Your intrepid liquor reporter has been waiting for several years for the Riesling Revolution to begin, when that bold Germanic grape sweeps over all those other white grapes like Chardonnay and Pinot Gris to take its place as king of the white wines.
Sadly, the Riesling grape remains an enigmatic mystery to most, perhaps only enjoyed to its full potential in its native climes of Germany and Austria.
North American palates may still be wary of the waves of cloyingly sweet Riesling that flooded the market in the swinging 70’s and decadent 80’s.
Luckily, the Riesling industry underwent a dramatic transformation in the 1990’s, and is now usually produced as a dry or off-dry wine without excessive residual sugars.
The first step in your journey of accepting Riesling into your life should be the proper pronunciation and spelling, both of which are frequently flummoxed by those of non-Teutonic descent.
You’ve just read the word Riesling a half-dozen times, so if you don’t know the spelling yet, it is possible you never will. However, the pronunciation tends to vary by regional accents, getting worse as you move further away from Germany. To say the word properly, enunciate it like Reeze-ling.
The Riesling grape is native to Germany, and has been cultivated there since the 14th century. While the majority of plantings are still in Germany, the Riesling grape has also flourished in the Alsace region of France, as well as in the land down under of Oz, and even here in Canada.
In fact, Canada has the Riesling grape to thank for our best-known contribution to the world of wine, as most Canadian ice wine is made from Riesling grapes that are left on the vine until they freeze.
Riesling is also used in Canada for producing sparkling wines, my personal favourite of which is the Cipes Brut sparkling wine from Summerhill in the Okanagan Valley of BC. This wine was unavailable in Alberta for many years, so your globetrotting liquor reporter had to make an annual trip to Kelowna to stock up on the best wines that BC had to offer. Luckily, production has been ramped up in order to supply the Alberta market, so you can now find this wine at well-stocked booze merchants here in Alberta.
Similar to Pinot Noir, Riesling is very expressive of its terroir, meaning that the taste is highly affected by its local soil and climate conditions. This makes a German cool-climate Riesling much different than an Australian hot-climate Riesling, simply due to how the grape matures during the growing season.
Regardless of where it is grown, there are some common characteristics to all Rieslings. The wine is quite aromatic, with plenty of floral and perfume scents on the nose. Be sure to pour this into a large glass with a tapered rim, which helps capture the bouquet while you are tasting the wine.
Dry Rieslings are generally consumed fairly young, which enhances their fruity notes of grapefruit and peach. However, due to its relatively high acidity, Riesling tends to age quite well, with some of the most expensive and rare German vintages being aged for over a century! A more reasonable expectation is 5-10 years for the dry varieties, while sweeter wines can age longer due to the higher sugar content providing a preservative effect.
Despite the transformations in the 1990’s, which saw Riesling move to a drier style, there are still many sweet varieties of Riesling produced, the most famous of which are sweet dessert wines and ice wines.
Riesling is generally aged in stainless steel vats instead of oak barrels, so it retains a crisp and citrusy flavour, with none of the notes of vanilla or toast that imparted by oak. It pairs particularly well with salty foods, as well as Asian dishes like sushi.
If you would like to expand your wine horizons, wander down the German aisle of your local wine store, and you will find Rieslings at every price point! If you prefer to shop locally, there are plenty of Canadian Rieslings to choose from. Two of my favourites are from the Tawse Winery in the Niagara region, and the Mission Hill Reserve Riesling from Kelowna. Both wines can be found locally for under $20, so pick up a bottle today!
