Riesling
Riesling | |
---|---|
Grosses Gewächs, Alsace Grand Cru, Wachau Smaragd | |
Hazards | Underripeness in colder regions |
VIVC number | 10077 |
Riesling (
In cool climates (such as many
In 2015, Riesling was the most grown variety in Germany with 23.0% and 23,596 hectares (58,310 acres),
History
Riesling has a long history, and there are several written references to the variety dating from the 15th century, although with varying
A map of
Parentage
Earlier, Riesling was sometimes claimed to have originated from wild vines of the Rhine region, without much support to back up that claim. More recently,
It has also been suggested, but not proved, that the red-skinned version of Riesling is the forerunner of the common, "white" Riesling.[13] The genetic differences between white and red Riesling are minuscule, as is also the case between Pinot noir and Pinot gris.
Longevity
Riesling wines are often consumed when young, when they make a fruity and aromatic wine that may have aromas of green or other apples, grapefruit, peach, gooseberry, honey, rose blossom or cut green grass, and usually a crisp taste due to the high acidity.[14] However, Riesling's naturally high acidity and range of flavours make it suitable for extended aging. International wine expert Michael Broadbent rates aged German Rieslings, some hundreds of years old, highly.[15] Sweet Riesling wines, such as German Trockenbeerenauslese, are especially suited for cellaring since the high sugar content provides for additional preservation. However, high-quality dry or off-dry Riesling wine is also known not just to have survived but also to have been enjoyable at an age exceeding 100 years.[16]
The
More common aging periods for Riesling wines would be 5–15 years for dry, 10–20 years for semi-sweet and 10–30+ for sweet versions.[18]
Petroleum notes in aged Riesling wines
On release, certain Riesling wines reveal a striking petrol note
The petrol note is considered to be caused by the compound
- Ripe grapes, i.e., low yields and late harvest
- High sun exposure
- Water stress, which is most likely in regions which do not practice irrigation, and there primarily in certain dry vineyard sites in hot and dry years
- High acid content
These factors are usually also considered to contribute to high-quality Riesling wines, so the petrol note is in fact more likely to develop in top wines than in simpler wines made from high-yielding vineyards, especially those from the New World, where irrigation is common.
Noble rot
The most expensive
Noble rot is employed in many viticultural areas, including the Clare, Barossa, and Eden Valleys in South Australia, and in the southern growing region of Tasmania, though none are as renowned as those from Germany.
Production regions
Riesling is considered one of the grape varieties that best expresses the terroir of the place where it is grown.[22] It is particularly well suited for slate and sandy clay soil.[23]
Germany
Today Riesling is Germany’s leading grape variety, known for its characteristic “transparency” in flavour and presentation of terroir,
Two common characteristics of German Riesling are that they are rarely blended with other varieties and usually never exposed to oak flavour (despite some vintners fermenting in "traditionel" old oak barrels already leached). To this last item there is an exception with some winters in the wine regions of Palatinate (Pfalz) and Baden using new oak aging. The warmer temperatures in those regions produce heavier wines with a higher alcohol content that can better contend with the new oak.[26] While clearer in individual flavours when it is young, a German Riesling will harmonize more as it ages, particularly around ten years of age.
In Germany, sugar levels at time of harvest are an important consideration in the wine's production with
Before technology in wineries could stabilize temperatures, the low temperatures in winter of the northern German regions would halt fermentation and leave the resulting wines with natural sugars and a low alcohol content. According to local tradition, in the
Riesling is also the preferred grape in production of Deutscher
Riesling wines from Germany cover a vast array of tastes from sweet to off-dry halbtrocken to dry trocken. Late harvest Rieslings can ripen to become very sweet dessert wines of the beerenauslese (BA) and trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) class.
France
Riesling is on record as being planted in the Alsace region by 1477 when its quality was praised by the
In contrast to other Alsatian wines, Rieslings d'Alsace are usually not meant to be drunk young, but many are still best in the first years. Rieslings d'Alsace tend to be mostly very dry with a cleansing acidity. They are thick-bodied wines that coat the palate. These wines age exceptionally well with a quality vintage aging up to 20 years. This is beneficial since the flavours in an Alsace wine will often open up after three years, developing softer and fruitier flavours.[30] Riesling is very suitable for the late harvest Vendange Tardive and the botrytized Sélection de Grains Nobles, with good acidity keeping up the sweetness of the wine.
