“My name is Riesling and I’m all about balance.”
By: Lisa Burgess

Of all wines, I think, Rieslings are among the most under-respected and misunderstood. And while for the sake of space in this column, we may only scratch the surface; it’s a surface worth scratching.

It takes a curious spirit to get beyond what is generally believed about Riesling, which is that they are cheap, sweet, and not for the real wine drinker. Well, read on friends. You’re about to be intrigued and I dare say you may even drool a little as we get to know that which is such a mystery to most.

Much of the lack of attention paid to what Riesling really is, rather than what the “I only drink California Cabernet” person might suggest, lies simply in a lack of information. Remember, a varietal wine is just a wine named after either the principal or the sole grape variety that makes the wine. So, to be Riesling only means that Riesling is the grape used. From columns past, we’ve learned that to be a dry wine simply means that all of the natural sugar found in the grape juice at harvest is fermented to alcohol. So, in fact, any grape could theoretically be produced in any style (not always with success, of course), but any style nonetheless. The perception of the wine can still be fruity, floral, and even seemingly sweet without having detectable sugar, or dry. Being a dry wine does not mean you should feel like scraping it from your teeth when you drink it. Wine is made from grapes after all. Shouldn’t it taste like grapes? At least a little? Riesling does, and not just a little. It also tastes like peaches and apricots and roses. Now, who doesn’t want that?

Germany, where the grape is believed to have been cultivated for at least 500 years, possibly as long as 2,000 years, produces wines of magnificent balance in acid and sugar levels to produce wines with considerable aging potential - you don’t find that everywhere, particularly with white wine - and stunning food compatibility. Look for wines with QmP, translated as quality wines with special attributes (their ripeness) or QbA, translated as quality wine from a special region on the label. Oftentimes the word Qualitatswein will appear alone on QbA labels. Then, talk with your wine retailer assuming that retailer is also a Riesling enthusiast, and even do a little research on your own to become more familiar with what to expect from certain pradikat (pray-di-cat), an indication of the ripeness of the grapes at harvest. Wines with a pradikat hold the highest rank in the German wine system. And let’s not leave out the importance of where the grapes grow, like by rivers, the Rhine and the Mosel specifically. You’ll find those names on the labels too. Confusing? Nah. Complex! But, Riesling doesn’t find happiness only in Germany.

Alsace (ahl-zas), for those who didn’t get this in Geography class, is located in the northeastern part of France just across the Rhine River from Germany and grows some of the same grape varietals, Riesling being one of them. Alsace suffers from an identity crisis in that she, depending on which century you’re looking at and which World War just occurred, was swapped back and forth a couple of times between Germany and France until 1919. The wines are labeled with the grape variety and the place name listed on the bottle, which is unique to French wines in that most are labeled by region, requiring the drinker to know which grapes grow in that region. (Of course this is not always the case, and we continue to see more French and other European producers and importers listing the grape varietals on the label for exporting to new world countries. Hmm. I wonder why. Maybe they want us to buy it?). The similarities between German and Alsace Riesling pretty much end with the grape name. Alsace produces mostly bone-dry wines, whereas much of the German wines we see are of off-dry to sweeter styles. But don’t let that scare you, in fact, let it inspire you!

California has extensive Riesling plantings, as do other states such as Oregon, Washington and New York. They are the antithesis of Chardonnay in that they are lighter, more delicate, and rarely does a winemaker enhance or mask the flavor that is true to the grape with oak or anything else. Just pure, unadulterated deliciousness! I know, get a domestic and an import and see what similarities and differences you find. Won’t that be fun?

On the palate, acidity counterbalances and is counterbalanced by sweetness and alcohol. Wherever Riesling grows, its winemakers strive to achieve this balance in sugar, acid and alcohol. And fortunately for us, they are doing so with huge success.

Contact Lisa Burgess at 913.888.7820 or visit her website at www.livewellservewell.com.