Riesling 101 – The Basics

The real title of this post should be "Riesling... A Love Letter" because in essence, that's what this is. Oh Riesling, how do I love the? In every way, all the time.

It's a rule of wine-writing that you must be drinking wine while writing about it. I'm even drinking a pretty cheap, uninspiring Riesling right now and I'm still obsessed. Let me tell you why.

One of wine's most glorious characteristics is that the best wines come from grapes that have struggled. The grapes that fight through imperfect conditions (early frost, hail, too much rain, too much heat, not enough rain, etc.) produce the most complex and deserving wines that get made. Riesling handles the elements beautifully - often grown in the coldest part of wine growing regions (which for you newbies, is between 30 and 50 degrees latitude).

If you've dabbled in Riesling, you might know 3 regions - Alsace, France, Germany, and New York state. This isn't a hard and fast rule, as there are few of those in wine, but if you want a good chance at picking out a great, dry Riesling, pick one from Rheingau, Germany. Move north to Mosel and you'll get lighter bodied and slightly sweeter wines. If you see "Trocken" on the label from Germany that means dry!

And hail the dry Rieslings from Alsace! Protected by the Vosges Mountains, this sweet little terroir haven produces some of the best Riesling in the world. Often dry with beautiful citrus, ripe fruit, and blossom notes. If you want to stick to domestic producers, head to the Finger Lakes of NY state. Check the label carefully for sugar content to find one on the dryer side and have fun.

So here's the deal with Riesling - it has BEAUTIFUL notes of citrus and high acidity. Pair that with blossom and floral notes for a balanced taste that doesn't make you feel like you're eating the flowers... they're just... there. You then transition to those warmer flavors - honey, dried fruit, tropical fruits like pineapple and mango, YASSS. And get this, Riesling is famous for the really good ones to have notes of... petrol. Yep, gas. Why would you want to drink that? I don't know but it just works so make peace with it now. (If you're really interested, Wine Spectator has a great article about the smell of petrol in Riesling here).

In terms of pairing, sweeter Rieslings are great with spicy Asian cuisines - this is your friend for your next Thai order. And that makes sense, you want some sweet to balance the heat. But really, this varietal is drinkable on its own. Pick up a bottle or two next time you're at the store and have some on hand for the next time you want a glass of wine. Before you know it, the bottle will be gone.

This is just the start of my Riesling rants here.