Because of this, traditional German rieslings are usually on the dry side. In Germany, where riesling is one of the most common varietals, the cool, northern latitude climate gives these grapes a lower sugar content and a higher acidity. These wines can often seem sweet at first sip, where the aromas of bright fruit overwhelm the minerality, but finish crisp and dry as the actual flavor of the wine overpowers the aroma towards the end of a sip. Alternatively, riesling can be made in the dry style, with very little residual sugar left in the wine after fermentation. The grape itself has a higher sugar content than many other wine grapes, and many winemakers chose to honor this quality by crafting their rieslings to exhibit this sweetness. Would be great with smoked salmon – or, indeed, spam.įor more by Fiona Beckett, go to is made from an incredibly aromatic grape that is commonly grown in Germany and France. It has that slightly oily, petrolly, limey taste of a mature riesling, which is surprising in a vintage as recent as 2020. You need to be a Naked Wine Angel to take advantage of the really competitive price. Kaufmann Rheingau Riesling 2020 £ 19.99 (or £13.99 to Angels) Naked Wines, 12.5%. And part of the proceeds go to a project to tackle homelessness. A bit pricey, but this deliciously limey Australian riesling (named after an ice lolly) is a great way to kick off your riesling journey. They suggest duck as a pairing, which sounds good to me.įorage Supply Co ‘Spliced’ Eden Valley Riesling 2022 £22 The Wine Society, 12%. Amazing price for a wine of this quality. A mature off-dry riesling from one of New Zealand’s best producers. Pegasus Bay ‘Main Divide’ Riesling 2019 £13.99 (or £10.99 on mix six) Majestic, 13%. A full-bodied, zesty riesling from Chile that would work well with Thai food. Great value.Įmiliana Novas Riesling 2021 £10 Booths, £11 WoodWinters, 13.5%. Much drier than Mosel riesling used to be, with a sharp whoosh of green apple and fresh lemon juice. Waitrose Blueprint Dry German Riesling 2021 £7.99, 12%. But it might be that, like Ahn, you’ll fall big time for that.

The key is to look at the alcohol content (the higher it is, the drier the wine) and the vintage: the older, the more complex – and possibly petrolly – they may be. Alsace’s are more aromatic still, but drier. Those from New Zealand and Washington State are slightly more floral – Tesco stocks Chateau Ste Michelle’s 2021 Dry Riesling (13%) from the latter at £12– while Austria’s tend to be leaner and more mineral, and more like the indigenous grüner veltliner. Australia’s Eden and Clare valleys produce a particularly distinctive, limey style – the Forage Supply Co “Spliced” Eden Valley Riesling 2022 in today’s pick is truly delicious. If it hasn’t grabbed you yet, maybe focus on those from the New World. Not everyone buys into the curious taste of kerosene or petrol in a mature riesling, and although rieslings are much drier than they once were, which makes them more versatile, there’s still a sweetness in many that would make them jar with popular foods such as pizza or pasta.īut it is a grape variety well worth persisting with. The Pegasus riesling in today’s pick, for example, gets only an average of three stars from Majestic customers. If you don’t share Ahn’s enthusiasm for riesling, however, you’re not alone. I list these wines because I want to, not because anyone makes me.” “Noreetuh is a small restaurant, which has its advantages. Ahn’s list, which contains vintages going back to 1983 (and prices up to $350), is exceptional even by New York standards. Its ability to age, and its ability to shine as a dry wine all the way to a sweet wine, makes it unique,” he enthuses. “Fine riesling comes to you naked, and you cannot hide any faults with the winemaking. For Noreetuh’s wine director Jin Ahn, whose passion for the stuff borders on the fanatical, riesling is peerless.

Good riesling wine