the resulting wine offers profoundly richer layers on the palate. These concentrated wines have more Sugar (in extreme cases hundreds of grams per liter), more acid (to give balance to all the sugar), more flavors, etc. Due to its concentration, late-harvest Riesling is among the longest-lived of all wines. The beneficial use of "noble rot" was discovered in the late 18th century at Schloss Johannisberg (when the permission from the Abbey of Fulda , which owned it, to start picking the grapes arrived too late, the grapes had begun to rot, yet it turned out that the wine made from them was still excellent and actually better). WINE REGIONS THAT PRODUCE RIESLING Riesling is one of the grape varieties considered to best express the Terroir of the place that it is grown, much more so than many other white grapes. Riesling is suited to relatively cool climates. Riesling wines from Germany are traditionally sweet to medium sweet, but those from Alsace and Austria tend to be dry (sec) or just off-dry (demi-sec). Late Harvest Rieslings can ripen to become very sweet desert wines such as Beerenauslese (BA), and Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA). Dry German Rieslings have been increasingly popular in Germany in recent decades, and are labeled as '' Trocken ''. Other names for true Riesling - though these are only used in the United States - are Johannisberg Riesling (named after the famed Schloss Johannisberg ), White Riesling and Rhine Riesling. Many grapes that incorporate the name Riesling are not true Riesling. For example, Grey Riesling is actually Trousseau Gris , an unrelated grape. ''Schwarzriesling'' ("black Riesling") is also known as Pinot Meunier , a grape also used in the production of Champagne . Riesling is also grown in the other areas, notably Australia where the grape produces a distinctive crisp, dry and fruity wine. The Clare Valley and Eden Valley are both notable for the quality of their Australian riesling. In North America , Riesling is usually grown in cooler regions, such as northern California , New York , Michigan and Ontario , and shows promise in the Pacific Northwest . It is also grown in cooler regions of New Zealand and South Africa , and the quality is improving significantly in the New World as more suitable sites are found, better quality vines are planted, and the vines age. GERMAN RIESLINGS Rieslings are Germany’s leading grape varietal, known for it’s characteristic “transparency” in flavor and presentations and usual balance between fruity & mineral flavors. Rieslings take longer to ripen in Germany then they do in warmer climates (like California,) normally late September to late November. Some Late Harvest Rieslings can even last till January before picking. Two notable characteristics of German Rieslings is that they are rarely blended with other varietals and hardly every exposed to commercial yeast. While clearer in individual flavors when it is young, a German Riesling will harmonize more as it ages (particularly when it hits around the 10 year mark). A notable aroma of sulfur dioxide can appear right when the bottle is open. This is a by product of fermentation and used to prevent spoilage. It will fade once the wine has been given a few moments to breath in the glass. Swirling it around gently will release it’s normal floral or mineral bouquet . Some consider the best German Rieslings to come from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer regions with their characteristic mineral & slate flavors. According to local tradition, these wines are normally bottled in tall, taper green bottles. In the Late 19th centaury German horticulturalists devoted many efforts to develop new Riesling hybrids that would create a more flexible, less temperamental grape that could still retain some of the elegant characteristics of Rieslings. The most notable is the Muller-Thurgau developed in Geisenheim in 1882 that was said to be a cross of Riesling and Silvaner though this has come under doubt. Another Riesling/Silvaner cross, the Pfalz regional favorite Scheurebe has it roots in this period of experimental creativity. Riesling is also the preferred grape in production of Sekt , German Sparkling Wine . 2004 was a recent well received vintage for German Rieslings. ALSACE RIESLINGS Without supporting documentation, the Alsace region lays claim to first planting of Rieslings in 1348. Today it has become the Alsace’s leading grape varietal with the wine produce here being very different from neighboring German Riesling. Alsace Rieslings are mostly very dry with a cleansing acidity. They are thick bodied wines that coat the palate. These wines age exceptionally well with a quality vintage ageing up to 20 years. This is beneficial since more often then not the flavors in an Alsace wine open up after 3 years, developing softer & fruitier flavors 2001 was a recent well received vintage Notable Recent Award Winners of Alsace Rieslings
8th World Riesling Competition (held Mar 8th, 2005 in Strasborg , Germany had four of the 5 Premier Gold Medal winners from Alsace)
AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND RIESLINGS In 1820 the first reference to Riesling in Australia came from William Macarthur planting 20 acres of the grape near Penrith in New South Wales . After a “Riesling Boom” in the 1970’s that saw a sharp increase in plantings and demand for Gewürztraminer Riesling and Rhine Riesling. Rieslings of Australia and New Zealand are generally dry and known for bold flavor with a floral bouquet and a graceful finish. Lime & Citrus flavors are sometimes prominent. 2002 was a recent well received Australian vintage though 2000 vintage Rieslings from the North Island of New Zealand are sometimes considered slightly better. AUSTRIAN RIESLINGS Without supporting documentation, the Wachau region of lower Austria lays claim to first planting of Riesling in 1232. Today it is the second leading white grape varietal after the indigenous Gruner Veltliner . Austrian Rieslings are generally thick bodied, coating the palate and producing a strong clarity of flavor coupled with a mouthwatering aroma. A particular Austrian Riesling trademark is a long finish that normally includes hints of white pepper. Austria is home to other popular Riesling hybrids such as Welschriesling , Muller-Thurgau & Riesling X Sylvaner . 2003 was a recent well received Austrian vintage though 1999 often receives talk of being a “Classic vintage”. RIESLINGS IN THE US In the late nineteenth centaury German immigrants brought with them Riesling vines, named Johannisberg Rieslings to qualify them as “legitimate” German Rieslings. New York, particularly in the Finger Lakes region, was one of the earliest US producers in Riesling. Today, New York Rieslings generally have a characteristic evanescent light body with a similarly light, mellow flavor. The wines came be dynamic though rarely robust and range from dry to sweet. New York is also a notable producer of Riesling based Ice Wines (though a large majority of New York Ice Wines are made from Vidal blancs and Vignoles). In California, Rieslings lag far behind in popularity to Chardonnay and are not as commonly planted. A notable exception is the growing development of high quality Late Harvest desert wines. (Most successfully produced so far in the Anderson & Alexander Valleys whose weather is more likely to encourage the needed Botrytis to develop) The Rieslings that do come out of California tend to be softer, fuller and more diverse flavors then a "typical" German Riesling. In the Pacific Northwest there a stark contrast in Riesling production with the grape currently on the rise in Washington State but on the decline in neighboring Oregon. Rieslings from this area tend to be dry to sweet, with a crisp lightness that bodes well for easy drinking. Often there will be an easily detectable peach & mineral complex. Some Washington State winemakers, such as Chateau Ste-Michelle are adapting German style Riesling production methods even partnering with well known German vintners like Dr. Ernest Loosen to create specialty wines such as the 2004 Eroica Riesling. RIESLING WINE PRODUCTION In Wine Making , the delicate nature of the Riesling grape requires special handling during harvesting to avoid crushing or bruising the skin. Without this care, the broken skins could leak Tannin into the juice giving a markedly coarse taste and throwing off balance the Riesling’s range of flavors and aromas. A wine that is best at it’s “freshest” states, the grapes & juice may be chilled often throughout the Vinification process. Once, right after picking to preserve the grapes' more delicate flavors. Second, after it’s been process through a Bladder Press and right before Fermentation . During fermentation, the wine is cooled in temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation tanks kept between 50-65F. (Unlike red wines that normally ferment at 75-85F) Unlike Chardonnay , most Rieslings do not undergo Malolactic Fermentation . This helps preserve the tart, acidity characteristic of the wine that gives Rieslings their “thirst-quenching” quality. (Producers of Sauvignon Blancs & Pinot Grigios also avoid malolactic fermentation for similar reasons) To prevent malolactic fermentation, wine makers have several options-each imparting some imprint on the resulting wine. A small dose of Sulphur Dioxide could be added to stunt the proliferation of the bacteria. (This is also what a wine maker would do if he wants to maintain some of the wine’s natural sugars & sweetness, making it an “off-dry” wine) The wine maker could go through a very thorough filtering and refining process to eliminate any remaining proteins, bacteria or yeast. Though laborious, this method can produce exceptionally “clean” tasting Rieslings. A third option would be an early Cold Stabilization where the wine is chilled sharply to just above the freezing point. For several days the wine is kept at this temperature as the Tartaric Acid crystallizes and is dispatched from the wine. After this, the wine is normally filtered again to refine out any remaining yeast or impurities. RIESLING WITH FOOD Riesling is a very versatile wine to have with food, because of its balance of sugar and notable acidity. It can pair with white fish, or with pork, and it is one of the few wines that can stand up to Thai and Chinese Cuisine . Riesling's typical aromas are of flowers, tropical fruits, and mineral stone (such as slate or quartz), although, with time, the wine acquires a petrol or kerosene note that may be immediately arresting to new drinkers of Riesling while others may find it alluring. Stored well, Riesling can remain drinkable for over a century. It is almost never oaked, which tends to lighten its profile and increase its suitability with many foods. The sharp acidity/sweetness in Rieslings can serve as a very good balance to foods that are high in salt content. In Germany, Rieslings are sometimes cooked with cabbage to help taper the smell. |
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