Riesling: What to Know and 6 Bottles to Try

Riesling is one of the wine world’s most misunderstood grape varieties. Wine drinkers often deride riesling as cheap and sweet, but these stereotypes couldn’t be further from the truth.

Believe it or not, riesling is responsible for one of the most (if not the most) diverse spectrum of wines on the planet. Its wines are vinified in styles ranging from bone-dry to very sweet and in both still and sparkling formats. Couple that with the variety’s ripping acidity, flavor-packed juice, and ability to age, and you have yourself the potential for some seriously delicious wine. When we say this grape can do it all, we mean it. 

Where Does Riesling Come From?

Riesling finds its origins in the Rhine region of Germany. Today, the grape is cultivated all over the world, though its most notable homes include the Alsace region of France, Austria, Germany, Washington State, and the Finger Lakes region of New York.

What Does Riesling Taste Like?

The final profile of a riesling-based wine depends on where the fruit is grown and the vinification techniques that the juice undergoes. Generally speaking, most rieslings are vinified varietally (not in a blend), and the wines rarely see hefty amounts of oak if any at all. 

Like most grape varieties, riesling’s flavor profile is heavily dependent on the area of the world in which it’s cultivated, as well as the way in which it’s vinified. Wines made from riesling frequently show flavors of lemon, lime, tropical fruits, white flowers, jasmine, honey, petrol, matchsticks and/or wet slate. 

What Are Common Riesling Terms?

Navigating the world of riesling can be tricky, but knowing a few key words goes a long way. As with most German wines, “trocken” denotes a dry riesling. “Halbtrocken” and “feinherb” indicate off-dry bottlings, and “liebliche,” “auslese” (for the most part), “beerenauslese,” “trockenbeerenauslese,” and “eiswein” designate sweet wines. If all else fails, simply ask your wine retailer or sommelier for some guidance, as they are likely to have tasted the wines and will have more in-depth knowledge regarding what a particular bottle is like.

What Are Good Food Pairings with Riesling?

Because of their extremely high levels of acidity, rieslings are some of the most food-friendly bottles on the planet. Salty bone-dry bottlings pair perfectly with smoked fish or salty cheese, while off-dry expressions come alive when sipped with spicy foods. And don’t forget to save a bottle of sweet dessert wine to sip after your meal.

These are six bottles to try.