A Riesling to believe

Riesling, often believed to produce sweet white wines, is among the most misunderstood of all grape varietals. The origins of this belief goes back to the 1960s when a good number of the wines made from the Riesling grape were mass-produced and intentionally made to be sweet. For those of you who were around then, you may recall a wildly popular style of German wine called Liebfraumilch (“maiden’s milk”). Blue Nun was one of the more famous Liebfraumilch wines. Riesling was the most recognized varietal in this white wine blend, thus, the sweet drink became what many believed to be representative of a Riesling wine. Although popular, this was not what most wine drinkers were looking for in a white wine, so they moved on to other varietals such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. I’m here to tell you that Riesling can produce excellent white wine. Let’s take a deeper dive into this noble grape.

Viticultural research leads us to two potential birthplaces of Riesling: the Rhine River regions of Germany or the Alsace region of France. The Alsace region is in the far northeastern area of France very close to the Alps and Germany. The earliest documentation of Riesling is believed to be from the 1400s, in which records reference a grape varietal called Rießlingen. The origin of Riesling is an ancient French grape named Gouais Blanc. This grape was quite prolific and is believed to be the grandmother of Chardonnay, Petit Verdot, Chenin Blanc, Muscadelle, and Gamay. Riesling grapes continue to be grown and produced into outstanding wine in locations such as the Mosel region of Germany, the Alsace region in France, and the Finger Lake region of New York State.

So, is Riesling just for lovers of sweet wine? Absolutely not! High-quality Rieslings are produced in a wider range of sweetness and dryness than most any other wine varietal. What our pallet detects as sweetness has to do with residual sugar. Juice squeezed from virtually all wine grapes is naturally sweet. Winemakers attempt to allow grapes to stay on the vine as long as possible in order to maximize that sugar. In fermentation, yeast consumes the sugar and converts it into alcohol and carbon dioxide, turning the grape juice into wine. Residual Sugar (RS) is the natural sugar that remains in the wine after the fermentation process. The level of sugar remaining varies based on many factors, including the length of fermentation and the initial sugar level of the juice. Wines are identified as “sweet” if the RS is above 120 grams per liter, or 12% RS. “Semi-sweet” wines have between 35 and 120 g/L, or 3.5% to 12% RS. Wines with between 17 and 35 g/L (1.7% to 3.5% RS) are called “off-dry.” The majority of what we call “dry” wines fall between 0.6 and 17 g/L (.006% to 1.7% RS), while the driest wines, referred to as “bone dry,” have virtually no RS, between 0 and 0.6 g/L. Rieslings can be found in many of these classifications.

If your interest is now piqued about Riesling, allow me to offer a few recommendations. Schmitt Söhne, from Mosel Germany, produces some very nice semi-sweet to sweet Rieslings that I am confident you would enjoy. Their Relax Riesling is on the sweeter side and is in a distinctively slender, cobalt blue bottle. It has high acidity, a characteristic of all good Rieslings, and pairs well with cheese, salads, seafood, poultry, and spicier Asian dishes. Or, try my favorite from this winery: the Schmitt Söhne Riesling Auslese. It is more full-bodied than most Rieslings with wonderful flavors of apricot, nectarine and honey and is a pleasant semi-sweet wine at 52-57 g/L RS with the classic high acidity.

Alsace, France is another outstanding producer of Riesling where dry Rieslings dominate. Pierre Sparr vineyards make a fantastic option that is sure to satisfy even those who favor very dry wines. The Sparr Estate and Vineyards dates back to the 1680s when the original vines were planted. Pierre Sparr, the current vineyard owner and operator, took on operations at the young age of 20. The Sparr Alsace Riesling is a sophisticated and refined representation of the region’s terroir. Although the aroma is floral and sweet, the flavor is focused on the minerality with only notes of the fruit. This wine is very dry with an RS of about 0.6%. I probably recommend the Sparr Alsace more than any other Riesling to customers at the store. It is excellent and very reasonably priced.

For good Rieslings produced much closer to home, I urge you to explore the Finger Lakes of New York State. There are many fine wineries in this region that produce good Rieslings, ranging from sweet to dry. Recently, Paul Hobbs, the world-renowned winemaker known for his California wines and his joint ventures in Argentina and Spain, has planted vines along Seneca Lake to begin wine production in the Finger Lakes. Hobbs follows old-world tradition and understands the importance of terroir. He has chosen to grow only one varietal of grape in pursuit of producing the best quality wine that particular terroir can provide: Riesling! He named the vineyard Hillick and Hobbs, after his parents (Hillick was his mother’s maiden name). My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting the vineyard in fall of 2022. The Hillick and Hobbs Seneca Lake Dry Riesling is excellent and worth the slightly higher price. The wine is 100% estate-grown Riesling. The grapes are hand-harvested and sorted at the vineyard and then 100% fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks. With an RS of less than 0.5%, this is truly a dry Riesling. It has excellent minerality from the blue slate and glacial shale soil of the land. The aroma is lightly floral; the flavor is stone fruit with a well-balanced acidity and long-lasting finish. Treat yourself to this wonderful wine.

I hope this article has debunked some misunderstandings about Riesling and that the next time you seek a white wine, you consider this wonderful varietal! Contact me with any questions or comments at dsetley@passionvines.com, or stop into the Somers Point store. Until next time, Happy wining!