![]() ![]() ![]() When you find a selection of German Riesling, all you see are labels that say Dr. The challenge with Riesling is that many of the regions that produce the varietal in its finest forms, Germany and France’s Alsace in particular, confuse the heck out of wine buyers with complicated classification systems and either too much or too little digestible information on the label.įurthering complicating matters is that Riesling can run the gamut from super sweet to bone dry and everywhere in between. It went something along the lines of “ everybody may not like all Rieslings, but there’s a Riesling for everybody.” ![]() I heard a quote recently about Riesling that I thought really summed it up right. And I’m really talking about the perceptions of your general everyday wine buyer. Ready to taste? Browse our Riesling labels on sale.Riesling is one of the most misunderstood and arguably under-appreciated varietals in the modern wine world. This pale straw to intensely golden yellow wine is best served chilled in a white wine glass. Riesling is often found in its traditional tall and tapered bottle. ![]() After a long, slow fermentation, the extra care and labor results a beautiful dessert wine with decadent fruit flavors. To create this unique style, grapes at the Beerenauslese ripeness level are left to freeze naturally on the vine. Eiswein or Ice Wine, is one of the most labor-intensive wines to harvest and produce. It can take a grape harvester an entire day to collect enough grapes to create one bottle of this style. Trockenbeerenauslese literally means "dry berry selected.” These grapes are harvested in similar fashion to Beerenauslese to make one of the world's most celebrated dessert wines. The resulting style is extremely sweet, viscous and can often be pricey. Similar to Auslese, Beerneauslese is made from late-season, individually picked grapes that are affected by botrytis, commonly known as “noble rot.” This beneficial fungus withers the grape into a raisin-like berry, deeply concentrating the natural sugars. Beerenauslese is a dessert wine with high residual sugar, making them great for aging. Once fermented, this style becomes intensely sweet with a medium to full body. “Selected Harvest” or Auslese, is another late harvest term where grapes are handpicked from overripe bunches. Spätlese, meaning “late selected,” is a medium-bodied wine made from late harvest grapes which presents as a richer style in comparison to Kabinett. It is a light wine that leads with minerality and bright fruit flavors. Wine designated as Kabinett is made from the first bunches selected at harvest and is typically made in an off-dry style. Imagine six siblings - each will grow, mature and look different however, common traits tether them: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein are these classic siblings. Each shows unique character yet remain connected through their signature acidity. In Germany, six traditional wine terms help define certain styles of Riesling by grape ripeness at harvest. Other secondary aromas can include notes of wet stones, slate, petrol as well as floral aspects like citrus blossom or jasmine. Riesling is also a great wine to put into the cellar – as it ages the fruit flavors gain complexity they can mellow and mature into tastes of honeycomb, crème brulee and dried fruits. Dry Riesling can also display apple notes, often with subtle quince or lemony citrus on the palate. The first thing you may notice in a glass of Riesling, with aroma and taste, is ripe orchard fruits like apple, peach, or pear. However, dry Rieslings are also gaining popularity and broadening the diversity of the varietal. Traditionally, Riesling grapes are vinified into sweeter, lower alcohol wines, creating a desired balance to the trademark acidity. Riesling is not often blended with other grapes nor influenced by barrel aging in new oak. Much more complex than a beginning wine drinker’s sweet white, Riesling provides a range of climate-distinct flavors and striking aromas. ![]()
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