In addition to
Australia and New Zealand
In 1838 William Macarthur planted Riesling vines near Penrith in New South Wales.[34] Riesling was the most planted white grape in Australia until the early 1990s when Chardonnay greatly increased in popularity.[32] Riesling still flourishes in the Great Southern of Western Australia (in particular Mt Barker, Frankland River and Porongurup), and in South Australia in the Clare Valley, and particularly in the areas of Watervale and around Polish Hill River, and the cooler Eden Valley and High Eden. The warmer Australian climate produces thicker skinned grapes, sometimes seven times the thickness of German grown grapes.[26] The grapes ripen in free draining soil composed of red soil over limestone and shale, producing a lean wine that, as it matures, produces toasty, honeycomb and lime aromas and flavors. It is common for Australian Rieslings to be fermented at low temperatures in stainless steel tanks with no oxidation of the wine, followed by earlier bottling.[35]
Australian Rieslings are noted for their oily texture and citrus fruit flavors in their youth and a smooth balance of freshness and acid as they age. The botrytized Rieslings have immense levels of flavor concentrations that have been favorably compared to lemon marmalade.[36]
Riesling was first planted in New Zealand in the 1970s and has flourished in the relatively cool climate of the
Austria
Riesling is the second leading white grape varietal after the indigenous Grüner Veltliner.[38] Austrian Riesling is generally thick bodied, coating the palate and producing a strong clarity of flavour coupled with a mouthwatering aroma. A particular Austrian Riesling trademark is a long finish that includes hints of white pepper. It flourishes in the cool climate and free-draining granite and mica soil of the Wachau region where Austrian wine laws allow for irrigation. With levels normally around 13% it has a relatively high alcohol content for Riesling and is generally at its peak after 5 years.[35] Austrian Riesling is not known for its sweetness and is mostly dry with very few grapes affected by botrytis.
United States
In the late nineteenth century,
New York Riesling generally has a characteristic effervescent light body with a similarly light, mellow flavor. The wine can be dynamic though rarely robust, and ranges from dry to sweet. New York is also a notable producer of Riesling-based ice wine, although a large majority of New York Ice Wine is made from Vidal blanc and Vignoles.
In California, Riesling lags far behind Chardonnay in popularity and is not as commonly planted. A notable exception is the growing development of high quality Late Harvest dessert wines. So far, the Late Harvest wines most successfully produced are in the Anderson and Alexander Valleys where the weather is more likely to encourage the needed botrytis to develop. The Riesling that does come out of California tends to be softer, fuller, and having more diverse flavours than a "typical" German Riesling.
In the Pacific Northwest, there is a stark contrast in Riesling production. Although Oregon was once viewed as a promising destination for the grape,
In Michigan, whose Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula AVAs (near Traverse City) are known for their ice wine, Riesling is a fairly common variety, in part on account of its suitability for that purpose.[42][43]
Riesling is grown in other regions as well, including colder parts of relatively warm states such as Oklahoma (where it has even been made into an
Riesling is also grown throughout all the regions in
Canada
In Ontario, Riesling is commonly used for
In British Columbia, Riesling is commonly grown for use in icewine, table wine, and sekt-style sparkling wines, a notable example of which is Cipes Brut.
In Nova Scotia, particularly in the Annapolis Valley region, Riesling is showing significant promise, being shaped by the warm summer days with cool nights and the extension of the growing season that is being observed. The Maritime climate combined with glacial soils contribute to the interesting expressions that are showing.
Other regions
Riesling is also widely grown in Luxembourg (where it represents some 12% of the vineyard), Hungary, Italy, particularly Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Croatia, South Africa, Chile and Central Europe, particularly Romania and Moldova, Serbia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Production
In
A wine that is best at its "freshest" states, the grapes and juice may be chilled often throughout the
Unlike
In viticulture, the two main components in growing Riesling grapes are to keep it "Long & Low" meaning that the ideal situation for Riesling is a climate that allows for a long, slow ripening and proper pruning to keep the yield low and the flavor concentrated.[22]
With food
Riesling is a versatile wine for
Riesling is almost never fermented or aged in new oak (although large old oak barrels are often used to store and
As with other white wines, dry Riesling is generally served at a cool 11 °C (52 °F). Sweeter Rieslings are often
Clones
There exists a large number of commercial clones of Riesling, with slightly different properties. In Germany, approximately 60 clones are allowed, and the most famous of these have been propagated from vines in the vineyards of Schloss Johannisberg. Most other countries have sourced their Riesling clones directly from Germany, but they are sometimes propagated under different designations.
Red Riesling
A very rare version of Riesling that has recently received more attention is Red Riesling (Roter Riesling). As the name suggests, this is a red-skinned clone of Riesling (a skin color commonly found for, e.g.,
Crosses
In the late 19th century, German horticulturalists devoted many efforts to develop new Riesling hybrids that would create a more flexible, less temperamental grape that could still retain some of the elegant characteristics of Riesling. The most notable is the Müller-Thurgau developed in the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in 1882, which is a cross of Riesling and Madeleine Royale (although long believed to be Riesling x Silvaner). Other Riesling/Silvaner crosses include the Palatinate regional favorite Scheurebe and Rieslaner. Kerner, a cross between Riesling and the red wine grape Trollinger is a high-quality cross that has recently eclipsed Riesling in plantings.[50]
The
And as the second parent: Aris, Arnsburger, Aurelius, Dalmasso 12-40, Dona Emilia, Dr. Deckerrebe, Elbriesling, Freiburg 3-29, Geilweilerhof F.S. 4-208-13, Geilweilerhof Koe-49-81, Geilweilerhof Koe-68-107, Geilweilerhof Koe-70-4, Geilweilerhof Koe-70-96, Geilweilerhof Sbl. 2-19-43, Geisenheim 154, Geisenheim 156, Kamchia, Kerner, Lafayette, Misket Varnenski, Negritienok, President Carnot, Rabaner, Rieslaner, Riesling Bulgarski, Ruling, Thurling, Weinsberg S509, Weinsberg S516, Weinsberg S523, Weinsberg S2630
Naming
Many grapes that incorporate the name Riesling are not true Riesling. For example:
- Welschriesling is an unrelated variety, which is common in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania, and that may also be labelled as Riesling Italico, Welsch Rizling, Olasz Rizling or Laski Rizling.
