/
Riesling is a grape variety that never leaves anyone indifferent. Defined by the multitude of expressions it can take on, it almost demands to be spoken of in the plural. The roots of its name—said to derive from reissen, meaning “to split” or “to fragment” in Old German—seem perfectly suited to it. Widely planted in north-eastern Europe—its exceptionally vigorous wood giving it strong resistance to cold—it is equally appreciated in many countries of the Southern Hemisphere.
A king grape in Germany, the world’s leading producer, Riesling alone accounts for just under a quarter of the country’s total vineyard area. This attachment is historical. The first written records attesting to Riesling date back to 1435 and place it on the northern bank of the Rhine, in the Rheingau. Germany’s complex wine hierarchy is organised by style, determined by measurements of must density, which indicate potential alcohol. Traditionally low in alcohol, remarkably persistent on the palate, and endowed with phenomenal acidity, German Rieslings are highly sought-after. The finest sites lie on the steep slopes lining the Rhine, in the Mosel and the Rheingau.
The German tradition continues in Alsace, the only region in France officially authorised to grow Riesling for AOC wines. It is one of the four “noble” varieties defined by the interprofession, alongside Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat. Only these varieties may be used to produce Grands Crus, Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles. The most widely planted grape in Alsace, Riesling enjoys, as its playground, the great diversity of the region’s 13 soil types and its 51 recognised Grands Crus, as well as one of the driest microclimates in France. “For me, Riesling is Alsace’s great white grape: it has incredible class, a fascinating evolution, and the ability to make both dry and sweet wines of great elegance. It’s a true terroir sponge,” enthuses Mélanie Pfister, winegrower and oenologist at the eponymous estate in Dahlenheim, north of Alsace. Unlike other AOCs, it is the grape rather than the place that is foregrounded in Alsace, which entered the appellation system relatively late, in 1962. One can nonetheless observe a gradual shift towards greater emphasis on terroir, which seems to convey the wines’ imprint more faithfully.
In New World countries, Riesling is the princely grape of the coolest zones. It is particularly widely planted in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Styles there are very diverse, though generally more structured, higher in alcohol, and lower in acidity than those grown in Europe.
Wherever it grows, Riesling confers rare longevity on its wines, which can evolve and gain complexity over several decades. With age, they may develop highly distinctive mineral aromas often described as “petrol-like.” The emergence of these notes is caused by TDN, a molecular compound that is released over time and is all the more pronounced when berries are exposed to strong sunlight, soils are relatively infertile, and pressing is more extractive. Riesling’s aromatic richness and its powerful, straight acid spine mean it can balance well with a touch of residual sugar. Even so, off-dry wines struggle to find their place with consumers and tastemakers alike. Our perception of sweetness is highly subjective and can play tricks. Depending on grape quality, vinification and ageing choices, sugar may be virtually imperceptible, lifted and tightened by a bracing acidity. The trend, however, remains towards Rieslings positioned at the extremes of the sweetness scale: either bone-dry, or distinctly mellow to lusciously sweet.
Its many aromatic facets, and the mouthwatering, saline persistence it leaves on the palate, make it unique—something that continues to charm countless wine lovers and winemakers who, all over the world, have made it their favourite. Riesling: an aristocratic grape, catalyst of a diversity gathered around women and men who devote a kind of cult to it. We understand them easily.
