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Grape Highlight: Riesling

  • Blanca Valbuena
  • February 23, 2010

Riesling is one of the most beautiful grapes in production out there, but it has had a difficult life. Some people find it scary and off-putting with all the long and complicated German names. Others generalize that Riesling is sweet, sticky and unsophisticated.

Both stereotypes are completely wrong. Riesling is a wonderful and versatile grape that everyone can love. As a norm, Riesling is usually lower in alcohol, super aromatic with concentrated flavors.

Riesling (originally from Germany) can wear many taste profiles. Some Rieslings are as dry as Sauvignon Blanc and others sweet as honey. Once you do a little homework I am certain that you will fall in love with the grape.

Riesling does extremely well in cold weather which is one of the reasons it thrives in Germany, Alsace and upstate NY. That being said, Riesling is being grown all over the world. I’ve seen Riesling planted in Chile and Italy, these changes will most certainly change the rules on flavor profiles in the future.

Grape Highlight: RieslingThe most wonderful thing about Riesling is Botrytis.  During the growing season, if you get one day of rain followed by a dry day there “noble rot” (aka Botrytis Cinerea) will develop. Botrytis is a non-toxic mold that shrivels up the grapes and increases their sugar concentration allowing for the development of delectable dessert wines. Unlike other grapes that can be made into sweet wines, Riesling is known for having minerality and acidity which work to balance out its sweetness so you don’t end up with a cloyingly sticky sweetness.
Here are the various degrees of sweetness:

Trocken and Kabinett are usually dry and work well with pork dishes and shellfish, if you can get your hands on some caviar you’ll have a great evening on hand.

Spatlese (Late picked): These are late harvest wines, the grapes are allowed to sit on the vine a bit longer and have a higher concentration of sugar. If you’re a fan of pates, this is a perfect wine to try with them.

Auslese (selectively picked bunches): Now we’re talking these will be quite a bit sweeter than Spatlese. Serve this up with spicy and flavorful dishes; Thai and Mexican dishes will work quite well.

Beerenauslese (selectively picked grapes): Here individual grapes are allowed to stay on the vines even longer achieving more sugar concentration. The wine’s texture and flavors are great with salty cheese and with fresh fruits.

Trockenbeerenauslese (this is for you if you have a sweet tooth): Just remember that the longest name is the sweetest wine. TBA’s stay on the vine longest and are allowed to be “attacked” by noble rot (botrytis). These wines taste like nectar of the gods. Try this wine out with some honeydew melon and keep away from too sweet desserts, it will be way too much sugar for the palate.

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