- Schwarzriesling (Black Riesling) is the German name for Champagne, but which is also grown in Southern Germany.
- Cape Riesling is the South African name for the French grape Crouchen.
- Gray Riesling is actually Bastardo port winegrape.
- White Riesling is the 'real' Riesling, which is also called Johannisberg Riesling (named after the famed Schloss Johannisberg) and Rhine Riesling (= Riesling Renano in Italy, occasionally Rheinriesling in Austria).[51]
See also
- German wine labels
- International variety
Notes and references
- ^ "American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition". The Free Dictionary. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ISBN 0-19-860990-6.
- ^ ISBN 9781905819157.
- ^ German Wine Institute: German Wine Statistics 2015-2016 Archived 2020-09-28 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ CIVA website Archived 2006-04-09 at the Wayback Machine, read on September 9, 2007.
- ^ ISBN 1-84000-777-X.
- ^ http://www.graf-von-katzenelnbogen.de/ Archived 2020-08-06 at the Wayback Machine The History of the County of Katzenelnbogen and the First Riesling of the World.
- ^ Winzerfreunde Rüsselsheim - facsimile and translation of the 1435 document (in German).
- ^ A earlier reference from 1402 in the city of Worms (Germany) that is sometimes quoted is not correct and based on a missinterpretation from the 1960s; see Guthier, Simeon. "Alte Rebsorten. Forschungsstand, Verbreitung, Neuzüchtungen". Weingeschichte in Rheinhessen. Institute for Regional Studies Mainz. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
- ISBN 1-84000-777-X.
- ISBN 1-84000-777-X.
- ^ a b Wein-Plus Glossar: Roter Riesling Archived 2016-08-18 at the Wayback Machine, accessed on 13 January 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-84549-079-9
- ISBN 0-15-100704-7
- ^ [1] Archived 2013-06-18 at the Wayback MachineJancis Robinson.com: Exploding myths about German wine.
- ISBN 0-15-100704-7.
- ^ Riesling Report issue #13 March/April 2002, pp. 8-13: The Rewards of Cellaring Riesling Archived 2017-12-04 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84549-079-9.
- .
- ^ History of Schloss Johannisberg Archived 2006-07-16 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
- ISBN 1-85732-999-6.
- ^ Andrew Ellson, Roll out the riesling, German wines are making a comeback Archived 2020-12-03 at the Wayback Machine, in: The Times dated 9 December 2019.
- ^ Wine Spectator Magazine, Wine in Northern Europe September 30th, 2006 p. 124.
- ^ ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
- ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
- ISBN 1-84081-177-3.
- ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
- ^ ISBN 1-84081-177-3.
- .
- ^ ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
- ISBN 1-84081-177-3.
- ^ Queensland Government Wine Development-Riesling Archived 2008-07-20 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ ISBN 0-15-100714-4.
- ^ ISBN 1-84081-177-3.
- ISBN 1-84081-177-3.
- ISBN 1-56305-434-5.
- ISBN 9780313354014.
- ^ "The Small Producers Driving the West Coast's Riesling Revival". SevenFifty Daily. 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2022-02-19.
- ^ A. King "Bonny Doon has crush on Washington Riesling" p. 26, Wine Press Northwest Spring 2007.
- ^ Fruit Production 2005, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Michigan Field Office, January 25, 2006,
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link), accessed July 20, 2006 - ^ http://www.winesandvines.com/template.cfm?section=features&content=49688&ftitle=Michigan%20Ice%20Wine%20Rises%20When%20Mercury%20Falls Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Oklahoma Wine and Food". Archived from the original on 2012-07-29. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
- ^ [2] Archived 2013-07-28 at the Wayback Machine.
- ISBN 0-932664-66-0.
- ISBN 1-56305-434-5.
- ^ "Riesling and Germany 2005" Archived 2006-08-25 at the Wayback Machine, Andrew Corrigan, eWineconsult.com.
- ^ Wein-Plus Magazine September 6, 2006: Allendorf sees red Archived May 12, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
- ISBN 1-84081-177-3.
- ^ a b Maul, Erika; Töpfer, Reinhard; Eibach, Rudolf (2007). "Vitis International Variety Catalogue". Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof (IRZ), Siebeldingen, Germany. Archived from the original on 2008-10-13. Retrieved 2007-08-29.