Now we will turn out attention to Riesling; perhaps the world's most undervalued and often mispronounced grape (It's "Reece-ling", not "Rice-ling" - get it straight!). At the mere mention of Riesling, you're probably either salivating or cringing, thinking, "Oh, no - not that nasty sweet stuff!" It may surprise you to learn that Rieslings come in a wide range of styles from bone dry to dessert sweet, and every shade in between.  There is a Riesling for everyone.  

Riesling is a white grape that has the potential to produce truly great wines.  It is light-bodied, and both intensely flavorful yet delicate. Good Riesling has soaring acidity and concentration of flavors. Flavors to look for in the wine include floral notes such as honeysuckle and citrus blossoms, and a range of fruits including peach, apricot, melon, lemon, lime, apple, pear, and even passion fruit. Depending upon where it is grown, Riesling may also contain a clean, vibrant mineral character.  

Riesling grape prefers cool climates and is temperamental about where it's grown, so quality and character can vary enormously. This grape has the ability to transmit the character of a particular vineyard.

Where the Grape is Grown

Germany
Riesling is Germany's claim to fame in the wine world. And as long as you're not afraid of a little sugar, the finest examples in the world come from here. German Rieslings are flowery, honeyed, steely, and minerally. They possess a crackling vibrant quality. It is the German tradition to produce Rieslings in varying levels of off-dryness. The labels full of unfamiliar words can be intimidating, but familiarizing yourself with these ripeness levels will prove very helpful:

• Kabinett - a good-quality Riesling that will be off-dry
• Spatlese - late harvest, more concentrated, and sweeter
• Auslese - very late harvest, well concentrated, and much sweeter
• Beerenauslese - very, very late harvest, we're in official dessert wine territory now
• Trokenbeerenauslese- mind-blowing nectar, abbreviated TBA for good reason

France
The Alsace region of France is just across the border from Germany.  This is the other spectacular region for Rieslings.   Alsace is the only region in France where the grape is officially permitted to be grown.  French Rieslings are elegant and precise, but differ from their German counterparts because they are traditionally fermented all the way to dry. (As a result, they are also higher in alcohol.) So if you don't care for sweeter wines, try an Alsatian Riesling.  They are highly aromatic and intensely vibrant.

California
Due to a warmer climate, Californian Rieslings tend to be softer, fuller, and more diffuse. They lack the intense focus

Australia
Rieslings that are tangy, lime-scented, and usually dry.

Austria
Dry, super-clean wines with an n especially intense acidity. By the way, Austrian Welshriesling is an unrelated grape with a misleading name.

Washington State
The Columbia Valley's cool climate is well suited for Alsatian-styled Riesling.  

Upstate New York and Canada
specialize in producing Riesling Icewine. This spectacular dessert wine is made by pressing the grapes while they are frozen.  

Residual Sugar

The sweetness in a Riesling was not added to the wine.  The sugar in the wine is the sugar that was originally in the grape juice.  In the fermentation process, yeast convert sugar into alcohol.  In a dry (the opposite of sweet) wine, all of the sugar molecules are fermented into alcohol.  But if the fermentation process is stopped along the way, you get a wine with a bit of residual sugar (and a lower alcohol level). Yum.

Foods to accompany Riesling

This wine is astoundingly versatile.  Riesling stands up to assertive foods such as onions, sausage.  Off-dry examples are a terrific foil for any spicy cuisine from Mexican to Thai and Indian.  The sweetness perfectly complements the spices, and the lower alcohol level refrains from setting your mouth on fire.  Yet Riesling is subtle enough not to overpower the delicate flavors of sushi.  It even makes a great apertif.

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