Considered by many to be the greatest of the white wine grapes, Riesling is one of the best at relaying a taste of place while still maintaining its varietal characteristics.  The most famous are from the great river valleys of Germany, where the dry versions can be steely with an incredible minerality that is hard to match and the sweet versions are as luscious and sensual as any wine in the world. The versions made in California tend towards riper fruit and without the mineral characteristics of the European versions, but the good ones still have that great bracing acidity that makes it such a wonderful wine with food. This is one of the few white wines that has the ability to age for many years.

Cultivation: Riesling, although not a vigorous grower, is extremely cold weather and disease resistant which is why it can grow well in such northern regions as Canada, New York and the Mosul in Germany. There it is grown on the south facing slopes of the Rhine River up to 200 meters from the river. This positions the grapes to receive every possible ray of sun, including those that reflect off the water and off of the slate soils. In good years the grapes will continue to hang through to November and, in really good years, into Christmas time to make the great wines Beerenauslesen, Trockenbeerenauslesen and Eiswien that can be very expensive but worth trying at least once. This is very different from the growing experience Riesling has in California. Here it is considered an early ripener due to the warmer temperatures and the fact it is used to primarily produce dry wines. The grapes do best on non-fertile soils, such as the slate slopes of its homeland, and if grown in too fertile soils with too much water can make a wine that islacking in character or flavor. A really exciting turn in California is the production in many regions of a late harvest Rieslings that produce some very nice sweet wines that, although lacking the great minerality of German versions, have the wonderful fruit and acidity that make such lovely dessert style wines. Look for more of these in the future as Californian winemakers do what they do best; continue to experiment with new varietals and styles to discover what works best in what regions.

Flavor Profiles: This grape more than any other is known for its ability to present a taste of place. In Traben-Trarbach wines almost taste of wet stone and the wines of Wehlen that have great minerality. In California the wines have riper flavors of peaches and apricot. No matter where it comes from you should still find the lively, often bracing acidity that Riesling is known for that, in well made wines, is well balanced with its great fruit to make a delicious wine. The fruit flavors prominent in the wine are dependent on how well the grapes ripened. In the Mosul you are most likely to find tart citrus like lemon and lime, green apples, quince and sometimes unripe tropical fruit. Ripe dry wines demonstrate yellow apples as well as ripe oranges, pears, and peach. The late harvested wines tend toward baked apple, peach and very ripe passion fruit, pineapples and guava. The non-fruit flavors are terroir and ripeness driven. The common earthy qualities range from mineral, chalk and slate to steeliness or wet stone and an almost smokiness totally unrelated to oak. Riesling is known for its great floral qualities, such as jasmine, rose and honeysuckle with the contrast of petroleum, rubber boot or tar in some of the aged versions. Some of the other common qualities are juniper, mint and lychee. The late harvest and/or sweet versions tend towards honey, almonds, spice and even raisin.

Wine Pairing Considerations: This is the ultimate white wine for food pairing. The incredible combination of acidity, extracted fruit and low alcohol allows it to work with a multitude of food styles and flavors. It works beautifully with spicy food that only Gewurztraminer can approach. A nice off-dry version can taste wonderful with food with a little fuller bodied, like chicken. This is a wine that can stand up to ham and yet is delicate enough to not overpower the flavors of a light white fish. It loves acidic food as much as it does good German sausage.
Major California Growing Regions: Anderson Valley, Arroyo Seco, El Dorado, Lake County, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Paso Robles, Russian River, Santa Cruz, Santa Lucia