Riesling
The world’s greatest white grape for serious wine drinkers. Highest natural acid; spans bone-dry to dramatically sweet. Mosel Riesling ages 50+ years.
About Riesling
Riesling is widely considered the greatest white grape variety in fine wine — a position editorially established but commercially undervalued (Riesling sells at lower prices than Chardonnay despite higher editorial respect). The variety’s defining characteristic is its extreme natural acid, which enables wines across the full sweetness spectrum (bone-dry Trocken through Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, BA, and TBA) to age remarkably well — the high acid balances the residual sugar in sweet wines and preserves freshness in dry ones. Mosel-Saar-Ruwer is the canonical reference region (Egon Müller, J.J. Prüm, Fritz Haag), with steep slate slopes producing wines of unmatched aromatic intensity and mineral character. Alsace produces dramatically different but equally serious Rieslings (drier, more powerful, with floral aromatics distinct from German Mosel style). Other significant regions include Rheingau and Pfalz (Germany), Wachau (Austria), Finger Lakes (New York), and Clare Valley + Eden Valley (Australia). Mosel Auslese ages 20-30+ years easily; BA and TBA bottlings essentially indefinitely.
Variety profile
Also known as
Editorial notes
Riesling has higher acid than any other major white grape. Prädikat designations indicate ripeness at harvest, not necessarily sweetness in the finished wine — a Spätlese can be made dry (Trocken Spätlese) or sweet.