The most popular white wine. Riesling: history, features, price

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Along with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, Riesling wine is considered one of the three kings of white varieties. In this article we will tell the history of the selection of this vine. Riesling grapes began their victorious march around the planet from the Rhinelands. Gradually, his vines began to penetrate into those countries remote from Germany, where the climate is not distinguished by hot summers. What makes Riesling so popular? Firstly, its acidity, which allows the wine to mature and refine in bottles for decades. Secondly, Riesling very well conveys the characteristics of the terroir - the area where the vines grew. And finally, thirdly, this wine can be varied in the amount of residual sugar from very dry to dessert. In northern countries such as Germany, where there is a real risk of picking unripe berries at the end of the season, Riesling is a real lifesaver. The wine from this variety comes out successful both from the early harvest and from the so-called "spatlese". But we will talk about all these subtleties below.

Birth of a variety

Who and when brought Riesling vines is not exactly known. The first record about grapes is found not in the annals, but in the household book. The Germans are a punctual people, and the Counts of Katzelnbogen fromRusselheim (Rheingau) carefully kept a record in their archive that in 1435, on the thirteenth day of March, their ancestor acquired six Riesling seedlings, paying 22 solidi. Less than fifty years later, the grape variety is mentioned in Alsace. The official Latin herbarium of Hieronymus Bock lists "riesling" along with other types of vines. What were the ancestors of this variety? This was found out by modern geneticists. The Riesling grape originated from the common traminer, which entered into a marriage alliance with the French variety Gouais Blanc, which the Germans usually call Weiser Höinisch. Well, now these vines are grown in Austria, South Australia and New Zealand - where summer does not threaten drought and excessive heat for delicate white berries.

Which terroir is best

Wine Riesling better than others, conveys the characteristics of the climate and soils of the region in which the vines grew. And even weather conditions (rainy or, conversely, hot summer) affect the quality of the drink. What is the best area for Riesling? Any German will tell you that the most authentic wine must come from Johannisberg. In the eighteenth century, after the devastating Thirty Years' War, the abbot of the Benedictine monastery of Fulda planted 300,000 Riesling vines into the abandoned lands around the monastery. Thus, a certain standard was created. All winemakers of the Rhinelands looked up to Schlöss Johanisberg. The fashion for "riesling" led to the fact that the variety began to be cultivated in the Moselle valley. The climate is hotter there, and therefore the wine is more refined, with floral notes. Even more southerly, the Palatinate gives Riesling a taste of honey and peaches. The Saar Valley produces stylish, showy wines. But the best terroir, as the Burgundians would say, Grand Cru, is a small area in the Rheinhessen called Nackenheim Rottenberg. Red mica, the proximity of water and the southern climate give the local wine an unsurpassed taste.

Production method

It is as important as the terroir. Riesling in the hands of a skilled winemaker is like soft wax under the fingers of an experienced sculptor. From this variety, you can create anything. Dry, semi-dry wine, dessert - sweetness is achieved by the amount of residual sugars, harvest time. And this is the snag for novice connoisseurs of the drink. The fact is that in Germany, the sweeter the Riesling, the more elite it is considered. Therefore, the most prestigious wine of this variety is Rhenish Eiswein (ice wine). The French do not agree with this view of sweetness. Alsatian Riesling is more acidic. English terminology clearly separates the wines of this variety by dryness. If the drink is sweetish, it is called "off-dry". The apt word "dry as a bone" (bone-dry) characterizes a drink that does not taste sweet at all. And semi-dry wine is simply indicated: “dry.”

Berry maturity

In the conditions of a cool and rainy German summer, it often happens that the harvest has to be harvested unripe. But green berries also make good Riesling. However, the best varieties of this wine are made from a late harvest. Hereyou need to know a few terms. Spatlese is a late harvest, when the berries have already wrinkled from the night cold and fermentation. Auslese - the harvest is sorted out from unripe grapes. "Birenauslese" - overripe berries are selected and wort is made from them. And finally, Trockenbeerenauslese. In this case, Riesling wine is born only from botrytised, raisin-dried berries. It is clear that the cost of the product from such a selection (made, of course, manually) increases.

Wine aging

Riesling does not tolerate fermentation. It also cannot be aged in oak barrels like other white grapes. But he is good because he can grow up in bottles. Young wine, in addition to a rich bouquet of citrus fruits, gives intoxicating freshness of duchesse pear and green apple. With age, it acquires more and more honey notes. Dessert wine Riesling is special. Recognizable high acidity neutralizes cloying, which is why the drink has a perfectly balanced taste. In the bouquet, notes of peach, apricot, white flowers and exotic fruits are mixed with citrus tones. Aged Riesling has a special - oil - shade. It may sound unappetizing, but sommeliers define the benzoic taste of white wine as its positive quality. "Oil" fits perfectly into the very structure of the drink. Words cannot express its exquisite taste.

Austrian Riesling

German wine in the land of Mozart has acquired its own characteristics. Riesling in this country is grown in the Kamptal river valleys,Kremstal and Wachau, in Lower Austria. The soil in these regions is very stony, with a large amount of gneiss, shale, and granite. Combined with the high humidity and warmth held by the Danubian hills, the terroir makes it possible to grow elegant wines. The Austrians also use the bacterium botrytis to ferment berries on the branches - the so-called "noble mold". Austrian Riesling differs from German Riesling in mineral notes in taste and a rich bouquet of exotic fruits. The best terroir in the country is recognized as a small area of Dürnsteiner Kellerberg. You don't have to be a big dork to choose a good Austrian Riesling. Choose a bottle where a lizard is drawn on the label and the word "smaragd" (emerald) is indicated. A recognized cult wine from Austria is F. X. Pichler Riesling Smaragd Dursteiner Kellerberg.

Alsatian Riesling

The fundamental difference between the wine of this variety in France is its dryness. The most successful terroir for Riesling is the land around the town of Ribeauville. Well, the "Grand Cru" is a small section of Rosaker, which is located in the commune of Yunavir. An excellent dry white wine is made here - "Riesling from the vineyard of St. Unna" (produced by the house "Trimbach"). Its refined taste is generated by limestone soils with stony placers. In the bouquet of such Riesling, not only fruits and minerals are felt, but also a slight smell of smoke. Another diamond in the crown of wines from Alsace is the Grand Cru of Castelberg, near the town of Andlo. This vineyard is mentioned as early as 1064. Now production inthe hands of Mark Creidenweiss. The French have no respect for dessert wines - or rather, they make them from other varieties of berries. Alsatian Riesling isn't just dry, it's Bon Dry.

Domestic Riesling

The variety of this grape is quite successfully grown by the Russian company Fanagoria. Riesling is poured with juices on the land of the Taman Peninsula. The climate here is temperate continental, and summers are hotter than this type of wine requires. And the soils of the Kuban are closer to chernozems, too fat for Riesling. But still, the winemakers of Phanagoria took a chance and planted vines brought from Austria on the lands of the farm. With proper care, they have achieved conditions for the berries to gain as much sugar as needed. The first crop was harvested in 2011. It was used to make iceriesling - "ice". This is a sweet drink. And recently a new batch of Riesling called "Number Reserve" has been released. This drink is light straw in color, with notes of meadow herbs, lime and sunflower.

Riesling price

This parameter depends not so much on the brand, but on the desire of the store to get super profits. So, German wine in Germany can cost about two euros. And the same Riesling in boutiques in Moscow is already about six hundred rubles. If you search, you can find quite exquisite brands. So, the famous "Riesling Smaragd Dursteiner" from Austria will cost you nine and a half thousand rubles.