German wine is dangerously close to not being possible due to its altitude and climate, but it is made possible by a few geographical factors. Because it's so cold the growing season is long and drawn out, but there is plenty of sun. That is why the best wine growing regions in the country have slate soil and steep slopes along a river. This is because the slate absorbs heat from the sun, and the river reflects sunlight up onto the vines. So we're pretty lucky to even have Riesling, which originated in Germany.
(This article was written for GrapeBunch, our weekly wine periodical. Click here to read the original!)
In the Rhineland of Germany, a log entry of Count John IV records the earliest known mention of Riesling on March 13th, 1435, when the Count purchased six vines of "Rießlingen" ("riesslingen") from a man named Klaus Kleinfish for 22 shillings. Other early accounts include St. Jacob Hospice buying "Ruesseling" in 1464, a vineyard in Worms was growing “Ruessling" in 1490, and then there was “Rissling wingart” in Pfeddersheim in 1511. Even with these as our earliest known records, Austria claims to have grown Riesling since 1232 and Alsace (formerly of Germany, now of France) since 1348.
DNA evidence unfortunately does nothing to prove Germany, Austria, or Alsace's claims. What it does find is that Riesling is a cross between Gouis Blanc (a parent of Chardonnay as well) and Traminer.
Riesling did well with spreading around those regions in its early days, but it wasn't until 1775 when it became really what we know it as today, and it was kind of by mistake! Letters from winegrowers sent to the Prince-Abbott of Fulda, Heinrich VIII, asking permission to harvest the vineyards he owned were delayed by weeks. By the time he could get back to the vineyards the grapes were infected with the fungus botrytis cinerea, but he decided to make the wine anyways and it was absolutely devine.
Leaving the grapes on the vine longer than necessary quickly brought along the popularity of Spätlese ("late harvest") and it became standard practice for Rieslings out of Johannisberg. Then it worked its way out to the rest of Rheingau, along the Rhine, and down the Mosel. Auslese ("selected harvest") became a thing, which is even riper than Spätlese.
A whole scale of classifications based on grape ripeness took shape, eventually called Prädikatsweine. Mail delays, of all things, changed German wine forever.
On the table above you'll see the lower levels have Tafelwein and Landwein, which are basic table wines, and QBA (Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete), which is better quality than table wine, before you get in to Prädikat levels of late harvesting.
The PRÄDIKAT levels begin with Kabinett. Keep in mind that this doesn't mean there aren't Kabinetts out there that are better than, say, some Auslese level wines; this is just the lowest ripeness level that the grapes were harvested at. Spätlese ("late harvest") is next and these grapes spend more time on the vine past the normal harvest, giving the wine more character. Auslese ("selected harvest") has to reach a certain sugar level so they can be very sweet. But when fermented to dryness they can lead to some impressively high alcohol wines. Beerenauslese ("selected berries") and Trockenbeerenauslese (selected dried berries) are sweet dessert wine that fall under the category of an Eiswein (ice wine).
IT'S NOT ALWAYS SWEET!
Riesling can be super sweet to bone dry. Nowadays they'll sometimes show the sweetness level of the wine on the back label using a universal scale that's easy to understand, but what if they don't? How can you tell?
Remember this: unless it is a sparkling wine or dessert wine, the higher the ABV percentage then the drier the wine. That's it! Easy as that! If a wine is 5% like many Moscatos it's going to be very sweet. If it's 9% it's going to be semi-sweet. If it's 13% it's going to be dry. This is because sugar is what's converted into alcohol during the fermentation process, so there's more remaining sugar in the wines with lower alcohol, thus the sweetness.
Riesling isn't as widely planted in Germany as you may think it is, but at one point it was completely dominant in its plantings until there was a backlash against it in the 1800's with the rise of Silvaner and Müller-Thurgau. It did bounce back in plantings, but not to the extreme levels that it once enjoyed. Today Riesling accounts for 23% of the vines in Germany and it has earned its popularity as top exporter and face-of-the-franchise.
This article has been pretty Germany-heavy for obvious reasons, but WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORLD? Riesling hasn't just been sitting still and looking pretty in Germany and Alsace! Australia's dry Rieslings are legendary, California has obviously been producing good Riesling for awhile now, Washington State is doing very well on both the dry and late harvest ends of the spectrum, and Canada's Riesling ice wines are amazing.
Riesling is made all over the place and it's just one of the wines that allows you to travel the globe and explore all of its wonderful incarnations in the comfort of your own home. But it's the most pure in happiness and joy of the varietals that I know, and I'm so glad that it's in my life. Don't allow yourself to miss out.
This has been my go-to wine for Thanksgiving for years! Loosen "Dr. L" Riesling pairs so well with everything involved in your traditional Thanksgiving dinner. From Mosel, Germany, this wine is zesty and spry with notes of citrus, guava, and slate. Its bright acidity balances its semi-sweetness wonderfully.
Alcohol-Removed Riesling
Dr. Lo Riesling has just the right amount of fruitiness to balance the crisp acidity. On the palate it is clearly Riesling, but it walks the line between a fruity and a drier style. The characteristic acidity of Mosel Riesling delivers a fresh and clean finish. If shown blind, it may not be recognized as alcohol-free!
Joey Casco
Beverage Marketer
Certified Specialist of Wine
Certified Specialist of Spirits
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