Riesling a versatile wine made from the world’s most noble grapes. It originated from the Rhine and Mosel river valleys of Germany. Riesling was widely grown by the French and German in the middle ages. According to a survey in 2004, Riesling is estimated to be grown at 48,700 hectares, putting it in the world’s top 20 most grown varieties. Riesling is also significantly planted in Austria, Australia, USA, South Africa, Luxembourg, Ukraine, New Zealand, Canada and Czech Republic. When it comes to taste, this variety usually falls into the best white wine category, with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. At this point it is enjoying great market share and market growth, for being a top preferred wine worldwide, because of its versatility and refreshing taste.
Riesling Characteristics
Due to its delicate nature, the winemakers need to take into account its sensitivity during harvesting to avoid crushing the grape or bruising its skin, without this care, the broken skins will lead to a bad taste and throw off balance in terms of its range of flavors and aromas. To preserve its acidic characteristic, and tartness it does not experience malolactic fermentation that is why it has a “thirst quenching” quality. The major thing to keep in mind during the production of this variety is to keep it in a climate that allows slow and long ripening procedure which will give high yield, with all the right flavors intact. The dry type is served at a cool 11 °C, and the sweeter type is often served warmer.
Riesling Taste
This variety of wine gives a great balance between mineral and fruit flavors. It gives a flowery, almost perfumed bouquet. The range of style varies from dry to sweet, making this variety the ultimate “food wine”. It is usually categorized based on its level of dryness and the grape ripeness level at harvest. These wines have an aroma of apple, peach and pear mixed with floral undertones. Riesling also echoes tropical and citrus fruit flavors for example pear, peach and apple. Riesling tends to have a natural minerally flavor which comes from its native soils, like flint, steel and gunmetal. If it is aged, it develops a distinct petroleum taste, which is usually preferred by many experienced drinker, but for some it may be off-putting since it loses its young, fruity aroma. The petroleum taste is more common in Germany, some exporters think of it as a defect and try to avoid it. Germans prefer to have this wine young because of its young flavor profile of being equally minerally, with floral and fruit characteristics.
Riesling: For the Foodie!
Riesling is the ultimate “food wine” as well as “sipping wine”. It is one of the wines that can be paired with stronger flavors like Thai and Chinese cuisines. It has that typical aroma of fruits, flowers and mineral stone. It is never aged in oak, that means it’s much lighter, smoother and can be paired with wider range of foods; that have a large salt content. Riesling pairs well with many food kinds. It is a very accommodating wine that goes well with different challenging flavors. Try the lighter, crisper one with sea food and simple salads. The sweeter and minerally kind could go well with foods that have strong spices and sauces especially Asian foods. It is all about preferences; don’t play safe, we advise you to take full advantage of the versatility of this wine. Riesling works well with desserts, poultry, sea food and basically any dish in between. Due to the variety of styles it has and it’s amazing aroma, Riesling can be easily enjoyed with just about any kind of cuisine.
