A Rhineriesling grown on well-drained, mineral rich sub-soils will have “steely“ qualities, whereas the same clone planted on loam or sandy loam on flatland is most likely to produce flowery, perfumey aromas.

German Rieslings from the Rhinegau’s famed single vineyards, on world markets, fetched higher prices in the 18th and 19th centuries than Sauternes at the beginning of the 20th century, and in fact German Rieslings were the highest priced wines in the world.

If “ terroir “ must be reflected in the wine, Riesling does it best. Winemakers everywhere claim, “Riesling is made in the vineyard“. It is the Lorelei of white grapes and sits around showing off her blonde hair. Riesling needs no embellishment in the winery just a simple and correct fermentation.

It has a higher natural acidity across the board in all types and styles, when grown on the right soil. No wine except Moscato d’Asti and Vino Verde has lower alcohol than Riesling. It is the wine with a pedigree for modern times and wine enthusiasts subscribing to moderation. It can be fashioned in such an array of styles, ranging from very dry, to opulently sweet, as well as sparkling. Riesling ages magnificently, is light and elegant and represents the best wine-value imaginable.

Rhineriesling does best on the vineyards along the Rhine - and Mosel rivers in Germany. Around the turn of the century this grape was so popular that many regions hyphenated at least one of their white grapes, i.e. Okanagan Riesling, Riesling Italico, Welschriesling, Grey Riesling, just to name a few. Needless to say they have no relation to the true Riesling.

German hybridisers used Riesling for many, if not the majority of their creations. The most famous of them was Dr. Muller from the canton Thurgau in Switzerland He researched grape varieties in Geisenheim’s famous school of oenology around the turn of the 19th century and created the widely planted Muller-Thurgau, which is a cross between Riesling and Sylvaner. Riesling has been studied and researched at great length and clones have been taken from vigorous and healthy plants. Plant breeders created many Riesling crosses, and many still do.

The most famous Riesling clone is the Johannisberg Riesling spotted on the vineyard of Schloss Johannisberg in Rheingau, and which happens to be located on latitude 50 degrees north.

Today literally thousands of acres of vineyards are planted with the descendants of this one vine. But beware, not all Johannisberg Riesling labelled wines are a true descendent of the original. a.k.a. as ur-riesling.

Mosel Rieslings have different characteristics and possess unusual flavour characteristics.

The trunk of the Rhineriesling consists of extremely hard wood capable of resisting extreme colds as experienced in northern Germany, Finger Lakes in New York State, Ontario, Washington, Australia’s Tasmania, Eden Vale and McLaren Vale and even Oregon. Conversely in warm climes Riesling yields non-descript wines.

It is a vigorous vine, grows upright, and can produce fine wine at relatively high yield per hectare. Even at eight to ten tonnes of fruit per hectare, the wine tastes fine but high quality – oriented growers prune to get six to seven tonnes of fruit per hectare for more intensity.

The small, thin-skinned grapes are in small, tight bunches, and burst easily when exposed to frosts; this being the reason why Riesling ice wine is so much more expensive than the popular, thick-skinned Vidal. Riesling ripens late and should be hand-harvested. It grows best on agriculturally poor soil, and likes particularly mineral-rich subsoils, schistous loam, and soils mixed with pitch. Fine fruit is produced in vineyards on the Niagara Escarpment and on the Bench. Pelee Island is also known to produce fine Rieslings.

In Okanagan, some wineries make excellent Rieslings especially those who were lucky enough to obtain a few cuttings from the plants the late Dr. Becker supplied from Geisenheim.

Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wines are reputed to be exquisite in taste and texture. Their aging qualities in good vintages are legendary, particularly the wines of the wineries Selbach-Oster, J.J. Prum, Dr. Loosen, and Dr. Zenzen.

Fruit grown along the Rhine River yield more perfumey, aromatic and soft wines, which can age well. Schloss Johannisberg, Gunderloch, Schloss Schonborn, Lingenfelder, and K.Darting are some of the better-known wineries along this majestic river, which bisects Germany from south to north.

In Alsace Riesling has always been a very popular grape where it produces dry, off dry and sweet, but elegant wines called “selectione des grains noble“ a.k.a beerenauslese or selected late harvest.

Johannisberg Riesling grows well in the following regions: Rheingau, Palatinate, Franconia (Germany), Krems (Austria), McLaren Vale and Tasmania (Australia), Marlborough and Otago (New Zealand), Oregon, Washington, and Finger Lakes in N.Y. State (U.S.A), Alsace ( France ), B.C and Ontario.

Outside Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Mosel Riesling clones grow well on Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment, and New Zealand.

Ultimately, when buying a Riesling, one must consider not only the region, but also the integrity of the winery. In New York State H. Wiemer and Dr. K. Frank are reputed to produce excellent Rieslings.

Dry or off dry Riesling wines go well with Chinese food, and European cuisine specialties, off-dry complements Japanese food very well, and sweet to very sweet versions are best on their own with ripe seasonal fruits.

Only the German wine genius could produce a Riesling style that is so pure, so transparent, so reflective of terroir! It is almost a miracle.

When it comes to versatility no other grape can even come close to Riesling – it can produce bone dry wines, off-dry, sweet, and deliriously sweet without the use of winemaking crutches - Riesling needs no oak coat, it can stand on its own against any white grape and win effortlessly.

Now he consults and writes to increase wine, beer and liquor awareness. He conducts seminars and would be pleased to consider your requests. To peruse the list of his published books and order please contact him at hirayrberberoglu_3@sympatico.ca

Hryar Berberoglu www.littlefatwino.com