Grapes · White grape
Riesling
Considered by many professionals the greatest white grape. Riesling is never oaked, keeps razor-sharp acidity and can be bone dry or lusciously sweet — and it ages for decades.
On the nose
Young wines (primary aromas)
- lime
- lemon
- green apple
- peach
- apricot
- white flowers
- slate / wet stone
Oak & winemaking (secondary)
- none — Riesling is almost never oak-flavoured
With bottle age (tertiary)
- petrol / kerosene
- honey
- toast
- dried apricot
On the palate
Ranges from dry (trocken) to very sweet, always with high acidity and light to medium body. Pure citrus and stone fruit with a long, mineral finish; often low in alcohol when off-dry.
Tasting tip
A whiff of petrol in an older white wine with high acidity almost always means Riesling.
Often confused with
Sauvignon Blanc (grassier), Chenin Blanc (waxier, honey), Grüner Veltliner (peppery).
Where it grows
- Germany — Mosel, Rheingau, Pfalz, Nahe
- France — Alsace
- Australia — Clare Valley, Eden Valley
- USA — Finger Lakes (New York), Washington State
- New Zealand — Waipara, Central Otago