Racy Rieslings

If you ask any wine expert about their favourite white wines, the word Riesling is highly likely to feature in their list. But normal people are still very scared of Riesling (pronounced "Ree-sling"). Unfortunately it still conjures up images of the cheap sweet German wines that we all drank far too much of last century. But this is grossly unfair.

Riesling is one of the World’s most aromatic white wines. The fruit flavours range from lime and green apple, through to apricot and pineapple, depending on the ripeness of the grapes, which are susceptible to “noble rot.” This is a disease that sounds disgusting but in fact just turns the grapes into raisins thereby concentrating their flavour and sugar levels. So wine producers will be very careful to pick grapes that are the perfect ripeness for the style of wine they want. You also get aromas of honey or even hints of petrol in these wines – strange I know, but this is one of the smells that wine buffs go crazy for.

Riesling grapes developing "noble rot"
(photo courtesy of www.colonialspirits.com)

 

In good quality Rieslings, the sweetness is balanced by the grape’s naturally high acidity levels which makes them utterly seductive and moreish. However if you are completely averse to drinking sweet wines, the following guide will hopefully steer you towards the drier style wines…

 German Riesling

Please do not disregard German Rieslings. It always saddens me that they're so hard to sell when they really are some of the most delicious wines I've ever had the pleasure of tasting.

To find the drier styles, here are the words to spot on the label:

• "Trocken" - means "dry" (whereas  "halbtrocken" means "off-dry")
• "Grosses Gewachs" - this indicates it's the German equivalent of a "Grand Cru," so a top quality wine, and it also can only be used to classify dry wines. Quite often just abbreviated to “GG”.
• "Kabinett" - this indicates how ripe the grapes were when picked, so it doesn't mean the wine is dry per se but rather that the grapes were less high in sugar than a Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese or (the sweetest of them all) Trockenbeerenauslese. Gotta love those Germans and their crazy words! A Kabinett Riesling will always be a touch sweet but this will be balanced by searing acidity, especially those from the Mosel Valley, so you will be surprised by how much you enjoy this style of wine.

 Here are a few German wines that I love which are worth hunting down:

J.J. Prum Riesling Kabinett (Mosel)
Künstler Hochheimer Hölle Riesling Kabinett Trocken (Rheingau)
Naegele Riesling Trocken (Pfalz)

Alsace Riesling

Despite being just across the mountains from Germany, Alsace Rieslings are all dry in style so a very safe bet. Unless they're dessert wines, in which case they'll be labelled VT (Vendange Tardive) or SGN (Selection de Grains Nobles).

Wines to look out for:

Riesling Cuvée Théo, Domaine Weinbach
Domaine Bott-Geyl Riesling Grafenreben Lieu-Dit

Australian Riesling

This isn't a grape variety that the Aussies are particularly reknowned for, but they can do it very well. Wines from the cooler climate areas of Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Margaret River and Tasmania tend to be fresher, zingier and more floral. Those from hotter areas such as Maclaren Vale are fatter and more tropical.

Wines to look out for:

D’Arenberg The Dry Dam Riesling (Maclaren Vale)
Bay of Fires Riesling (Tasmania)
Petaluma Clare Valley Riesling (Clare Valley)

New Zealand Riesling

This is one of the more exciting grape varieties being grown in New Zealand, balancing out the oceans of Sauvignon Blanc. New Zealand’s beautifully cool climate is perfect for growing such aromatic grapes, hence its success also with Pinot Gris, Albarino and now Austria's Gruner Veltliner.

Wines to look out for:

Dry River Craighall Riesling (Martinborough)
Seresin Memento Riesling (Marlborough)
Mountford Pure Riesling (Waipara)

Food Matching

Because Riesling is such an aromatic wine, it works really well with aromatic food. Not just Indian curries, but also Thai, Vietnamese, Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisine – anything with lots of fragrant herbs and spices. And the hotter the spices are, the sweeter the Riesling should be as this balances the heat beautifully.

Of course it’s also very enjoyable when drunk on its own, beautifully chilled...

Happy Swigging!