Riesling grapes grow best in cooler climates. Enough rain and, in particular, long, sunny autumns with cool nights and mist-covered mornings provide the optimal conditions for this impressive grape to unfold their elegant flavor nuances. It’s hardly surprising that nearly one quarter of Germany’s vineyards are planted with Riesling.
Riesling possesses the singular characteristic that even the lighter wines are delicious. The Riesling lover needn’t look for an alcohol-laden wine; less alcohol does not compromise the taste. Riesling is the classic German grape variety, the one that gives German wine its unique profile, one hardly found anywhere else in the world: racy, beautifully elegant, not too heavy, and when chilled, simply delectable! High quality Rieslings, such as those showing off their mineral characteristics, are white wines which already show the promise of good aging. As they mature, these wines develop additional delicate touches of honey and caramel, gently underlining the fruity nuances of peaches and apricots. Six, seven, even eight years of aging is a task easily accomplished by this elegant grape variety. And as it matures, the grape’s typical acidity gentles and melds with the wine, giving even the older wines a crisp backbone to their structure.
Riesling goes especially well with delicate foods, where the tannins of a rich red wine would be a disturbance. Among Riesling’s favorite dishes are light meats, fish and shellfish. The wine’s distinctive crispness stimulates the taste buds and raises the food experience to further heights. Some connoisseurs even claim that Riesling will aid the digestion.
German Rieslings are most prevalent along the Rhine and Mosel, in the Pfalz, Württemberg and the central Baden wine regions.
